They’ve seen their season take a huge hit with a 12-game losing streak and being swept at home by teams such as the Athletics and the Colorado Rockies. There are areas to improve, and New York has been no stranger to early in-season trades in recent memory.

Let’s dive into what the front office can do right now to improve the club.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Finding Another Veteran Starter

While the starting pitching has been a bright spot in an otherwise dismal start for the Mets, that rotation could still use another veteran. With the struggles of Kodai Senga and David Peterson, New York has already turned to other options to fill that void. Peterson has been coming out of the bullpen, and the Mets called up Christian Scott as he gets another chance. They are also still waiting on Jonah Tong. A veteran might be what they need right now.

Luis Severino has been a topic of reunion, but the Athletics currently sit in first place in the AL West, so an early in-season trade for Severino seems unlikely at the moment.

Erik Fedde of the Chicago White Sox would be an intriguing option. Fedde has both started and come out of the bullpen for the White Sox and has pitched to a 3.42 ERA.

When the Rockies recently swept the Mets, Michael Lorenzen and Jose Quintana, another former Met, pitched well and could be had for a trade eventually.

Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Offensive Help

To the biggest concern of the Mets: the offense. Put simply, they’ve been dreadful, ranking toward the bottom of most offensive categories.

It doesn’t help that the injury bug has bitten the offense. Juan Soto missed two weeks with a calf injury. Then, on the same day Soto returned to the lineup, Francisco Lindor injured his calf and will be out for a significant amount of time. Jorge Polanco, whom the Mets signed to fill the void at first base, tried to play through an Achilles injury before finally going on the injured list with a wrist issue. Luis Robert Jr is currently day-to-day with a back injury. Lindor’s replacement, Ronny Mauricio, fractured his thumb over the weekend, too.

As of now, New York is hoping players such as Brett Baty and Mark Vientos step it up after early-season struggles. Carson Benge has hit well lately. A lot of the Mets’ offense depends on players simply playing better—Bo Bichette, Marcus Siemian, Lindor, Baty, and Vientos to name a few.

In terms of bats the Mets could add soon, there’s someone like Luis Arraez, who could play both second base and first base and give Polanco more at-bats at designated hitter when he returns. Arraez is batting .308 so far in 2026 with 40 hits. The San Francisco Giants are at the bottom of the NL West and are trying to compete, so they can wait until the trade deadline.

A Power Bat

Power is certainly one thing the offense is lacking. It’s not for a lack of talent, but the home run just hasn’t hit the Mets’ offense so far. A player that the Mets saw over the weekend and could help them in the power department is Jorge Soler. Soler has seven home runs and could be a big right-handed power bat at designated hitter, especially if the Mets continue to see Vientos struggle at the plate.

Will The Mets Be in Position to Make a Trade?

Teams can make an early in-season trade before the deadline. For the Mets, they may not be able to afford to wait until August 3. The Mets might have to pull the trigger now on a trade to improve elements on the team before the season really starts slipping away. That’s the position the Mets are in right now, playing below their capabilities.

The post 6 Potential Early-Season Trade Targets for the Mets appeared first on Metsmerized.

The Pittsburgh Pirates officially called up the firsst overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft, Paul Skenes, on Wednesday.

The national champion pitcher at LSU has had a meteoric rise through the ranks, from transferring from Air Force to LSU over two years ago to getting the call to the big leagues. Skenes dominated his last year in college and continued that in minor leagues, pitching to a 0.99 ERA, .91 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings of work. The 6-foot-6 flamethrower has become the Pirates’ No. 1 prospect and is the third-ranked prospect in all of baseball according to MLB.com.

Skenes is set to make his MLB debut on Saturday against the Cubs at PNC Park. 

Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Mets News

The series finale between the Mets and Cardinals was postponed until August 5. The Mets resume play on Friday at Citi Field against the Braves with José Quintana on the mound. 

David Peterson went 3 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1BB, and 7 K on 62 pitches in his third rehab start on Wednesday night. He has not allowed a run in his 8 2/3  rehab innings.

