Mets shift away from bullpen search, now focusing on bats

After adding two pieces to the bullpen for 2019, the New York Mets are now shifting their focus to other areas. They have their catcher. What’s next?

The first splash the New York Mets made this winter was the blockbuster trade for Robinson Cano which also brought in 2018 MLB saves leader Edwin Diaz. They then followed that up by bringing back Jeurys Familia on a three year $30 million deal. On Sunday, they found their catcher, Wilson Ramos.

Reports are that Brodie Van Wagenen will now go shopping on two other big holes; the outfield and the catcher position. At the Winter meetings, BVW was asked about adding another top reliever to the bullpen:

"“Would we play on multiple high-end arms in the bullpen? I dont think that is part of our strategy at this point.”"

The Mets believe they can fill in the need for a lefty arm in the bullpen at a cheaper rate and if that’s the case then the money should now be spent on bigger needs. Some names that pop up right away with the Mets include A.J. Pollock and Adam Jones who are the top two players the Mets are believed to go after.

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Pollock leads the list of free agent outfielders for the Mets to potentially sign with the exception of Jones and Marwin Gonzalez. Pollock is looking for a “Lorenzo Cain-esque” contract and the Mets could be one of the teams willing to give him that deal. Yes, Pollock has been on the disabled list here and there but nothing serious that the Mets need to stay away from him. A dark horse for an outfield upgrade though is Jones. Do not be surprised if Jones is wearing the orange and blue come April.

The 32-year-old vet comes into 2019 with a career batting average of .281 and five all-star appearances. Jones has spent pretty much his whole career with the Orioles but might be looking to move on in his career with all due respect to Baltimore, he has given his blood, sweat, and tears to that organization. A player with that much loyalty could be good to have here in New York and in that locker room.

A player like Pollock or Jones would be huge for this team to add the depth in the outfield to go along with Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, and Juan Lagares as well as waiting on the return of Yoenis Cespedes. The other big need for the Amazin’s was behind the plate and that search is now over.

The Mets have now found their man behind the plate for next season after news broke that the Mets signed Ramos to a two-year contract. Ramos is coming off a season where he was dealt from Tampa Bay to Philadelphia at the trade deadline. He was an All-Star last season where he batted .306 on the year which is just the piece the team needs.

Ramos fills the catcher’s position as well as adds a bat to this lineup. This could mean the end of the Travis d’Arnaud era but I don’t think any Mets fan is going to lose sleep over that tonight.

This was the best option because Realmuto is not worth what was being asked for. Signing Ramos keeps Rosario, Conforto, Nimmo, and Noah Syndergaard instead of moving possibly two of these names which would just cause more holes that would need to be filled. It was of recent that the Mets were linked to signing either Ramos or Grandal and no fan should be disappointed with this latest Brodie move.

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Brodie Van Wagenen has shown his interest in wanting to be in a “win now” mentality and you can tell by the moves so far. The bullpen is already better than last years and the signing of Ramos closes that hole for a catcher. Now if BVW can add a solid outfielder to this team than it makes sense to not spend all the money on another bullpen arm.

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