It’s been a busy start to Brodie Van Wagenen’s new job as Mets’ GM.
With the general manager meetings taking place this past week and the hot stove starting to heat up, he and the Mets have a lot on their plates.
In addition to all that, he has to make decisions on whether to non-tender a couple players or not. One of the more prominent is fan favorite Wilmer Flores.
According to Tim Britton of The Athletic, Van Wagenen does not see Flores as particularly “versatile,” and if he is brought back, he would be used as a first base option or power bat off the bench.
Flores, 27, debuted with the Mets in 2013 and has had many shining moments in blue and orange, including numerous clutch walk-off hits.
However, Flores’ game is limited. He doesn’t particularly shine anywhere defensively, even at first base where Van Wagenen sees him as an option. (-1 DRS/-0.1 UZR in 648 innings there in 2018).
Overall for his career, Flores is a .262/.303/.424 hitter in six big league seasons.
He is likely to get a significant pay raise through arbitration if he is brought back, and for the Mets, it might not even be worth it.
T.J. Rivera is likely to return in 2019 and could prove to be a more viable utility option than Flores.
