As Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith take their places in the infield, parts of the 2018 Mets are beginning to become clear. The outfield, on the other hand, still has a big question mark mowed into the center field grass.
Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto will start every day, that much is clear. In all likelihood, this is Curtis Granderson‘s last season as a Met, whether it ends in the coming weeks or this winter. That leaves Juan Lagares and Brandon Nimmo as the other in-house options for a third outfielder next season – but first we need to talk about the All Stars.
Michael Conforto is a corner outfielder and should be treated as such going forward, meaning no more center field. Cespedes is entrenched in left field due to his unwillingness to move to right field, where he would theoretically play better due to his strong arm and slower speed (he could be faster if he felt like sprinting, but that’s a discussion for another time).
Really, when talking about the 2018 outfield, the question becomes, “Who is going to play center field?” If the Mets don’t trade for anyone or sign any free agents, it will likely be a platoon of Juan Lagares and Brandon Nimmo. The offense they would provide is unclear, however their defense would be superb.
Lagares is owed $6.5 million in 2018, $9.0 million in 2019 and has a $9.5 million option for 2020 with a $500,000 buyout – the Mets have a lot of money invested in him. Logic says they should play him every chance they get so he can prove himself and earn his money. Unfortunately, the Mets haven’t been a very logical team.
Many are clamoring for an option other than Lagares/Nimmo, with a name often heard being Lorenzo Cain. The 31-year-old is a tremendous center fielder and would be a nice fit atop the Mets line-up. The problem is he would be very expensive as he will be the best center fielder available on the free agent market this offseason. Would the Mets want to give a huge contract to him while they still owe money to Juan Lagares, a better defender?
Another free agent option would be Carlos Gomez who, of course, the Mets almost acquired for Wilmer Flores and Zack Wheeler at the 2015 trade deadline. Also 31 years-old, Gomez hasn’t played to his potential in a long time, having hit just .245/.315/.413 with 40 home runs in 319 games since the start of the 2015 season. He will likely be over-payed this offseason, so the Mets would be wise to exercise caution with him.
Jarrod Dyson, Rajai Davis, Cameron Maybin, Austin Jackson and Ben Revere are other impending free agents, but none of them really stand out over a Lagares/Nimmo platoon.
If the Mets have a good defender in center field with Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto manning the corners, it should be a successful outfield. The Mets have a tremendous opportunity with the call-up of Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith to shift to a solid defensive team. That is an opportunity they should absolutely capitalize on.
