The New York Mets had nine players start a game in left field in 2023 — and 10 play at least one inning — both team highs. A couple of those just had a handful of starts, like DJ Stewart and Danny Mendick, but six different players had at least 10 starts in left. The biggest reason is because Mark Canha and Tommy Pham, the two players with the most starts in left, were both dealt away at the trade deadline. After that, the position essentially became a revolving door as the Mets just tried to field a team to play out the season.

As we look ahead at 2024, left field is maybe the position that’s the most up in the air. There are three outfielders on the 40-man roster, and none of them are natural left-fielders. Let’s check out the options.

Big League Starter

Brandon Nimmo is the starting center fielder, and Starling Marte will likely be the starting right fielder provided he’s healthy. That leaves Stewart, the only remaining outfielder on the 40-man roster, the presumptive starting left fielder. A pleasant surprise for the Mets after being thrown into an everyday role over the final third of the season, Stewart played well. His .238/.328/.494 slash line with 11 home runs over 58 games was well above any expectations for him. He had just three plate appearances for the Orioles in 2022 and a .698 OPS over 100 games in 2021, so his .822 OPS for the Mets was a noticeable step up. Stewart was a first-round draft pick by the Orioles in 2015 and he could be coming into his potential now.

Stewart is a prototypical power-hitting lefty. Almost all of his hits last year were pulled, including all of his home runs. He hits the ball hard, but he also swings and misses a lot. He was far from a qualifier, but if he were, his 30.3% strikeout rate would have been the seventh-worst in baseball, sandwiched between Eugenio Suárez and Kyle Schwarber. Players with this profile can absolutely be starting-caliber players in today’s league, but the margin for error is slimmer. Stewart only walks an average amount and is a below-average fielder and runner, so if he’s not hitting for power, he’s not bringing much else to the table. He doesn’t have a track record of success, and while he was good in 2023, it was only in a little under 200 plate appearances. He certainly earned a spot on the 2024 roster, but ideally, it’s as a fourth outfielder. As it stands right now though, he’s got the starting job.

Big League Depth

The largest source of big league depth in left field for the Mets comes from two players who are already starters at other positions — Jeff McNeil and Nimmo. McNeil will probably be the Opening Day starter at second base, but the Mets have more depth there. Ronny Mauricio probably hasn’t earned the starting job, but he’ll also probably get at least some playing time there to open up the season. McNeil’s versatility helps, as he can easily move to left field or right field when needed. He made 32 starts in left in 2023, and it’ll probably be around the same if not more in 2024.

Nimmo is another option there, having made 10 starts in left in 2023, but it’ll happen less than McNeil. The Mets don’t have a backup center fielder on their roster yet, but they’ll need one. Whoever the backup center fielder is could get a couple of starts while sliding Nimmo over to left. Aside from those two though, there aren’t many other options. There are some ideas of trying Mauricio and Brett Baty in left, and both played there a bit in the minors, but counting on them as true depth might be a bit of a stretch. 

Upper Levels Depth

There aren’t many minor league outfielders at Triple-A who could be ready soon to contribute at the major league level. One name to keep an eye on is Brandon McIlwain. He was solid in 2023, putting up a .736 OPS in 85 games in Double-A and .773 OPS in 43 games in Triple-A. The power isn’t great but there’s some there, with 12 homers between the two levels. He also hit 30 doubles, tied with Mauricio for the most among Mets minor leaguers. Lorenzo Cedrola is another option, but he spent a lot of 2023 on the injured list. He played 59 games in Triple-A and, like McIlwain, was solid but not extraordinary, putting up a .783 OPS. The most impressive part of his season? He walked 27 times with just 30 strikeouts, and his strikeout rate was one of the lowest in the organization.

The more interesting minor league depth comes in Double-A. Drew Gilbert, acquired by the Mets in the Justin Verlander trade, has a very real chance to make his MLB debut in 2024. He spent most of 2023 in Double-A and was excellent, especially after the trade. In 35 games with the Rumble Ponies, Gilbert hit .325 with a .984 OPS and a 3-4-5 slash line. He will probably start 2024 in Triple-A, and if he plays well, that could mean an opportunity in the big leagues before the season is over.

Rowdey Jordan spent all of 2023 in Double-A and could be a possible depth option. Matt Rudick did the same and posted a .849 OPS, but also spent a good amount of time on the injured list. There’s also Rhylan Thomas, who moved from Low-A to Double-A in one year and impressed along each stop, but will probably start 2024 still in Binghamton. Luisangel Acuña played 4 games in center last season when in the Rangers organization, so who knows, maybe he could be an option. The same goes for Jett Williams, who saw a lot more time in center, and Jeremiah Jackson, who is looking like a potential true utility player.

Alex Ramírez is another name fans might think of with how long he’s been in the organization and on the top prospect lists, but he’s not close to being a major league contributor. He spent all of 2023 in High-A after spending half of 2022 there as well and struggled. He has a long way to go before he gets a shot on an MLB roster.

Potential Acquisitions

There is maybe a scenario where Gilbert is the starting left fielder for the Mets on Opening Day, but it’s highly, highly unlikely. Stewart is an option, and currently the penciled-in starter, but it’s far from set in stone. It’s unknown what direction the Mets are leaning, but there’s at least a decent chance the primary left fielder in 2024 isn’t currently on the roster. When looking at options, there are three clear tiers: League-altering trade, mid-tier free agent, or short-term placeholder. 

