The Mets headed into the offseason with plenty of needs. One such need was second base.

Gone are the days of Daniel Murphy who held down the keystone from 2011 to 2015 for the Mets. While his defense was far from spectacular, his offense made him an asset to the team.

Also gone are the brief days of Neil Walker; Murphy’s successor. Walker produced well for the Mets when he was healthy in 2016 and before he was traded in 2017.

Right now, the Mets do not have a stable, clear, and legitimate second baseman, however.

Sure there are plenty of internal options. They could roll the dice with one of the players who have either been given a small taste of the majors or none at all like T.J. Rivera, Matt Reynolds, Gavin Cecchini, or Luis Guillorme.

Let’s be honest though, do any of those choices scream All-Star?

Perhaps one day, but to expect any of those four choices to be an All-Star in 2018 is unfair to them as it puts a lot of pressure on them.

The most likely choices at this point are Asdrubal Cabrera and Wilmer Flores. Both candidates are defensive liabilities, but will provide decent offensive production.

Sandy Alderson has indicated that Cabrera is the favorite to start third base, which leaves Flores as the most logical Met to start at second.

While Flores starting at second base wouldn’t be too bad, it has to be done right. As I wrote in early November, the Mets need to clearly name him the second baseman and make it his job to lose.

However, with the way things are right now, it seems like the job is open. If the season were to start today, Flores may get the bulk of the playing time, but he would have to split a significant amount of it with the other second base options.

If that’s the case, it would be better off if the Mets go outside the organization to get a second baseman. Not only would that give everyone a clear answer as to who starts at second, but it should also help sure up the defense.

Free agency is a little scarce at the moment. Walker is really the only viable option and he’s not heads and shoulders better than Flores on either side of the ball.

Beyond Walker, the only other two who even make MLB Trade Rumor‘s top-50 free agent list are Eduardo Nunez and Howie Kendrick.

Both Nunez and Kendrick put up decent defensive and offensive numbers at best. Signing either one to play second base would just be signing someone for show rather than doing so to try and make an impact. Those are exactly the type of moves the Mets should avoid.

While free agency isn’t booming with second basemen, there are plenty of impact options left for the Mets to choose from via a trade even as the Hot Stove has picked up.

Jason Kipnis leads a pack of second baseman who the Mets could target. Other options include Josh Harrison and Cesar Hernandez. Rob Piersall already compared Harrison and Kipnis to each other and weighed whether or not they are worth pursuing.

In the end, any of the three would be nice additions to the team.

The most important thing they can bring that Flores can’t is defense. With Mets pitchers struggling in 2017 and with baseball entering a period of unprecedented offensive production from hitters, the Mets really have to sure up their defense.

If they won’t commit to Flores at second base and allow him to fully realize his potential, they must target a second baseman who can help both the pitchers and the entire team with their glove first and foremost.