MMO will be looking at multiple bargain options that are still available for the Mets this offseason. With Sandy Alderson reportedly having about $10 million left to spend, the Mets best chance to fill holes will be shopping at the dollar store.
From the outset of free agency, the Mets have identified the 1B/OF spot as one they intended to upgrade. It was a borderline necessity due to the uncertainty surrounding Michael Conforto‘s surgically repaired shoulder and the less-than-promising big-league debut of Dominic Smith.
The Mets talked big with the team being interested in players like Carlos Santana and Jay Bruce. Santana went to the Philadelphia Phillies, and it has been reported that the Mets are unlikely to obtain Bruce, who seems to have his heart set on San Francisco.
Surprisingly, the Mets passed on Matt Adams, who went to the Washington Nationals on an extremely reasonable one-year, $4 million deal. Mike Napoli is another player who had previously been linked to the Mets, but the Minnesota Twins are currently showing more interest in him.
Given how the Mets have handled this offseason so far, and how they seem to be even more budget restricted than originally believed, this leaves the team in a position to go out and get a guy that few teams are currently showing interest in.
One player who fits that bill is Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports that after what was a disastrous 2017 season, teams cannot envision him getting more than a minor league deal this offseason.
After posting an 80 wRC+ and -8 defensive runs saved in right field last year, it’s no surprise why teams view him this way. However, it should be noted this was a precipitous drop for the 37-year-old Bautista.
Only a season prior, Bautista was still a quality Major League player. In an injury-hampered season, he played 116 games while hitting .234/.366/.452 with 24 doubles, 22 homers, and 69 RBI. Those numbers would equate to a 122 wRC+, which the Mets would be ecstatic to have considering Conforto and Yoenis Cespedes were the only players currently on the roster who had a higher wRC+ last year.
While it is questionable that he gets back to that point, it cannot be ruled out, especially if he is used more judiciously by his new team.
It’s also possible that he plays first base where he is better suited now. As Jon Morosi of MLB Network noted, Bautista is open to playing first base next year in addition to the outfield and third base.
In his Major League career, Bautista has -2 DRS in 155.0 innings at first. His career high in innings at first base is 97.0 in 2014 when he posted -1 DRS. Last season, he played just one inning there.
While not overwhelming, there is at least tangible evidence Bautista could be counted upon to at least be part of a first base platoon.
Also to the extent the Mets get desperate, Bautista could conceivably handle third base on a short-term basis. While it is nothing to hang your hat on, Fangraphs did note that he made 100 percent of the 11 routine plays he had in 38 innings at the position there last year.
Realistically speaking, all that this means is Bautista has the ability to fake it on a short-term basis should the Mets ever find themselves in a similar pinch they were in last year when they had Travis d’Arnaud bounce back and forth between second and third.
At the end of the day, if Bautista does have one last burst in him, the Mets can conceivably have a player who could provide a 1999 Rickey Henderson or 2006 Jose Valentin type of season for the club. If not, it’s a minor league deal which means the veteran is easy to cut in Spring Training.
