Bats/Throws: R/R
Age: 31 (9/19/1989)

Traditional Stats: 51 games, .270/.361/.491, 6 doubles, 14 HR, 32 RBI

Advanced Stats: 2.2 bWAR, 1.9 fWAR, 140 OPS+, 146  wRC+

Defensive Stats: 3 DRS, -2.2 UZR, 1 OAA

Rundown

In 2020, George Springer separated himself from the narrative.

When the shortened, 60-game season commenced, the baseball world had gotten over the shock of the Astros cheating scandal. Houston had become baseball’s heels. Fans wanted them to fail. They wanted to see the Astros’ core of position players crumble after being outed as cheaters. Some did. Jose Altuve posted a negative WAR and an OPS of .629. Alex Bregman‘s OPS+ dropped from 162 to 116 from 2019. But, on the eve of his free agency, George Springer took his career into his own hands.

On September 1st, Springer woke up with a middling .757 OPS and an ugly .209 batting average. At least on the exterior, his numbers reflected the same painful reality as the rest of his teammates. When the calendar flipped, he turned it on. In the last month of the season, Springer hit .316 with a 1.033 OPS and nine homers. He turned his season around and led a younger, underdog Astros club to the seventh game of the ALCS.

In the postseason, the former World Series MVP put his team on his back in a tough matchup against the division rival Athletics. In the four-game ALDS win, Springer hit .389 in 18 at bats with a massive two-home run performance in a decisive game two win. His offensive performance late in the season and in the postseason was enough to quiet his detractors and prove that Springer was the premiere offensive talent on the open market this offseason.

However, there is still one looming misconception about Springer. Many people see a 31-year-old power-hitting outfielder and assume he belongs in a corner. While he might find himself in right field later into his mid-30s, he is still a more-than-capable center fielder. He accrued 6 DRS in center in 2020 in 338 innings, whereas he was -3 DRS in just 58 innings in right field. His -2.2 UZR is fairly unsightly, but he was a much more average -0.4 in center compared to -1.8 in fewer chances in right. Any qualms about Springer’s defense up the middle should be expelled because, at least in the immediacy, he is a good defensive center fielder.

Contract

The market on position players has been slow developing over the early part of the offseason. Just four position players have signed major league contracts thus far, with new Mets catcher James McCann being one, and Carlos Santana, David Dahl, and Adam Eaton rounding out the list. However, things could be heating up with a solution brewing sometime after the new year. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported earlier this week that the Mets and Blue Jays are in a two-horse race for Springer. This makes sense, as both teams are among the few teams to show legitimate willingness to spend big this offseason.

MLB Trade Rumors predicted at the beginning of the offseason that Springer could land a 5 year, $125 million contract. Depending on how competitive the final push for the outfielder winds up, he could conceivably wind up with a sixth year tacked on. Regardless, something in the neighborhood of a $25 million annual average value seems to be the consensus for Springer.

Springer is represented by Excel Sports Management, which represents clients such as Clayton Kershaw, Jason Heyward, Zack Greinke, and current free agent Masahiro Tanaka.

Recommendation

The Mets need a true center fielder. The Mets need a middle-of-the-order right-handed hitter. The Mets need to make a splash this offseason. George Springer checks all three of those boxes, especially with the organization picking James McCann over J.T. Realmuto. Signing Springer is a slam dunk, obvious choice for this Mets team.