Josh Hejka set a Brooklyn Cyclones franchise record on Sunday by making his 48th pitching appearance.

Mets two-way prospect Nolan McLean hit his fourth home run of the season for High-A Brooklyn as he went 3-for-4 with two RBIs on Wednesday night. McLean has a 1.000 OPS and 2.84 ERA on the season.

Latest MLB News

Shohei Ohtani‘s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, is pleading guilty to two counts: bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return, per Meghann Cuniff. For someone with no criminal history, given Mizuhara’s plea deal, the sentence is between 87 and 108 months.

Ryan Boyajian, a cast member of Bravo’s reality TV series “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” is the bookmaker’s associate to whom Ippei Mizuhara wired money to pay his gambling debts, per Tisha Thompson of ESPN.

The Tampa Bay Rays placed RHP Ryan Pepiot on the 15-day IL, retroactive to May 6, with a left lower leg contusion. They brought back RHP Taj Bradley from the 15-day IL in return. 

The Seattle Mariners made a flurry of transactions, including reinstating RHP Eduard Bazardo from the 15-day IL, selecting LHP Kirby Snead from Triple-A Tacoma, and placing LHP Tayler Saucedo on the 15-day IL.

Bat tracking, which measures each player’s average bat speed, squared-up rate, and much more will be coming to Baseball Savant on May 13. 

The Miami Marlins placed RHP Edward Cabrera on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder impingement. LHP Braxton Garrett was reinstated from the IL in a corresponding move.

The Texas Rangers acquired OF Robbie Grossman in a trade from the Chicago White Sox, sending RHP Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa to Chicago in return. Former Met Kolton Ingram was DFA’d to make room on the roster for Texas. 

Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic wrote an article about why the Perfect Game, Fanatics deal has agents raising concerns about amateur player rights.

Forty-four-year-old free-agent LHP Rich Hill still plans to sign with a big league club during the season, per Ian Browne of MLB.com.

The San Francisco Giants placed OF Jorge Soler on the 10-day IL, retroactive to May 5, with a right shoulder strain. The club recalled OF Heliot Ramos from Triple-A Sacramento to take his spot. 

Latest on MMO

Pete Alonso broke out of his slump in a big way!

Learn about the Mets’ No. 9 prospect, Jeremy Rodríguez.

See what MMO readers had to say about the Knicks big Game 2 win last night!

On This Date in Mets History

1984: Joe West ejects two cameramen who were showing a replay to Bobby Valentine and Mike Torrez of a call made at home plate by West.

Birthdays: Aaron Harang (46)

The post Morning Briefing: First Overall Pick Paul Skenes Set to Make Debut appeared first on Metsmerized.

Unfortunately, things went south for the lefty quick, and the Mets couldn’t climb out the early hole.

Quintana’s rough outing began in the second inning. The Giants loaded the bases behind singles from Jorge Soler and Michael Conforto, and a walk to Thairo Estrada.

Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

After Tom Murphy struck out, Nick Ahmed delivered a two-out single up the middle to drive in Soler and Conforto, giving the Giants a 2-0 lead.

The early lead for the Giants didn’t seem insurmountable at the time. The Mets had played the comeback card early all season long and it was only the second inning. Quintana, however, continued to struggle.

The very next inning, the Giants tagged the southpaw for two more runs. A Wilmer Flores walk and Jung Hoo Lee single put runners on base with no outs, and set up Matt Chapman, who doubled home both to extend the lead to 4-0.

The 4-0 hole the Mets into was too much for the offense to overcome. Pete Alonso hit a solo homer in the top of the fifth to cut the deficit to 4-1, but Quintana allowed a solo shot to Conforto in the sixth to bring the score to 5-1.

Overall, Quintana allowed five earned runs on seven hits in his start on Monday. He also struck out four in the five innings pitched.

The lefty was dancing around the zone the entire night and had trouble putting away batters, which was something he brought up to the media after the game.

“Yeah, that’s what I feel,” Quintana said on his lack of command.  “And I made a couple adjustments later in the game …  but I think I can be better (at) throwing more strikes early (rather) than be around and get traffic on base.”

