An MMO Fan Shot by Logan Barer
This offseason is, as countless writers have pointed out, absolutely critical for the Mets and one of the most important in recent memory. Because that has been beaten to death by many in such great detail, I will not delve into why it is so important. However, I do want to put my two cents in as to what I believe the Mets must do this offseason. Hmm, two cents, that’s just about how much the Wilpons are seemingly allowing Alderson to spend.
Many Mets fans have talked about trading for Yoenis Cespedes, which I completely agree with. Others have talked about trading for Jose Bautista, which also would be nice, but I believe the price would probably be a bit prohibitive. When it comes down to it, the Mets need another power hitter, whether it be at shortstop or corner outfield.
There is someone entering the free agent market this offseason that, when healthy, is good for 25 home runs. He is also a two-time All-Star and has won two gold gloves. Still don’t know who I’m talking about? I’ll give you another hint; he’s currently helping the Baltimore Orioles knock off the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS. I’m talking about none other than shortstop J.J. Hardy.
It is imperative that the Mets sign Hardy this offseason. Of course that is easier said than done. The Mets have the 15th pick in the 2015 draft, and because it’s not in the top 10, the pick is unprotected. That means if the Mets sign a Type-A free agent, meaning someone who was tendered a qualifying offer and turned it down, they will have to forfeit their first round draft pick.
The Orioles are in a tricky spot. Last season, qualifying offers were worth $14.1 million dollars. Most likely, they will be higher this offseason, by how much we don’t know quite yet, but let’s assume it’s $14.5 million. If the Orioles want to be compensated with a draft pick for losing Hardy to free agency, they will need to tender that offer. Here’s the catch: He has never earned more than $7 million per season in his career. After a season in which his power numbers were down (9 HR) due to a back injury, Hardy would be sure to accept the offer for more than twice what he’s earning. The Orioles know that if they do end up wanting to re-sign him, they could probably sign him to a longer-term deal worth less annually off the free agent market. All this being noted, my guess is that the Orioles don’t tender a qualifying offer.
If this is the case, that is good news for the Amazins. Right now, our shortstop is Wilmer Flores. However, Ruben Tejada is due a raise, probably via arbitration, that has been estimated to be around $2-3.5 million for next season. That is too much money to pay for a back-up shortstop, so all arrows point to the Mets non-tendering him this offseason. Wilmer Flores can play second base, so in a scenario where we trade Daniel Murphy he could shift back to second and leave shortstop open for Hardy to swoop in and do his gold glove thing.
The Mets organization has been quite ambiguous as to how much money the Mets will spend this offseason. Signing JJ Hardy to a deal, which sources estimate at 2-3 years worth $8M per year, would require the Mets to free up some money if they intend on keeping the same payroll. With the plethora of starting pitching, it seems it would be wise to trade either Jonathan Niese or Bartolo Colon. Niese is younger and owed less money, and Colon is older and owed almost twice as much. It would be much easier to trade Niese, but the Mets will probably shop Colon more aggressively. If either of those pitchers were traded, however, it would free up money to sign Hardy.
Hardy is hardly the full solution. He is a power bat that we need, but we still need a corner outfielder. However, he would bolster our lineup immensely, not to mention how much improved the Mets defense would be by a two-time gold-glover. With Lagares out there in center field doing his best Willie Mays impression every game and David Wright with his two gold gloves at third, the Mets could start to field an extremely good defensive team. Sign a big name corner outfielder who plays good defense, say, Yoenis Cespedes’ arm, the Mets would be in business.
The Mets are in position to win some games. With what could become the best 1-5 starting rotation in the Show, the Mets need to make the necessary moves this offseason to win those 10-12 more games Sandy says he’d like to see. Of course, signing Hardy is easier said than done, but it is a huge step towards the Mets achieving their goals.
* * * * * * * *
This Fan Shot was contributed by Logan Barer. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 30,000 Mets fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to [email protected]. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.
