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

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.