His current 12.1% walk rate is the worst of his career, and he’s striking out fewer people than he ever has before. It’s not a great mix.

However, despite the rough outing and lack of command, his batted ball statistics on the night leave a little hope. Five of the seven hits recorded by the Giants had exit velocities under 86 miles per hour, with three of them below 80.

But Quintana will have to hone in the walks if he’s going to find any sustained success this year. His expected numbers have so far been much worse than the actual results, and tonight was representative of his true performance catching up to him.

The post Jose Quintana Continues Struggling With Command appeared first on Metsmerized.

Pederson, who spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and then the most recent two with the San Francisco Giants, has played 1,003 of his 1,140 career games for NL West teams. The Diamondbacks are one of three teams he has played against more than 100 times, and he has a .746 OPS in 56 games at Chase Field — his second-worst mark among NL West ballparks.

Pederson’s signing could kick off the designated hitter market, which has moved slower than most other positions even in this offseason. Pederson can still play the field, but had just 23 starts in the outfield compared to 72 starts at DH in 2023.

Aside from Shohei Ohtani, who is really in a category of his own, only Mitch Garver has signed among free agents expected to primarily DH. Players still available include J.D. Martinez, Justin Turner and Jorge Soler. While the Mets were never linked to Pederson, they have been linked to the other three at various points in the offseason. Maybe Pederson to Arizona, if the deal gets done, could get the ball rolling.

The post Arizona Diamondbacks Close to Deal With Joc Pederson appeared first on Metsmerized.

Some of the prime free agents—Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery—remain unsigned, and that’s trickled down to the designated hitter market. J.D. Martinez, Justin Turner, and Jorge Soler have merely had rumors attached to them (the Mets being connected somehow to all three), but there’s been no significant movement with them. It’s been mum around Joc Pederson, Rhys Hoskins and Brandon Belt, too.

Despite the Mets’ need for power bats, Ken Rosenthal’s Tuesday report analyzing the DH market reported that the Mets “do not seem inclined to spend on a DH, preferring to create opportunities for internal options such as Mark Vientos.”

Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

He also suggested Starling Marte, who is trying to get back to full speed in the Domincan Winter League after an injury-riddled 2023, could get plenty of run at DH this season. That makes sense given Marte is entering his age 35 season, and his defensive capabilities have fallen off. But this would also create a log jam at DH without a ton of solid defensive replacements in right field. Jeff McNeil could certainly play there, as could DJ Stewart. But you’d probably rather have Vientos’ power threat in the lineup as often as possible over Marte at DH, given Vientos acclimates better to MLB pitching this year.

Signing a DH wasn’t one of David Stearns’ priorities entering the offseason. Starting pitching and improving the defense were areas Stearns looked to improve the team without breaking the bank. But the Mets have made no improvements in the power department this offseason. Could the market reach the point where one of the aforementioned names become a steal? The Mets could then be inclined to sign someone. But for now, as the spring approaches, it looks like Mark Vientos will get a good and honest look at DH. They’ll be banking on his success.

Read our Crossfire on if the Mets should stick with internal DH options or sign someone.

The post Rosenthal: Mets “Not Inclined” To Spend on DH appeared first on Metsmerized.

However, after all that, the Mets made only one postseason appearance since Cohen’s takeover. They took on the Padres in the Wild Card round in 2022 and looked like ghosts of their 100+ win season. Cohen landed his white whale this offseason in David Stearns, years after pining for him. After naming him president of baseball operations, the two agreed that the previous approach didn’t work and the Mets would pivot.

Gone were the days of splashy signings, although the Mets made an admirable run for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Instead, the team agreed to multiple minor league deals with veteran players, especially with infielders noted for their defense. In addition, they signed Luis Severino, Harrison Bader, Sean Manaea, Joey Wendle, Michael Tonkin and Jorge López. The Mets then traded for Adrian Houser, Tyrone Taylor and Yohan Ramirez, to name a few.

