In a recent article by Joel Sherman of the New York Post he suggest that Chicago Cubs outfielder Dexter Fowler could be a fit for the Mets should Yoenis Cespedes sign elsewhere.
Last offseason, Fowler was met with an underwhelming free agent market after receiving a qualifying offer from the Cubs. He ended up signing what is essentially a one year, $13 million contract once a deal with the Baltimore Orioles fell through in the final stages.
Fowler is coming off a great regular season in which he posted a career high 4.2 bWAR. He hit .276/.393/.447 with 25 doubles, seven triples, 13 home runs, 48 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 551 plate appearances. He had a career best 14.3 BB% but also struck out 124 times in 125 games.
A big part of the career year for Fowler was his bounce back on defense with one defensive run saved after combining for -32 in the previous two seasons. He also had a 1.0 UZR, which was the highest of his nine year major league career. He’s played all but one of his major league defensive innings in center field.
Fowler would give the Mets an everyday option in center field while allowing some combination of Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson, Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto to stay in the corners.
Yesterday, we took a look at other possible solutions for the Mets if Cespedes was to leave.
