New York Mets: Four free agents worth a spring training invite

Arodys Vizcaino

A familiar face to Mets fans, Arodys Vizcaino first began his MLB career way back in 2011 with the Atlanta Braves at the age of 20.

He had a cup of coffee with the Cubs in 2014 before being dealt back to Atlanta prior to the 2015 season, where he became a stable of their bullpen for several seasons.

He tore his labrum early in the 2019 season and was traded to the Seattle Mariners while he recovered, however, he never made an appearance for the team and is now a free agent for the first time in his career.

A power pitcher whose fastball touches 100 mph, and a lifetime ERA of 3.01, Vizcaino was always a solid hand out of the bullpen for the Braves. While he never became the elite closer they thought he could be, there was no doubt that he had the talent to be one if he could improve his control.

Now at 29 years old, I’m of the opinion that Vizcaino still has a few good years of baseball left in him, and with his natural talent as a pitcher, it would behoove the Mets to take advantage of this opportunity and invite him to Spring Training.

As stated, he missed last season recovering from a labrum injury so he may not be 100% healthy, but on a minor league deal, it would be a low risk, high reward signing.

Best case scenario, he regains his old form and could be an asset for the Mets in 2020, but if he’s not fully recovered, New York could give him the option to rehab in Triple-A until he’s ready to try to return to the majors.

Ben Zobrist

As we saw in 2019, the Mets are not averse to moving players around the field in order to get them in the lineup, and Ben Zobrist is arguably the top utility man in baseball.

Zobrist has been on the Mets radar in the past, most notably when they negotiated with him following the 2015 off-season before he signed a 4 year deal with the Chicago Cubs which concluded following this off-season.

A switch hitter, Zobrist has been a consistent bat at the plate for the bulk of his career, and is one of the most versatile defensive players in MLB history, appearing in games at every defensive position other than catcher over the course of his career. Primarily, he has either played at second base or at the corner outfield positions.

2019 was a lost year for Zobrist, as he stepped away from the game in May in order to deal with a family matter. He returned to the Cubs in late August, but this hiatus limited him to only  47 games for Chicago, batting .260 with a .358 OBP with 1 home run and 17 RBI.

At 38 years old, 2019 was the first season Zobrist appeared in under 120 games since the 2008 season. He has remained healthy through the vast majority of his career and seeing as his personal matter has been dealt with, if he wishes to return to baseball for another season, I believe the Mets should be the ones to give him a chance.

You can never have enough depth in baseball, and with Zobrist’s ability to man multiple positions and hit from both sides of the plate, he could definitely be an asset for the Mets in 2020.

Tony Sipp

While the Mets did fill a lot of holes in the team this off-season, one area they did not address is picking up a second left-handed pitcher for the bullpen.

Going into Spring Training, the only southpaw currently slotted for the Mets’ bullpen is Justin Wilson, who was a consistent hand last season but missed the early part of the season due to injury.

Beyond him, the team’s only other options for left-handers are minor league players such as Daniel Zamora, who have had prior stints in the major leagues.

While them off completely, it would behoove New York to invite another lefty to spring training as insurance in case one of their other pitchers don’t perform well enough to warrant a spot on the big league team, or in case injury strikes.

The best left-handed reliever still on the market is Tony Sipp, who should be a familiar name to Mets fans, as he spent 2019 with the rival Washington Nationals.

Sipp is an 11 year veteran of the game and has been a consistent lefty throughout his career, amassing a 3.72 ERA after pitching in just over 500 innings.

Admittedly, 2019 was a down year for Sipp, as he posted a 4.71 ERA in 36 games. However, the year prior with the Houston Astros, Sipp logged a career-best 1.86 ERA in 54 games.

On a minor league deal, he would be a low risk, high reward signing for the Mets. He would cost virtually nothing for New York to bring in for a look, and his upside is arguably better than any of the team’s current options in the minor leagues.

Hunter Pence

A lot of people thought that Hunter Pence‘s career was over following the 2018 season after struggling at the plate and missing time due to injury, but he proved a lot of fans wrong last year.

Pence accepted an invitation to Spring Training from the Texas Rangers and after reworking his swing in the winter leagues, made the team to start the year, forcing his way into their lineup.

For 2019, he batted .297 with a .358 OBP with 18 home runs and 59 RBI, earning himself a spot on the All-Star team in the process.

Unfortunately, he only appeared in 83 games for the Rangers, as he missed time in June – July due to injury, which resurfaced and cut his season short in August of last season.

Despite these injuries, Pence clearly showed that he has something left in the tank, and given the state of the Mets outfield, bringing him in for depth would be a smart move for the club.

The only natural outfielder who did not miss significant time from an injury for the Mets last season is Michael Conforto. Other than him, Dominic Smith, JD Davis and Jeff McNeil are all-natural infielders, and Yoenis Cespedes and Brandon Nimmo each are coming off of injury field years. Jake Marisnick was traded for earlier this off-season, but he only batted as .233 in 2019, so not a great alternative as a starter.

The point is, another natural outfielder who can hit for average and power is a nice insurance option for the Mets to have off the bench, and as previously stated, Pence is not averse to taking a minor league deal.

He’s an old school ball player who plays hard, a solid defender and is still a threat at the plate. If he’s willing to come to New York, the Mets would be fools not to bring him in.

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Which of these players would you like the Mets to bring in?