1. Mets Are Seeking Bullpen Upgrades
It appears the top priority for the Mets is improving the backend of the bullpen and finding that 8th inning setup man who could be a reliable bridge to closer Jeurys Familia. Their bullpen was completely exposed in the World Series, blowing three late leads and allowing 24 earned runs, 47 hits and 17 walks in 51.1 innings.
The Mets will not bring back Tyler Clippard, but are expected to tender arbitration-eligible Addison Reed an offer. He should get somewhere around $6 million after earning $4.875 million in 2015.
Reed pitched well in a small 15.1 inning sample size for the Mets, posting a 1.17 ERA in 17 appearances, but had a 4.40 ERA with Arizona before arriving in 40.2 innings. Ryan Madson and Tony Sipp are also considerations.
The Mets have reported interest in Darren O’Day and Joakim Soria, both of whom are at the top of the market for relievers and could command sizable “closer-type” deals. But GM Sandy Alderson has always shown an aversion to signing free agents at the top of the market, especially if he feels that market is overvalued.
Soria, 31, made $7 million last season while posting a 2.53 ERA and 1.09 WHIP and striking out 64 batters in 67 2/3 innings between the Tigers and Pirates.
O’Day, 33, reportedly has multiple offers in hand. He posted a 1.52 ERA and 0.934 WHIP this season, striking out 82 batters in 65.1 innings, while walking only 14.
2. Lagares Is Still Prominent In Mets Plans
Paul DePodesta told reporters that Juan Lagares will not be displaced as center fielder, and instead will probably form half of a platoon next year.
“We didn’t have it as much in 2014, when Juan basically played most of the time,” DePodesta said. “He didn’t have as good a year this year as he’s had in the past. I don’t think we’ve ruled out the idea that he can play every day. But I think the complement — just within our outfield in general with those guys — makes sense.”
Lagares, 26, saw drops in both his offensive and defensive production. After batting .281/.321/.382 last season, Lagares hit just .259/.289/.358 in 143 games this season. He was, however, able to hit .273/.333/.438 against lefties this year and owns a career .279/.325/.427 line against them.
The Mets will kick the tires on Denard Span and Dexter Fowler, but both see themselves as everyday players and will be seeking 3-4 year deals.
The Mets could instead look to Gerardo Parra who owns a career .289/.335/.432 line against right-handed pitching. Parra split time with the Brewers and Orioles in 2015 and hit .291 with 14 home runs and 51 RBIs. Defensively, he’s a Gold Glove corner outfielder, but he has played 186 games in center field.
3. Second Base Situation Remains Uncertain
If Daniel Murphy moves on as expected, the Mets will turn to young Dilson Herrera or Wilmer Flores as internal options to replace him at second base. The Mets could also turn to free agent Ben Zobrist who they tried to acquire at last season’s trade deadline.
The Mets plan to soon meet with the agents for Zobrist, who is one of the most versatile and productive players in this Winter’s free agent market. He clearly profiles as someone who would fit the needs of the Mets.
Zobrist, 34, can proficiently play second and shortstop as well as both corner outfield positions, and he can backup David Wright at third base, something the front office is putting a high value on.
Last season in 126 games with the Athletics and Royals, Zobrist hit .276/.359/.450 with 13 home runs, After an injury related slow start to the season, Zobrist tore it up in the second half with a .835 OPS and 128 OPS+.
The question is, will the Mets give him the 3-4 year deal he is seeking?
4. Tejada Not A Slam Dunk To Return
Mike Puma of the NY Post reported that it’s not a slam dunk that Ruben Tejada will be tendered a contract this offseason. The Mets could turn to Matt Reynolds instead who will compete with Wilmer Flores for the starting shortstop job.
Assistant general manager John Ricco recently stated that the Mets were comfortable with having Tejada and Flores at shortstop, but the decision could be financially motivated. Tejada is expecting to earn $2-3 million dollars in arbitration this year.
While he only batted .261 with thee home runs in 2015, Tejada won back his starting job with a strong showing late in the season. He hit .297 with a .763 OPS in September, but he tragically had his postseason cut short due to the dirty take out slide by Chase Utley in the NLDS.
5. Mets Young Starting Pitchers Are Staying Put
The Mets have no plans to trade Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard or Steven Matz, and even Zack Wheeler isn’t expected to be dealt.
Assistant GM John Ricco reiterated what Sandy Alderson has been saying since the offseason began. He told reporters at the GM Meetings that the Big 4 were a hot commodity, but cautioned that neither of them were being shopped. The answer was no, he said. “We told them it was very unlikely.”
Some are calling it posturing, but my question is why would the Mets weaken their one true strength after waiting five years for all of these young power arms to finally arrive? What sense does that make?
And what happens if one of them goes down to injury? Now you’re down two guys and you already traded the top pitching prospect in your system to get Yoenis Cespedes.
The old adage still applies. You can never have enough starting pitching.
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There were some things we didn’t learn and chief among them is the plan at shortstop. One day we heard the Mets were content with Flores, the next day we heard the Mets were talking to a lot of teams and a lot of agents about shortstops. Something to keep our eye on.
Have a great weekend, folks!
