Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets roster is missing a fourth outfielder right now. Last season, manager Buck Showalter enjoyed the ability to get a player off their feet for a day by rotating in a defense-first outfielder.

The first half of the 2022 season saw outfielder Travis Jankowski appear in 43 games with 17 starts. The Mets used Ender Inciarte as a defensive replacement in 11 games. Trade deadline acquisition Tyler Naquin played in 49 games but only started 29.

None of those players remain on the Mets. Right now the Mets projected top outfield option is Khalil Lee. New York will keep their main three of Mark Canha, Brandon Nimmo, and Starling Marte as the starters but who is available to back them up?

Adam Duvall

Duvall was a plus defender for the Braves last season. In 86 games he posted 5 outs above average. That total ranked 26th among outfielders in baseball last season. Duvall rotated through all three outfield positions, playing the most in center field. Duvall has always shown defensive ability in the outfield but his transition into center didn’t happen until he became a Brave in 2021.

Duvall’s bat has slowed down. Since his career-best 2019 season, his wRC+ has decreased each of the following three seasons, hitting 87 last season or 13% worse than the average major leaguer. Duvall still provides solid power as he was on pace to hit 24 home runs over a full season. That pop is rare among the quality of outfielders available for this position.

Jurickson Profar

Profar is the ultimate utility man. He’s played every position except catcher in his career. Unfortunately, he’s not a plus defender at any of them. Still, despite his defensive deficiency, a player with the ability to play everywhere has value in the major leagues.

Profar recorded a 110 wRC+ last season and remains a tough out at the plate. He walked in 11.1% of his at-bats and struck out just 15.7% of the time. He’s a pest and excellent at working deep counts and raising pitch counts. That hitting profile plus his versatility fits what Showalter is ultimately looking for.

He may be out of the Mets price range for the position. Spotrac.com has his market value set at $14.9 million. That’s expensive for a bench bat.

Jackie Bradley Jr.

Jackie Bradley Jr. wouldn’t even have success at the plate if the ball was on a tee but he can certainly defend those who can. Bradley has made a career off being an excellent defensive centerfielder, consistently ranking in the tops of all defensive categories.

Last season he made 98 starts in the outfield and played in 146 games. He accumulated a higher outs above average than Brandon Nimmo and was tied for 13th in baseball among outfielders with 7. Bradley can play all three outfield positions and should come pretty cheap after multiple seasons of failing to do anything productive at the plate.

The Mets are lucky they locked up Nimmo. The center field market is absolutely barren this offseason but they’ll still need to add at least one more outfielder to complete the roster.

Other compelling names the Mets could look at are David Peralta, Tommy Pham, or Chad Pinder. They don’t need someone expensive, just someone who can catch a ball.