The league-altering trade would be Juan Soto. There has been chatter all offseason about the Padres potentially moving on from Soto this offseason, and if that’s the case, the Mets should make every effort to get him. It’s almost pointless to list his numbers because at this point it doesn’t need to be said. Soto is a superstar. His plate discipline is legendary, especially in today’s offensive environment, and he set a career-high in home runs last year with 35. He also only just turned 25. It’s a rare, rare, rare opportunity to acquire a player of Soto’s caliber at his age. The Mets (and 28 other teams) have an opportunity to trade for Soto, extend him for life, and create a franchise legend. It’s not often you can go out and get someone who you know has a legitimate chance to be a Hall-of-Famer with your logo on his cap. The Mets should be all hands on deck. No one is off-limits.

While that is the best option, it’s also the most unrealistic of the three. There’s no guarantee Soto is even traded at all this offseason, and if he is, plenty of other teams will be in the mix. So, that gets us to the mid-tier free agents. In this group, it’s a trio: Teoscar Hernández, Jorge Soler, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. 

Soler had the best 2023 out of the three, hitting .250 with a .853 OPS and 36 home runs for the Marlins. He simply crushed the ball, looking a lot like the version of himself that hit 48 home runs in 2019 with the Royals to lead the American League. However, aside from those two seasons, 2019 and 2023, he hasn’t had a lot of success. He’s only hit more than 20 home runs in a season once, 2021, and even then he had a .749 OPS and 99 OPS+. He did much better after a trade to the Braves at the deadline, go figure, but still wasn’t enough to boost his OPS+ above the league-average mark. He’s also more of a DH and right fielder but has over 800 innings in his career in left. He’ll get at least three years, and probably at least four years in free agency at over $20 million per year. It would likely be a deal a lot like Starling Marte’s, for a player with much less of a track record.

Hernández is the player who probably has the best track record, but he also had the worst 2023. He wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t that good, hitting .258 with a .741 OPS and 26 home runs for the Mariners. He had a lot of success with the Blue Jays, hitting .283 with a .852 OPS in over 300 games from 2020-22 before being shipped to Seattle last offseason. The most concerning thing with Hernández is he has been on a downward trajectory for the last couple of seasons. While he was still good in 2022, his OPS dropped almost 70 points from 2021. It then dropped about another 70 points from 2022 to 2023. At 31 years old, there’s no guarantee he ever hit his Toronto level of success again. Also of note — he walked 38 times and struck out 211 times in 2023. Like Soler, also more of a right fielder, but has over 1,500 innings in left. His potential contract is really up in the air. How much did his 2023 season hurt his value? Will teams be willing to bet on him getting back to the All-Star caliber player he was with the Blue Jays? Who knows, but he’s certainly a risky buy.

Another former Blue Jay who was traded away this past offseason is Gurriel Jr., and he’s on the market too. He was better than Hernández in 2023, but still wasn’t anything special, hitting .261 with a .772 OPS and 26 home runs. He doesn’t walk, but he also doesn’t strike out an overwhelming amount. His 35 doubles are also noticeably more than what Soler and Hernández posted in 2023. He’s also about a year younger than the other two and is the only one who is a true left fielder. He doesn’t have a single inning in right-field in his career but does have over 600 innings in the infield. While he hasn’t played the two middle infield spots in many years, he could still serve as the emergency first baseman, similar to what Canha did when he was with the Mets. Gurriel Jr. was good enough that he’s probably going to get at least a three-year deal, maybe more, and probably for at least $15 million per year. For the right price, he could be an interesting addition. 

There is a wildcard and potential fourth name in this group, and that’s Jung Hoo Lee. A superstar in Korea, he’s expected to come to MLB for the 2024 season. In seven years in the KBO, starting at age 18, Lee has hit .340/.407/.491, which is a .898 OPS. He doesn’t have a ton of pop, but it’s coming along, hitting a career-high 23 home runs in 2022. His 2023 was cut short due to injury, but he still hit six home runs and 23 doubles in 86 games. He also walks more than he strikes out, with 383 walks and 304 strikeouts in 884 career games. He’s played mainly centerfield and not a ton of left field, but he has experience at all three outfield spots. Lee is also still just 25 years old, so he could be in line for a decent-sized contract.

Onto the third tier, there are a handful of guys who can still be productive players but probably won’t require a huge financial or time commitment. Whit Merrifield is still a good player, and while most known as a second baseman, did have almost 600 innings in left field last season. He did just decline his side of the $18 million mutual option though, so that could give some idea of the type of money he is seeking. Joc Pederson was decent for the Giants last year but mostly was a DH, and he might be redundant with what the Mets already have in Stewart. Eddie Rosario just had his option declined by the Braves, and he was about a league-average bat with below-average defense for Atlanta in 2023. Of course, there’s also Pham, who the Mets could look at bringing back. However, after the year he had, he will probably get more than the 1-year, $6 million deal the Mets gave him last offseason.

Maybe take a look at Michael Brantley and Adam Duvall, two solid veterans who would likely be available for relatively affordable 1-year deals. Even Jesse Winker, Mets’ fan-favorite, might be worth a look, but he’s coming off back-to-back rough seasons and has trouble staying healthy.

TL;DR

There are a lot of options, at a lot of different price points. Juan Soto, Teoscar Hernández, Jorge Soler, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Jung Hoo Lee, Whit Merrifield, Joc Pederson, Eddie Rosario, Tommy Pham, Michael Brantley, Adam Duvall and Jesse Winker all could be in the mix.