Looking back at last offseason, it’s pretty clear that the Mets had a few targets. One was Curtis Granderson who they locked up in early December for four years and $60 million. The other was Jhonny Peralta.
With a much higher asking price than he originally anticipated, Sandy Alderson decided against signing the veteran shortstop who went on to have a solid year for the Cardinals, hitting .263/.336/.443 with a 5.8 WAR.
Peralta, 32, slugged 21 home runs and drove in 75 and some say he should be in the top ten in the MVP voting. Clearly he would have been an upgrade over Ruben Tejada and Wilmer Flores but at what cost? He signed with the Cardinals for $53 million over four years.
Earlier this week a Mets executive told John Harper of the Daily News that “At least we know we identified the right guy.” That’s little as we watch him competing for the Cardinals in the postseason.
One NL scout described the impact Peralta could have on a team like the Mets. “If they had that type of offense at shortstop, they’re a completely different team.”
“So imagine if they’d signed Peralta and Byrd instead of Curtis Granderson and Chris Young.”
Harper says that for the Mets it should be about getting the players needed to win and not necessarily the best bargains. There is also a sense among baseball people that GM Sandy Alderson was unwilling to adjust to a market that was pricier than expected.
“Sandy can be inflexible on player valuation,” said a person who has done business with Alderson in the past.
Apparently, the knock on Sandy is that after his staff spend days and weeks to identify the right players, he’ll move on in a heartbeat if he has to bid against another team or if the price is higher than what he assumed it would be.
The Mets will be in a similar position this offseason although Peralta won’t be on the market. Nelson Cruz will be, but it seems that after another big 40-home run season his price might be even steeper for the Mets.
How many more wins do you think the Mets would have had if they signed Peralta?