Manaea signed the lengthiest contract, only two years. A majority of the players signed have high upside, with low-medium risk. It’s a new approach for a team accustomed to shopping in the designer aisle. All that said, the question is: is this approach enough for the Mets to compete in 2024 and make it back to the postseason?

Photo via New York Mets

IT STARTS UP TOP

While Stearns is heading the baseball operations department, one of the most crucial signings of the offseason was to fill the vacant manager spot. The Mets and Buck Showalter mutually parted ways in October, and the team hired former Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza to replace him.

With glowing reviews from around the baseball community, Mendoza brings a refreshed mindset and mentality to Queens. He brings youth, leadership and compassion, all critical skills for someone to lead a team to a playoff race. Mendoza will be the fifth manager in Queens in just the past seven seasons. New York is a challenging place to play, and Mendoza isn’t just up for the task; he welcomes it.

Photo by John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

DEPTH IS THE NAME OF THE GAME

You’ve heard it countless times because it’s one of the most vital parts of the game: you can never have too much depth. The Mets found that out the hard way last season on Opening Day when they placed Verlander on the IL. Scherzer joined him on and off throughout his stint in Queens, and the Mets relied on Tylor Megill, Joey Lucchesi, David Peterson and José Butto. 

With only Kodai Senga and José Quintana as the two shoo-ins for the rotation, the Mets bulked up their rotation depth. Peterson is out until mid-season recovering from hip surgery. To compensate, the team acquired Houser and signed both Manaea and Severino. While Severino remains a wild card and Manaea looks to bounce back, the Mets will likely have to rely on their depth throughout their season.

While Severino is a bit of a wild card right now, the Mets also have the Keep an eye out for Christian Scott and Mike Vasil, who look to join the big league rotation at some point during the season. 

However, the bullpen remains on shaky ground. With Edwin Díaz, Brooks Raley and Drew Smith the only returning arms, plenty of slots remain up for grabs. While names like Wandy Peralta and David Robertson remain on the reliever market, the Mets also have Nate Lavender in the minors. He’s sure to get a good look this spring.

Photo by Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

NO LONGER A LIABILITY

For some time, the Mets’ defense was, well, comical. They ranked towards the bottom of the league years in a row and made easy plays look difficult. Their combined fielding stats for the 2018-2023 seasons land them 25th in the league. In this time span, they committed 469 errors, and their total defensive runs saved was -67.

However, Stearns commented that defensive upgrades would be a priority this offseason, something he was known for in Milwaukee. First and foremost, they receive one of the best center fielders in the game in Bader. According to Statcast, the speedy outfielder ranked in the 93rd percentile (10) in fielding run value, 95th percentile in fielding range [OAA] (9) and 91st percentile in arm strength (91.7 mph). He also landed in the 85th percentile in sprint speed (28.8 mph).

As a fourth outfielder, Tyrone Taylor also landed in the top percentiles in both sprint speed (28.8) mph and arm strength (90.4 mph). In the team’s overlooked moves, like Wendle, comes defensive flexibility. One of the team’s main issues in 2023 was the lack of versatility on the field. Stearns nipped this in the bud and brought in a crop of players who can complement Jeff McNeil and play multiple positions when needed.

Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

POWER OUTAGE

The team mustered 1,276 hits last season, 27th in baseball. Ironically, the Mets hit 215 home runs in 2023, the 10th most in baseball. To add to the seriousness, the Braves hit 307 home runs and 1.543 hits. Both led all of baseball. The Mets have to compete with this.

Sure, every player goes through their share of slumps, as does every team, but when the Mets found themselves in the thick of it last season, they felt every bit of it. The team hit .237/.310/.398/.708 against lefties and .238/.319/.411/.730 against righties. They also struck out 422 against lefties but a staggering 909 times against righties.

Although the roster is all but set, the only addition outside of relief pitching is a DH. J.D. Martinez, Jorge Soler and Justin Turner remain on the market, and most would accept a short-term deal in line with the Mets’ offseason strategy.

The DH role has been abysmal for the Mets since it became a staple. There hasn’t been a clear-cut answer, and when things weren’t working, they weren’t handled clearly. It’s a position that still might need looking at as the season inches closer.

