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

The New York Mets are nearing the start of spring training. Before camp opens, the organization should consider invites for these four free agents.

The Super Bowl has officially come and gone, and the pitchers and catchers around baseball are getting ready to head down south for Spring Training in the coming weeks. New York Mets baseball is back!

The Mets have had quite an interesting offseason, and not necessarily for the best of reasons. through it all, they are entering the 2020 season with a young and hungry team, a new manager who the organization appears to be quite high on, and the impending return of All-Star slugger Yoenis Cespedes.

With all that said, the three certainties in life for baseball fans are death, taxes, and injuries to ballplayers, meaning depth is a must-have for any contending team.

The Mets do have several quality alternates on the bench and in the minor leagues and have also brought in the likes of Eduardo Nunez and Matt Adams as some options around the infield.

However, there are still a few free agents still on the market the Mets could bring in for a look and a chance to make the big league team, and as I said, you can never have enough depth in baseball.

Free agents are still out there lurking and looking for a home in 2020. Before spring training gets underway, Brodie Van Wagenen should consider a deal with any of these men and extend an invite to camp.

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.