The Mets’ defense was abysmal in 2019. Their -93 DRS was the second-worst by a team with a winning record since the stat has been recorded. So, it should be obvious that the Mets need to address this over the offseason.

The issue is the Mets don’t have many roster spots to help fix their defense. It’s likely that as many as 10 position players from last season will return to the team. That’s not including injured players like Jed Lowrie and Yoenis Cespedes.

That doesn’t mean the Mets can’t improve though. It does mean that the team will have to make some sacrifices though. That’s especially true for the young players on this roster, but if the Mets want to win next season they are sacrifices the team has to make.

Martino Maldonado

Maldonado would not be a flashy signing, but he would be a necessary one. The Mets are desperate for a defensive-minded catcher.

Wilson Ramos‘ -13 DRS was the worst among catchers in baseball in 2019. Tomas Nido wasn’t stellar either at just 1 DRS. The Mets do also have catching prospect and defensive standout, Ali Sanchez, in Triple-A, but his offense lags very far behind his defense.

Maldonado would provide a strong presence and strong defense behind the plate coming off the bench. Noah Syndergaard complained all year about pitching to Ramos, and the bullpen was much better overall when Nido was behind the plate.

That’s just the difference from the worst in baseball to average. Imagine how things would look with a catcher who put up 8 DRS last year and hasn’t been worth less than 3 DRS in any season since 2011.

Maldonado should not be the starting catcher for the Mets in 2020, but having him on the bench or as a personal catcher would be huge. It would not only help the Mets’ defense, but also the pitchers better every time he played.

The issue is that Maldonado provides no offensive value. However, neither did Tomas Nido nor will Ali Sanchez. For a team hell-bent on winning in 2020, it’s worth giving Maldonado $2 million on a one year deal to be the primary bench catcher and Noah Syndergaard‘s personal catcher.

As for Nido, the Mets have two options. The first is, look to move him in a deal similar to the one they made last offseason involving Kevin Plawecki. The other is to send Nido back to Triple-A to split time with Ali Sanchez and hope his bat comes along.

Jose Iglesias

This one is going to sting for some Mets’ fans, but it needs to be said. Luis Guillorme is not the defensive wizard the team promised. In two seasons with the Mets, Guillorme has been worth a combined -1 DRS.

His UZR/150 is negative at every position other than SS, where his numbers are just average. It doesn’t help that his bat is light, though improving. It’s time to face up to the possibility that Guillorme might not be the best SS off the bench for this team moving forward.

Jose Iglesias, on the other hand, is one of the best defensive SS’s in all of baseball. He put up 8 DRS last year and is above average by every other evaluation metric. He’s also a better hitter than Guillorme is. Iglesias slashed .288/.318/.407 as compared to Guillorme who hit .246/.324/.361.

Iglesias likely won’t cost much on the free agent market after making just $2.5 million in 2019. He would provide the Mets’ bench with another cheap veteran who’s defense can change the game.

This doesn’t mean the Mets should dump Guillorme though as he should be on stand by at Triple-A, where he will be the first infielder called up for an injury. That said, this one is more difficult than the dilemma at catcher.

It’s possible that Guillorme’s poor defensive numbers are caused by his lack of consistent playing time. It’s also possible that he develops into a player very similar to Jose Iglesias. The issue is the Mets want in 2020, not in 2022 or beyond.

For that reason and that reason alone, Jose Iglesias makes sense over Luis Guillorme. His consistency and guaranteed good play off the bench should be too much for a win-now team to pass on.

Billy Hamilton

For whatever reason Billy Hamilton is one of the most divisive players in all of baseball. Fans all over MLB twitter constantly argue over whether or not Billy Hamilton is any good.

The answer to that age-old debate is that yes he is good if used correctly. Billy Hamilton is not an everyday player, but he is a phenomenal piece on any bench. He is one of the best defensive center fielders in all of baseball, and his speed as a pinch-runner can be a game-changer late in games.

The Braves used Hamilton perfectly once they acquired him. Having him come off the bench Hamilton provided excellent defense while he hit .268/.375/.317. They put Hamilton in situations to succeed and he became an integral part of their team down the stretch.

With Juan Lagares‘ $9.5 million dollar team option not likely to be picked up, the Mets have an opening on their bench for a defensive outfielder. Hamilton should fill that spot as he provides everything the Mets need off the bench and can step into the starting lineup if need be against right-handed pitching.

Marcell Ozuna

Ozuna improves the defense indirectly. He is a good left fielder on his own, but that’s not how he helps the Mets. His playing left field would force Nimmo into center field, which would be a net neutral move for the outfield defense.

Where he helps the defense is forcing Jeff McNeil out of the outfield and down to 3B where he is a borderline elite defender. McNeil was worth 3 DRS and 19.4 UZR/150 at 3B in 2019. It’s clearly his best defensive position.

Having McNeil putting up those defensive numbers at 3B over a full season while still getting good defense in left field would be a boon for the Mets. Plus, Ozuna is a middle of the order bat that would help the defense.

The big issue with this is that it leaves J.D. Davis on the bench until someone gets injured. Davis would still likely get around 400 at-bats in that role, but that might not be his most useful role.

It would probably be best for the Mets in this scenario to trade J.D. Davis for pitching. Ideally, he would headline a package for a young middle of the rotation pitcher under contract for multiple years such as Matthew Boyd or Brad Keller.

This scenario improves the Mets in every way headed into 2020. The only thing blocking this path from happening is money and the Mets’ faith in Yoenis Cespedes. Hopefully, the team realizes they are close to being a World Series contender and take the steps necessary to make that dream come to fruition.