Best Mets player acquired via free agent at each position

First Baseman – Todd Zeile

The toughest selection for this list was at first base. Todd Zeile ultimately got the nod over Eddie Murray because of what he meant to the franchise and how the team performed. While Murray had superior numbers in some categories, Zeile was a much more important member of the franchise.

Zeile came to the Mets for the 2000 season as the replacement for John Olerud. They were big cleats to fill and he did so admirably.

In three total seasons with the club, Zeile was a .259/.348/.405 hitter with 41 home runs. His best season was in 2000 when he added 22 home runs during the team’s regular-season run ultimately landing them in the playoffs and then World Series.

Second Baseman – Jose Valentin

The Mets and second basemen from the outside don’t go together well. Roberto Alomar and Carlos Baerga are the subjects of two of the worst trades in franchise history. However, there is one second baseman who the team landed via free agency that managed to have one pretty good year with the club.

Veteran infielder Jose Valentin spent his last two big league seasons with the Mets in 2006 and 2007. It’s that first year he made an impression.

As the team’s starting second baseman and regular utility man, Valentin hit .271 while adding 18 home runs. Although he faded out in 2007, this one campaign was productive enough to beat out all other free agent second basemen in club history.

Third Baseman – Robin Ventura

One of the top third basemen in Mets history, Robin Ventura came to the organization as a free agent ahead of the 1999 campaign. In his three seasons in Flushing, Ventura made a lasting impression in the seasons before David Wright.

Ventura won a Gold Glove in 1999 and finished sixth in the MVP voting. This was his best season with the club, but his overall totals over the three years in orange and blue added up well.

Ventura slashed .260/.360/.468 with 77 home runs. As the Mets attempted to build up a championship-level roster, this third baseman looked like one of the finishing touches.

Shortstop – Asdrubal Cabrera

Asdrubal Cabrera wasn’t always a shortstop in New York. But when he first signed with the Mets, this was his spot on the field.

Cabrera is one of those Mets shortstops I think people will appreciate more several years from now. His offensive numbers are right up there with just about anyone else to play the position while representing this ball club.

In 2016, while playing shortstop exclusively, he hit 23 home runs with a .280 batting average. The home runs set a new franchise record for the position. He continued to hit well into mid-2018 before he was eventually traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.