Even after acquiring Robinson Cano, the New York Mets continue to look for help to improve their infield.
In Jon Heyman’s Mets notes on Fancred Sports, he reported that the Mets have talked about signing free agent infielder Marwin Gonzalez, mainly because of his defensive versatility around the infield. Gonzalez saw time at shortstop, second base, first base, and all three outfield spots in 2018, while hitting a decent .247/.324/.409 for the Houston Astros.
While Gonzalez would likely not be the 4.0 WAR, 144 wRC+ player he was in 2017 for the Astros, he would be a very solid utility bat who can play all over the field. However, especially after the addition of Cano, another infielder is not such a pressing need as the Mets are confident that Jeff McNeil can be that kind of utility, Ben Zobrist type of player.
Despite McNeil’s presence, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said yesterday on WFAN Sports Radio that he does want to improve the Mets’ depth in the infield. If that’s the case, Gonzalez would be a very good option to fill that role.
Heyman also noted that free agent infielder Mike Moustakas could be a fit because Todd Frazier had a down year and top first base prospect Peter Alonso is unproven in the Majors.
Moustakas hit .251/.315/.459 with 33 doubles, 25 home runs and 95 RBI between the Brewers and Royals. He posted a 2.5 bWAR while playing first and third base.
Van Wagenen’s previous comments would not support Moustakas playing first base though, as he said on Mike Francesa’s show that he expects Alonso to be the Opening Day first baseman. No matter what though, it is clear that Van Wagenen is making a strong effort to upgrade the infield with Major League assets, and they are valuing defensive versatility.
