In his most recent compilation of inside updates around Major League Baseball, Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports writes that infielder Wilmer Flores “could be had” in a trade, but would likely be tendered a contract in the event the Mets fail to work out a deal.
To this point, Flores has been viewed as a non-tender candidate given his injury history and still nebulous identity on the roster. In 126 games and 429 plate appearances (his highest totals since 2015, but an unimpressive feat nonetheless), Flores hit .267/.319/.417 before his season was cut off in September by arthritic knees.
His -3 DRS on the right side of the infield and .610 OPS against left-handers both hurt his stock as a role player, and with the Mets projected to owe $4.7M in arbitration (per MLB Trade Rumors), it seemed a possibility that the Mets would move on from Flores and seek out a more dynamic asset at a similar price.
Nonetheless, the expectation now – at least per Heyman – is that Flores will work as one of a few in-house solutions at first base.
Jay Bruce and Peter Alonso would also likely contribute here as Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto assume the corners of the outfield. While Juan Lagares works as the incumbent center fielder, Heyman does suggest the Mets could acquire somebody to play center as well, which in turn (though not directly stated by Heyman) creates a scenario in which one of Flores, Bruce, or even Dominic Smith could become expendable.