THE VERDICT

So, did the Mets do enough? Comparing the 2024 and 2023 roster, I think they have a better squad moving forward with much to look forward to. The rotation is a question mark — they can either be really good if all goes according to plan, or things can go downhill quite fast. But that’s how every season goes, just look at last year.

I don’t think the Mets are there to compete on the level they need to with the Braves just yet. Another DH and bullpen help might get them there. But until then, anything can happen. That’s what makes the game so great.

The post Did the Mets do Enough This Offseason to Compete in 2024? appeared first on Metsmerized.

After bringing in David Stearns as the president of baseball operations, the Mets decided to take a different approach. They signed players like Harrison Bader and Sean Manaea, both looking for bounce backs and traded for Tyrone Taylor and Adrian Houser to fill roster gaps.

While the Mets improved as a team defensively, there’s still a question mark in various roles. Who will fill out the remaining spots in the bullpen? How does Starling Marte fit into the roster? One of the most important questions the team faced entering the offseason, and still does, is how they plan to address the DH spot.

The DH spot was a revolving title last year, and while many hoped Daniel Vogelbach would take to the role, he never hit for consistency, was benched, and then later non-tendered. Mark Vientos hasn’t received a fair look in any role since his debut in 2022. Then names like J.D. Martinez, Jorge Soler and former Met Justin Turner remain on the market.

MMO challenged two writers to decide whether the Mets should explore external candidates or internal options for the DH role. Mike Ayer believes the Mets should go outside the organization for a DH, and Allison Waxman thinks the Mets could be fine in-house. 

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

EXTERNAL DH

David Stearns and company have tried to improve on the margins this offseason by handing out short-term deals to players and putting depth together. Signing an external DH candidate would continue that trend and likely bring the Mets closer to being a playoff contender in 2024.

Another reason why I believe the Mets should sign a DH is the hearty market at the position. Justin Turner, J.D. Martinez, Jorge Soler, and Brandon Belt are all coming off good 2024 seasons and are still on the market. Rhys Hoskins –though likely hoping for a spot to play more first– had a 123 OPS+ when he last played in 2022. There are legit big league bats available still who could DH for the Mets.

All of the guys mentioned above would give the Mets a proven veteran at DH, something they have been solely missing for years, but Turner stands out to me as the best fit. He would give the Mets more flexibility, given his ability to play first base, second base and third base. The offense is still there (114 OPS+ in 146 games for the Red Sox last year), and I believe having him around Brett Baty and other young Mets hitters could pay long-term dividends.

Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

INTERNAL CANDIDATE

I go back and forth on this. However, David Stearns and Co have stuck with a concrete plan this offseason. There would be no flashy signings, instead adding players on short-term deals who provide plenty of upside. That said, Stearns should stick to his word and see what the Mets farm system is capable of.

Vientos, Marte, Taylor and DJ Stewart should and will get good looks in spring training. Younger prospects like Drew Gilbert and Luisangel Acuña will also receive their fair chance, but Stearns mentioned the former would begin the season in Syracuse. The knee injury to Ronny Mauricio threw the Mets’ plans up in the air, but that shouldn’t change how they approach DH.

Vientos and company need their at-bats, plain and simple. Vientos, especially, has never had the opportunity to reach his potential at the big-league level. With the DH spot up for grabs, and essentially his to lose, the Mets now can see what they have in their final “Baby Met” before the new batch makes their debut.

The post Crossfire: External DH or Rely on Internal Candidate? appeared first on Metsmerized.

Soler, 31, had a big season in 2023 when he hit 36 home runs and posted a 128 OPS+ in 137 games for the Miami Marlins. He was an All-Star for the first time in his 10-year big league career. Given the level of his defensive skills, Soler played 102 of those games last season as the designated hitter and only 32 games in right field. It was a bounce-back season for Soler after he posted only a 96 OPS+ and hit just 13 home runs for the Marlins during the 2022 season.

