Best Mets player acquired via free agent at each position

Free agency is one place where the New York Mets have found some of its greatest players. These ten men are the best at their position.

Many of the greatest New York Mets players in franchise history came to the organization via the amateur draft. Whenever I look over the franchise records, I’m always amazed at how many of the best in team history were draft picks.

Not everyone was originally a Met, however. In some cases, the club went out and acquired players via trade. Or as we’ll examine here, free agency.

Free agency is still relatively young in terms of baseball history. Beginning in the late 1970s, it gave teams a chance to add players through yet another route.

The adoption of free agency also gave players an opportunity to pick where they wanted to play. Since this became a common practice, these are the best Mets at each position to arrive in Flushing via free agency.

Starting Pitcher – Rick Reed

In Mets history, I don’t think any free agency pitcher was as good as Rick Reed. It’s pretty remarkable, too. Considering they also signed Hall of Famers Tom Glavine and Pedro Martinez as free agents, it’s Reed who seemed to have the most positive impact.

When the Mets signed Reed as a free agent in 1995, I don’t think anyone expected him to become a rotation mainstay through the latter part of the decade and into the new century. By the time the 1997 season rolled around, Reed was already pitching in his age 32 season.

Wasting no time, Reed went 13-9 with a 2.89 ERA in his first year with the Mets. He continued pitch well throughout their winning stretch in the late 1990s and early 200s, eventually ending his time with the club with a 59-36 record and 3.66 ERA.

Relief Pitcher – Billy Wagner

There’s no question who the best relief pitcher the Mets landed via free agency is. Hard-throwing lefty Billy Wagner came to the team as a free agent in his mid-30s. Although injuries did get the best of him at times, when healthy, Wagner was excellent.

In two of the three seasons he actually did pitch regularly, Wagner was an All-Star. The other year was still impressive, ending with a 2.24 ERA and a sixth-place finish in the Cy Young voting.

As good as advertised, Wagner helped piece together the bullpen during a competitive era of Mets baseball. In three years pitching for the club, he saved 101 games to the tune of a 2.37 ERA.

Catcher – Wilson Ramos

Free agency hasn’t been the place where the Mets have found their best catchers. Looking at the top names in franchise history, everyone arrived in New York through the draft or a trade.

Wilson Ramos is different. He actually signed with the Mets. With very little competition, he’s an easy selection.

The only current Mets player you’ll find on this list, Ramos hit .288/.351/.416 for the club in 2019. Add in 14 home runs and 73 RBI, he had one very productive season at the plate.

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.