Today at the annual GM meetings, 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 Tuesday at the GM Meetings. “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 (101 wRC+), Lagares hit just .259/.289/.358 (80 wRC+) 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.
Defensively, Lagares saw a huge drop off as well. According to Fangraphs, he went from 20 runs above average with the glove to just five this year. Although his throwing elbow was certainly an issue, especially late in the season, Lagares’ range dropped off as well. That being said, he is signed to a four-year $23 million contract that extends through 2019, so he probably isn’t going anywhere.
A platoon between Lagares and Gerardo Parra immediately comes to mind. Parra was a target for the Mets leading up to the trade deadline and owns a career .289/.335/.432 line against right-handed pitching. The two would compliment each other nicely and would form a cheaper alternative to some of the other outfielders on the market.
