Around the infield, the Mets have locks at two positions for next season: Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki splitting time behind the dish and Amed Rosario at shortstop.
One can also presume that Dominic Smith will hold down first, meaning the Mets have decisions to make at the hot corner and second base.
Let’s talk about the former with players the Mets currently have that can fill the hole at the keystone.
Asdrubal Cabrera
After Asdrubal Cabrera requested a trade, it seemed as though his tenure as a Met was over. However, he had a change of heart when he wasn’t dealt and has played his way on to next year’s team.
The 31-year-old has had a strong second half with a .295/.359/.440 slash line that includes a monster September in which his .970 OPS ranks 18th in the major leagues.
Cabrera currently has a club option for next year that will presumably be picked up. Regardless of what role he holds next year, his days at shortstop are behind him.
At the shortstop position this year, Cabrera had a -9 DRS and a -4.8 UZR while committing 11 errors in just 45 games. He has been better at the hot corner though (five errors, -2.0 UZR, 2 DRS) and second base (-6 DRS, 1.0 UZR).
Defense certainly isn’t going to be the selling point at any position for Cabrera with the main attribute he will provide this team is his bat.
He got off to a slow start this season while being hampered by injuries, but has rebounded to club 13 homers and drive in 54 runs, while hitting .275/.350/.427. He has also raised his wRC+ to 110 and his wOBA to .336 on the campaign.
If the Mets choose to go the route of the in-house option, Cabrera is the most feasible option.
Wilmer Flores
If there is anything we learned from Wilmer Flores this season, it’s that he isn’t an everyday third baseman.
The 26-year-old lacks the range and reaction time to effectively man the position. The same applies when talking about the infielder as a shortstop.
Flores committed eight errors at third base this season with a -2.7 UZR and -8 DRS. While he didn’t appear in a game at short this year, in 2015 he had -10 DRS and a -2.5 UZR with 14 errors.
At second base, he has committed just three errors over the last two seasons with a combined -4 DRS and -1.4 UZR.
Like Cabrera, Flores’ success lies at the plate. He has hit 15+ home runs the last three seasons, with a career high of 18 this year.
In 110 games in 2017, the infielder hit .271/.307/.488 with a 107 wRC+ and .331 wOBA before going down with a broken nose.
Flores has also spent time at first base, so if the Mets aren’t ready to hand Smith everyday duties at the position, he could see a platoon with the 22-year-old early on next season.
T.J. Rivera
T.J. Rivera underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this month, so the chances are high that he could miss some time early on next year.
While the recovery process isn’t as rigorous for a position player as it is for a pitcher, the recovery time is still lengthy.
Like Flores, Rivera struggled defensively at third this season, committing five errors in just 28 games. At second, he has yet to commit an error in 38 appearances.
At the hot corner, he had a -4 DRS this season, while putting up a -1.1 UZR. At second, his numbers were better with an average 0 DRS and -0.3 UZR.
Those numbers are passable, especially when Rivera can make up for it with his bat and being paired with Amed Rosario and presumably a tandem of Juan Lagares and Brandon Nimmo in central.
In 106 games in the bigs, Rivera has hit .304/.335/.445 with eight homers and 43 RBI. For a 162 game average, that’s 12 long balls and 49 RBI with the same slash line.
His 103 wRC+ this season was just a touch above average while his wOBA sat at .326. The 28-year-old has hit at every level of the minors and has translated that to the majors thus far.
The only obstacle for him going into next season is getting back to 100 percent.
Gavin Cecchini
Gavin Cecchini is the least likely to come away with the starting gig at second next season due to a poor offensive showing at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2017 and sporadic starts at the big league level.
The organization seems content on moving beyond Cecchini as a suitable option at the keystone, with Sandy Alderson deflecting questions about him last month, instead talking about Matt Reynolds.
With the 51’s this season, Cecchini hit just .267/.329/.380 with six homers and 39 RBI in 110 games. He’s hit just .208/.250/.278 at the major league level in 76 at-bats.
Terry Collins has been high on the infielder, though the Mets brass seems to think otherwise. His swing has obvious flaws and he has a poor launch angle, which Alderson and crew are big on.
In the field, Cecchini is a below average defender, committing 13 errors between shortstop and second. In the majors, he has -3 DRS at second this season in just 147 innings, with a 0.2 UZR.
If Cecchini breaks Spring with the team, it will presumably be in a backup capacity.
Jose Reyes
Jose Reyes being part of the club next season is far from a sure thing.
Yes, he has a strong relationship with top prospect Amed Rosario, but he is an aging infielder who struggled mightily for 75 percent of the season.
It has been heavily discussed the last several weeks on whether or not the Mets should bring back Cabrera or Reyes, or maybe even both.
Reyes is hitting .333/.414/.538 with seven doubles, one triple, five home runs, 18 RBI and 27 runs scored over his last 32 games dating to Aug. 13. The infielder Reyes is fourth in the NL with 24 stolen bases. He has 512 career stolen bases, the most among active players. He’s second in the majors with 10 stolen bases since Aug. 25.
The 34-year-old has pulled his average up to .245/.314/.410 with 14 homers and 57 RBI this year, but started off with an abysmal first few months. He also graded out negatively at short (-14 DRS), third (-5 DRS) and second base (-4) defensively this season.
He has appeared in 141 games for New York this season, but going forward it is unclear if he can sustain that same pace. He has endured a slew of injuries over the course of his career and thrusting him into a starting role next year would be irresponsible.
