Position: 2B, 3B, OF

Bats/Throws: R/R

Age: July 8, 1987; 31

Traditional Stats: .250/.293/.363, 8 HR, 37 RBI, 13 2B in 344 AB

Advanced Stats: .285 wOBA, 78 wRC+, .286 BABIP, 0.3 bWAR, 0.3 fWAR

Josh Harrison spent eight years with the Pittsburgh Pirates, racking up a .277/.317/.408 slash line with 162-game averages of 10 homers, 52 runs batted in, 30 doubles, and a 97 OPS+ rating before hitting the free agent market after last season.

From 2014 through 2017, the 31-year-old shone at the plate, hitting .290/.331/.428 while playing in an average of 129 games per year and making two National League All-Star teams (2014, 2017).

After fracturing a bone in his left hand in April, Harrison hit the ground running after returning to the lineup on May 20, finishing the month with a .304/.313/.457 slash line in 46 at-bats.

After a lackluster June (.250/.283/.337 in 92 at-bats) and a dreadful July (.200/.257/.323 in 65 at-bats), the Cincinnati native kicked it up a notch in August (.279/.328/.377 in 61 at-bats), before hitting rock-bottom in September (.174/.208/.391).

Over 97 games, Harrison finished the season with a .250/.293/.363 and an 80 OPS+ rating.

In the field, Harrison spent most of his time at second base for the Pirates last season, also playing in two games at third base. Over 727.1 innings at the keystone position, he had a -2 defensive runs saved rating and a 0.4 ultimate zone rating, as per Fangraphs.

Prediction

Josh Harrison played out the final year of the four-year, $27.3 million contract extension he signed in April 2015, making $10 million. After the season, Pittsburgh declined Harrison’s $10.5 million club option for 2019, making him a free agent.

Fangraphs has the 31-year-old’s value on the open market estimated at $14.5 million per year over two seasons. After such a disappointing 2018 season, that could be a stretch for a veteran who’s peak may have been reached in 2014 when he hit .315/.347/.490 with a 133 OPS+ rating over 143 games.

Recommendation

New York Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen must feel the same shock of anxiety when he looks at the current level of depth on his roster. He’s said that he’s not done filling the voids on this team and has — on multiple occasions — made it clear he intends to compete in 2019.

Adding a player like Josh Harrison as a bench player at the right price could be a home run for this organization. His respectable career strikeout rate (15.2 percent) and penchant for putting balls in play and finding success (.313 BABIP over his career) could play very well on the Mets — or any team, for that matter.