Soler’s best season came in 2019 with the Kansas City Royals when he led the league with 48 home runs, knocked in 111 runs, and finished 21st in MVP voting. He was the 2021 World Series MVP after hitting three home runs for the champion Atlanta Braves.

MLB Trade Rumors predict Soler will get a three-year, $45 million deal this offseason.

The Mets have also shown interest in DH-types Justin Turner and J.D. Martinez this offseason. However, on Wednesday, during a Zoom call, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said he didn’t see the addition of a bat as “essential” to the team for the 2024 season.

The post Report: Mets Showing Interest in Jorge Soler appeared first on Metsmerized.

Yamamoto decided to join Shohei Ohtani in the Dodger blue, taking the Mets bid to Los Angeles and allowing the organization to match the dollar figure.

While many didn’t believe it at the time, the Mets were reportedly the third team behind the Yankees and Dodgers during Yamamoto’s brief free agency. The outcome, while disappointing, confirmed these reports.

Now that Yamamoto is officially off the table, it’s time for the Mets to look forward. There are still plenty of free agents available and the Mets still have quite a few roster spots to fill.

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Starting Rotation

The most notable area the Mets need to fill is the rotation.

Missing out on Yamamoto certainly makes this area trickier to fix. The 25-year-old would have slotted as the Mets ace for 2024 and the next decade.

Instead, the Mets rotation for 2024 is top-heavy. Kodai Senga and José Quintana are solid options at the top, but the bottom is filled out with question marks in Luis Severino, Joey Lucchesi, Tylor Megill, and José Butto.

Adding Adrian Houser on Thursday helped lengthen the rotation, but he’s more of a depth piece than a difference-maker. He started in 21 games last season but failed to make it past the fourth inning eight times and registered a 4.12 ERA.

Still, even with these holes, the Mets are looking at more of a patch job this offseason than long-term solutions. David Stearns already hinted the Mets wouldn’t pivot to other big names such as Jordan Montgomery or Blake Snell if they missed out on Yamamoto, which makes sense when looking at the dollar figures they’re asking for after dominating seasons past age 30.

The more realistic option on the market is Lucas Giolito. He had a horrid second half in 2023 but is a former All-Star who is projected to take a short-term deal with the hopes of parlaying it into a longer-term deal in 2025.

Another option for the Mets would be Shōta Imanaga. The left-hander has a career 2.96 ERA in Nippon Professional Baseball, and is renowned for his excellent command and deceptive low 90s fastball.

Designated Hitter

The next area of immediate focus for the Mets should be the designated hitter. The position has been destitute for the Mets since the National League adopted it and this offseason could change that narrative.

The most logical route would be a reunion with Justin Turner. The 38-year-old had another above-average offensive season, slashing .276/.345/.455 with 23 homers and 96 RBI with the Red Sox. He could slot into the middle of the Mets lineup and do damage.

Plus, Turner also solves another issue for the Mets: Third Base. Ronny Mauricio is going to miss the entire 2024 season after tearing his ACL and Brett Baty registered a .598 OPS in 108 games last season. Turner gives the Mets another option at the position in case Baty struggles again or if Mark Vientos can’t handle the defensive responsibilities.

The other options on the market are J.D. Martinez and Jorge Soler. Martinez slugged 33 homers and recorded a .893 OPS at age 35, while Soler recorded a .853 OPS with 36 homers with no protection in the Marlins lineup.

Both are enticing and strong right-handed bats. The only issue with the two is their fluidity on the roster. Martinez and Soler are true DHs. Martinez will be 36 next year and played all but three games at DH in 2023. Soler on the other hand played 62 games in the field last season but registered -3 outs above average and a -5 run value in the field.

The Bullpen

Stearns has been busy this offseason making smart moves to steadily improve the ‘pen. He has added veteran arms in Jorge López, Michael Tonkin, Yohan Ramírez, and Austin Adams this offseason, while also signing Kyle Crick, Cole Sulser, and Andre Scrubb to minor-league deals.

Still, the Mets bullpen is missing one or two pieces. Late-inning arms.