While Reyes wants to finish his career with the Mets, he is due a big pay raise this offseason after turning it on the latter portion of the season.
Would the four-time All-Star take a pay cut to stay with New York in a reserve capacity? Probably not if he could find a more stable job elsewhere.
If he does return, the plan should be for him to have a super utility role, which was the original plan before the Mets got struck with the injury bug.
Matt Reynolds
Every team has a Matt Reynolds. A fringe major leaguer who can come up from the minors to make a couple spot starts or work as a hot body on the 25-man roster.
Reynolds is that guy for the Mets. He’s been up and down several times over the last three seasons and has failed to make a lasting mark in the majors, which is fine for the type of player he is.
A late inning defensive replacement or pinch hitter is good to have, but that’s all Reynolds is and should be.
At 26, his ceiling seems to be a quality bench piece and spot starter, a role that he should return to next season when he spends time in the majors.
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The Mets have several options in the minors that could appear in the majors next year such as Luis Guillorme, the soft-handed second baseman who just recently earned the Sterling Award for the Double-A level, but none that will make an immediate impact.
With that being said, let’s talk about the free agent market. The options are thin, but there are a couple that could be appealing to New York.
Eduardo Nunez
Eduardo Nunez is a player the Mets will be pursuing this season, whether it’s to play at second or third.
The 30-year-old has had a solid year at the dish, hitting .313/.341/.460 with 12 homers and 58 RBI while swiping 24 bases. He also has a 112 wRC+ and .342 wOBA on the campaign.
Nunez can play all around the infield, but has spent a majority of time at the keystone and hot corner this year.
In 213 innings for the Red Sox at second, he has committed two errors with -4 DRS and a -1.8 UZR. At third, his DRS is better, sitting at 0 while his UZR is equal at -1.8. Only difference is he’s nine errors at the position.
For his career, the infielder is a .282/.320/.415 hitter. This is the second season in a row that he has hit 10+ dingers.
In an ideal world, the Mets will dole out the money to Mike Moustakas to supplant the oft injured David Wright at third and stick Nunez at second, but if the Mets do sign the latter, his future might be at the hot corner.
Howie Kendrick
While Howie Kendrick likely isn’t a starter at this point in his career, he can be a valuable bench piece for New York who could slot into second when need be.
In a reserve role for the Nationals this season, Kendrick has a 1.4 WAR with a .293/.345/.478 slash line to go along with six homers and 24 RBI.
The 34-year-old has spent time in the outfield this year as well as first base, two positions that could benefit the Mets as well.
On the season, Kendrick has a 120 wRC+ and .359 wOBA in 87 games.
Logan Forsythe
Logan Forsythe is in his first year with the Los Angeles Dodgers after coming over in a trade with Tampa Bay before the season.
At the dish this season, Forsythe is hitting just .233/.360/.342 with six home runs and 36 RBI, but is just one year removed from launching 20 homers and hitting .264/.333/.444.
While his offense hasn’t been the most flashy part of his game this year, Forsythe is an above average defender.
In 567 innings at second for Forsythe this season, the veteran has committed just three errors to go along with +5 DRS and a 2.7 UZR.
He can also play all around the infield, spending time at third and short this season as well.
Him hitting the open market is up in the air, however. He has a $8.5 club option with a $1 million buyout for next season.
If he becomes a free agent, his glove up the middle would really tighten up the defense which has been so suspect at times this year.
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Lastly, let’s look at trade candidates. There are a couple names that will hit the open market in 2018-19 that the Mets could look to trade for as a one-year rental.
Ian Kinsler
Ian Kinsler has an option on his contract that will vest when he reaches the 600 at-bat plateau. He currently sits at 598, so he won’t be hitting the open market this year.
However, the Tigers who are looking to change the tone in Detroit have already told manager Brad Ausmus he won’t have his contract renewed and are putting players on the block.
Kinsler is one of them, as the Tigers will look to sell the second baseman this offseason.
The 35-year-old is having a down year at the plate hitting just .236/.313/.416 this season with a 92 wRC+ and .313 wOBA. However, he has some pop left in his bat, launching 22 homers and driving in 51 runs.
The four-time All-Star also remains healthy year in and year out. He has appeared in 100+ games every year of his 12 year big league career.
His advanced fielding metrics are also very solid even at his age. He has 6 DRS and a 6.2 UZR while being good for 2.2 WAR.
The Mets have lost a lot of home runs and are one of the youngest teams in baseball. Bringing in a player like Kinsler who has been around the game for a long time would do wonders for the Mets.
Brian Dozier
If you want a big bat, look no further than Brian Dozier.
The second baseman has clubbed 20+ home runs in each of the last four seasons, including a career high 42 in 2016. Plus, he can swipe a bag or two. In his six year tenure with the Twins, he has stolen 90 bags.
He has appeared in 145+ games in each full season of his big league career as well. No different this year as he has played in 148 games, hitting to a .262/.349/.478 clip with a 116 wRC+ and .350 wOBA.
In the field, the 32-year-old has committed just five errors in 1,281 innings, but has a -6 DRS and -1.4 UZR. His bat would be the real player if the Mets swung a deal, as he could hit third in front of Yoenis Cespedes.
Another player the Mets should keep tabs on is Josh Harrison. He has one year left on his deal with a club option for 2019. A gritty, spark plug type player, Harrison would be a great addition to the Mets. Though, it is unclear what Pittsburgh’s asking price would be or if the Mets even have the means to get him.
What say you, Mets fans? What player(s) would you like to man the keystone going forward?
