Mets: Let’s snuff the Nolan Arenado to Flushing talk before it begins

Like all fans, those who root for the New York Mets desire a superstar from their team’s front office. Nolan Arenado will be talked about plenty this year in multiple cities. Let’s end the Arenado to Flushing talk before it even begins.

Before the 2018 season even ended, New York Mets fans and everyone else out there hoping to see a better, brighter 2019 clung to the hope that Bryce Harper or Manny Machado would find their way to town. The Mets didn’t join the frenzy, opting to instead go with less expensive options. Nobody is surprised.

Next offseason, there’s another notable free agent hitting the open market I suspect fans of the Mets and other franchises will beg for. Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado is set to hit the open market. Months before he does, let’s nix the idea of him ending up in Flushing.

If there’s one thing Brodie Van Wagenen did prove in his first winter with the team it’s that things are different yet the same. By not evening attempting to land Harper or Machado, the public learned the budget hasn’t changed much at all. The story will be the same in 2020, 2021, and thereafter until ownership changes.

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Arenado is a special player. He’s a perennial MVP contender albeit with the benefit of playing half of his games at Coors Field. Away from the friendly-ballpark in Denver, he’s nothing special.

While in Colorado, Arenado is batting .320/.374/.609. On the road, he’s a .263/.318/.469 hitter. In 2016, Wilmer Flores hit .267/.319/.469. That’s the kind of player the Mets would get if they were to bring Arenado to Flushing.

Citi Field is a tough place to hit and Arenado’s bat would suffer from it. I don’t think he’s just looking for the biggest offer; which the Mets won’t give anyway. Arenado has a lot to prove. He needs to show the world he can hit in another uniform. Or better yet, he stays with the Rockies and we’re stuck speculating.

The New York Yankees have already been rumored to have had interest in acquiring Arenado. However, the Rockies haven’t made any suggestion that they are ready to trade their star third baseman.

Arenado is about as well-rounded of a player as you can find, but the fact that he has spent his entire career in Colorado lingers. We don’t know what he would be if he played anywhere else. Likely, not in the top five of the MVP vote.

Regardless, fans will send out tweets to general managers suggesting they target Arenado. In the right situation, I think he can continue to thrive. His home and road splits have suggested the best place for him is somewhere pitchers don’t want to be.

Todd Frazier is gone after 2019 and to replace him, we may see more Jed Lowrie and Jeff McNeil at third base in 2020. The Mets already have their “we don’t need Arenado” reasoning in place.

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Quite frankly, they never needed one. He’s just not a realistic option for them.