The New York Mets have undergone quite the facelift this winter. Top-notch additions around the diamond should, by design, lengthen this roster and eliminate the depth-chart gaps that have revealed themselves in recent years.
The outfield has been strengthened across the turf. Infield depth is solid. The starting rotation is historically exciting. By all accounts, Billy Eppler’s front office (with Steve Cohen’s checkbook as its jet propulsion engine) is moving right along.
One area in particular — third base — has become a bit of a lightning rod for fans this offseason and the Mets certainly have viable options to weigh; both in-house and externally.
Heading into the year (whenever it begins) with newly-signed Eduardo Escobar at the hot corner and J.D. Davis (if he’s still around) behind him should result in a net positive at the position. Jeff McNeil, who’s been the subject of trade rumors leading up to and throughout the lockout, has experience at the position, as does Luis Guillorme, whose dues as a reliable bench piece have been paid in full. All well and good. Unless the Mets are aiming higher, which, as evidenced by their money’s-no-object spending spree leading up to the lockout, could certainly be the case.
We spoke early in the offseason about potential trade targets in Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez and Oakland’s Matt Chapman to fill the gap until Brett Baty and/or Mark Vientos are ready for primetime. Both are alluring options. Though, whether either move makes sense for New York’s “sustainable success” model is debatable.
Ramírez (owed $26 million through 2023) and Chapman (will earn $9.5 million in 2022, his second arbitration-eligible year; free agent after 2023) would most definitely put the Mets’ offensive corps over the top, but the price for either would be astronomical. Like, cherry-picking-your-system-until-we-can’t-carry-anymore-cherries astronomical.
If that’s the direction the organization decides to go, it would certainly incite some backlash. And rightly so. Though, sometimes you’ve gotta make tough calls to achieve goals. And parting with Francisco Álvarez, Ronny Mauricio, Baty, Matt Allan, J.T. Ginn, or any of the Mets’ elite prospects would undoubtedly be classified as “tough calls”.
It’s more than conceivable the Mets would walk away from the table once Álvarez’s name was brought up in any potential deal, but you have to imagine this team is more than willing to mortgage a portion of their future to win a World Series that much sooner, whether that be via Mauricio, Baty, etc
Something to keep an eye on, for sure. But there is another route. And this one would only cost money.
Kris Bryant, longtime Chicago Cubs standout and recent Giants addition, is on the open market. No, the 29-year-old hasn’t been the MVP-level player he once was in quite some time. But he could certainly be the veteran, playoff-tested, elite-pedigree glue needed to take things to the next level in Flushing.
Over his first three seasons in the big leagues (2015 thru 2017), Bryant hit .288/.388/.527 with 94 home runs (t-16th in MLB), 144 wRC+ (12th), and 20.7 fWAR (third), racking up two All-Star game nods, the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year Award, and the 2016 NL MVP. Oh, and they broke some century-old streak on the North Side, too.
Since then, things have gone moderately awry for Bryant. He hasn’t fallen off a cliff by any means. He’s just been a little wobbly on the path. A 2018 shoulder injury significantly sapped his power (13 homers in 102 games; .272/.374/.460, 126 wRC+, 2.4 fWAR) and it’s been a struggle to regain that elite consistency since.
Bryant returned with a strong effort in 2019, slashing .282/.382/.521 with 31 home runs, 134 wRC+, and 4.7 fWAR over 147 games, but then slipped once again, hitting just .249/.340/.460 (22 homers, 114 wRC+, 521 PA) from the start of 2020 through his trade from Chicago in late July 2021.
Enigmatic, to say the least. Though, Bryant’s production has remained even-keeled in some respects. His career 23.7% strikeout rate and 11.5% walk rate are both excellent indicators of what he brings in those regards, as he’s hovered around those marks consistently regardless of the other fluctuations.
Expecting Bryant to return to MVP form at the plate is a stretch based on his career’s recent trajectory. And that’s fine. But him remaining a 3.5-4.0 fWAR, 20-25-home run player for the foreseeable future doesn’t seem all that far-fetched and could certainly add an exciting dynamic to this Mets roster.
Despite mostly below-average metrics (-4 OAA in RF, -4 OAA at 3B; last +OAA at 3B was 2017, +4), Bryant’s defensive versatility fits this organization’s requirements to a tee. If the offense can stay at respectable levels through the tail-end of his prime, Bryant could prove to be a galvanizing add.
What it might cost is anyone’s guess ($80 million over four years, roughly?). That’s no small investment, but it’s gotta be enticing, right?
The Mets already have an estimated payroll pushing $260 million. What’s another $20 million between die-hard fans and the organization that’s finally doing what we hoped they would? LFGM.
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