One popular name that fits the profile is David Robertson. The 39-year-old was stellar for the Mets in the first half of 2023, pitching to a 2.05 ERA before being flipped to the Marlins for the Mets now No. 6 prospect Marco Vargas and Ronald Hernández.

It’s also worth noting Robertson lives in Rhode Island and would be open to a reunion with the Mets. He did, however, struggle with the Marlins in the second half of 2023. R0bertson pitched to 5.05 ERA in Miami and was demoted from the closer’s role.

Another arm the Mets could pursue is Aroldis Chapman. The ex-Yankee fixed a mechanical issue in the 2022-23 off-season and was back to throwing 103 miles per hour last season.

With his old velocity, Chapman had another overpowering season. He struck out 15.9 batters per nine, finishing with a 3.09 ERA and World Series ring in 2023.

The free agent market starts to thin after Chapman and Robertson. Josh Hader is still available but is asking for a contract worth more than Edwin Díaz. The Mets could turn to Matt Moore or Michael Fulmer, but those two have little to no experience late in games.

The post Evaluating The Remaining Free Agent Market appeared first on Metsmerized.

Position: OF/DH, B/T: R/R

Age: 31 (02/25/1992)

2023 Traditional Stats: 580 PA, .250/.341/.512/.853, 126 H, 36 HR, 75 RBI

2023 Advanced Stats: 126 wRC+, 24.3% K%, 11.4% BB%, .272 BABiP, .376 xwOBA, 1.9 fWAR, 1.8 bWAR

Rundown

After an injury-plagued 2022 season, Jorge Soler put together his best year since 2019. He made his first All-Star Game, blasting 36 homers and posting a strong .853 OPS over 580 plate appearances. Soler was the Marlins’ main source of power as they reached the postseason for the first time in a full season since 2003.

Soler has always been prone to high strikeout rates, but he cut that number down from 29.4% to 24.3% in 2023, and he drew walks at an 11.4% clip, the highest for any full season he’s played. Soler’s hard-hit rate jumped from 43.9% to 48%, his fly ball rate soared to a career-high 31.6%, and his ground-ball rate dropped to a career-low 36.2%. The right-handed slugger ranked in at least the 91st percentile in xwOBA (.376), xwOBAcon (.476), and xSLG (.531).

Soler’s power months came in May and August – slugging 12 homers and driving in 25 runs in May, while he crushed ten homers in 23 games in August. He may have eclipsed the 40-home run mark had he not missed time due to a right oblique strain in September. Soler torched left-handed pitching, batting .377/.393/.688 with 14 home runs in 135 plate appearances against southpaws.

He also excelled in high-leverage situations, recording a 1.048 OPS in 107 plate appearances, and he had a 1.133 OPS in late-and-close scenarios. Soler spent most of the year batting in the top two spots in the lineup, though he profiles more as a prototypical middle-of-the-order bat.

From a defensive standpoint, Soler spent most of the season as the Marlins’ designated hitter, playing 103 games as a DH and 32 games in right field. In his fielding appearances, Soler was graded as a below-average defender, registering negative five DRS and negative three OAA.

Contract

Soler opted out of the remaining nine million remaining on his contract with the Marlins. Spotrac projects Soler to get a four-year contract worth $55.7 million. That contract would likely make him the fourth-highest-paid position player on the Mets, trailing Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Starling Marte. Soler doesn’t play the field much, but with his big-time power, most teams could use his bat in their lineup.

Recommendation

It’s a bit of a risk to give a DH a long contract, but after the Phillies gave four and five-year deals to Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos, it doesn’t seem too farfetched to give a player like Soler a contract of that length. The Mets struggled to get production out of their DH spot, getting just a .715 OPS from that position, and they could use an extra power bat to protect Pete Alonso in the lineup. Soler also has a strong postseason pedigree, owning two World Series rings and winning World Series MVP in 2021. With the future of Daniel Vogelbach and Mark Vientos uncertain, Soler would fit in well as a right-handed bat who mashes left-handed pitching and is a consistent power threat.

The post MMO Free Agent Profile: Jorge Soler, OF/DH appeared first on Metsmerized.