With his designation for assignment on Friday, Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Hunter Renfroe joined the ranks of what will presumably be a sizable group of major league ballplayers to hit the open market unexpectedly this offseason.
Between team options not picked up earlier this month, Friday’s Rule 5 Draft deadline causing roster squeezes around the league, and the expected wave of non-tenders ahead of MLB’s Dec. 2 deadline, the market will assuredly be flooded with talent.
For a team like the New York Mets, who have some money to spend with new owner Steve Cohen at the helm — as opposed to the 29 other teams who are feeling the financial sting of a COVID-shortened 2020 season — and a terrific offensive core already in place, the Mets could theoretically enjoy the pick of the litter at nearly every turn of the offseason.
The current starting outfield alignment — far from set in stone, naturally — has Michael Conforto in right field and a combination of Brandon Nimmo, Dominic Smith, and J.D. Davis in left. Center field duties are unassigned at the moment because, as evidenced over his time in Flushing, Nimmo simply isn’t a center fielder.
Who eventually takes that spot is TBD — and should be right at the top of New York’s winter docket — but that’s for another article altogether.
Filling out the back-end of the Mets’ outfield depth chart is a secondary priority, but a priority nonetheless. And maybe not at first glance, but simply from a roster-lengthening standpoint, Hunter Renfroe could fit the bill as a viable option for the new regime in Flushing.
Renfroe, 28, struggled mightily for the AL champion-Rays last season, appearing in 42 games (139 plate appearances), and hitting just .156/.252/.393 with a 76 wRC+, which translates to a cumulative effort 24 percent worse than the average MLB player. To be fair, he’s never been much of an offensive dynamo, but he has his moments. More on that in a second.
First, let’s talk about what Renfroe brings to the table on the other side of the chalk.
While an uncharacteristically mediocre defensive profile in the corner outfield spots (-1 DRS, -5.8 UZR/150, 0 OAA) last season may give pause to potentially interested teams, Renfroe’s 42-game downturn is essentially a blip on the radar for a guy whose 23 DRS and 13.1 UZR/150 ranked second and sixth among MLB outfielders in 2019 (+5 OAA, 27th).
Plugging him in at either corner spot — as a spell for a regular or in a pinch late in games — affords the Mets with a Gold Glove-level replacement when needed. Considering we’ve seen this team trot out the likes of Aaron Altherr, Ryan Cordell, Keon Broxton, and Rajai Davis in recent years, this type of depth would be an unfamiliar luxury.
The former first-round pick (Padres, 2013; 13th overall) has never quite been the consistent hitter he was envisioned to be as a prospect — he’s the epitome of a streaky hitter — but if used correctly, he could be an ideal right-handed bat or defensive replacement off the bench.
A career .220/.291/.443 hitter (97 HR, 102 wRC+ in 432 MLB games) isn’t the sexy pickup most Mets fans are dreaming of for this offseason, but Renfroe’s habit of absolutely crushing left-handed pitching (.258/.339/.573, 36 HR in 495 career PA vs. LHP) and penchant for pinch-hitting (.293/.383/.707. 5 HR, 47 career PA) makes him a strong candidate to settle into a bench role.
The Mets will have a myriad of options this offseason, no question — talented players coming at a dime-a-dozen, sadly. As each new wave of available players hit the open market, the Mets — just like us — will analyze each’s potential fit in Queens.
And for the first time in forever, the Mets front office has the full and complete trust of ownership, as well as the fan base. Exciting times.
