Mets Roster: A comprehensive guide to building an elite defense

In a few simple steps, the New York Mets can have an elite-level team on defense.

The New York Mets roller coaster of a 2020 season has been emblematic of a wild year. While it feels like nearly everything has changed during this unique season, one thing remains the same: the Mets’ defense is struggling.

New York finished the 2019 season with a porous -26.8 defensive rating as a team (26th out of 30 teams).  So far in 2020, they are ranked 21st overall with a -3.3 rating.  For the record, the franchise has averaged a finish of 26th overall from 2015-2018. Simply put, the team’s defense has been a major Achilles heel.

Can the Mets solve this longtime flaw in time for aces Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard to lead the way in 2021? Here are a few practical offseason steps the front office can take to go from the bottom to the top.

Sign J.T. Realmuto

How’s this for a splash?! The Mets have lived in catcher purgatory for a long time. While the likes of Travis d’Arnaud, John Buck, Josh Thole, and Rod Barajas all had fun moments in orange and blue, none were considered to be elite options.

All things considered, adding former All-Star Wilson Ramos before the 2019 season has given the Mets their best catcher in recent memory. While his bat has proven valuable (2020 struggles notwithstanding), he has also been a major defensive liability. In fact, Ramos’ 94 stolen bases allowed in 2019 was worst in the league by a wide margin.

So why not fix this issue in one power move? J.T. Realmuto has widely been considered the best catcher in baseball for the past several seasons. His Gold Glove defensive abilities combined with his .279 career batting average and an average of 21 home runs per season makes him the complete package.

Not only would he become one of the most dangerous hitters on the roster, but the Mets’ overall defense would receive a massive boost. He would also immediately stop opposing base runners wreaking havoc.

While Realmuto would be a perfect fit in NYC, he will come with a lofty price tag. Some have speculated that he could receive roughly $18 million a season on a five-year deal. Jon Heyman has reasoned that he will seek to break Joe Mauer’s record of $23 million per season on up to a seven-year contract.

The presence of the pandemic and the team’s ownership uncertainty could affect their wiliness to commit to such a large contract. However, if things fall right, there is no reason the Mets could not afford to make this franchise-altering move.

Trade for a Gold-Glove Centerfielder

Let the blockbuster transactions continue! If catcher has been the biggest defensive liability over past seasons, center field has been second. While signing a player to fill this need is theoretically an option, I want to be as realistic as possible. The odds of the team opening up their checkbooks for two difference-making talents seems very un-Mets-like. The next logical option is the trade market.

The franchise has recently experienced one of two issues. They have either committed playing time to defensive specialists like Juan Lagares, Austin Jackson, and most recently, Billy Hamilton. While these players have made a noticeable fielding difference, they are all also incredibly one-sided players. The value they bring with their gloves is canceled out by their ineptitude with a bat.

Otherwise, the team has a recent history of starting good offensive players in center who are natural corner outfielders. This has led to Michael Conforto, Yoenis Cespedes, and most recently Brandon Nimmo playing out of position.

While Nimmo has performed most admirably in this tough spot, his average defensive WAR per season are as follows: 2018: -6.6. 2019: -1.5. 2020: -3.4.  For all the good things Nimmo brings to the ball club, the advanced stats reveal him to be a corner outfielder playing out of position. This is a bigger defensive problem than the Mets and their fans seem to recognize.

However, there is a solution. The recent opt-out by Cespedes and the addition on a universal DH means that there more space for Nimmo at the corner spots.  An intriguing trade chip has also emerged this season. The breakout play of rookie Andres Gimenez has opened the possibility to dangling shortstop Amed Rosario as a trade asset this winter. Gimenez has proven to have game-changing speed, a capable bat, and a more consistent glove in the middle infield. He profiles as the shortstop of the future.

Rosario on the other hand is still only 24-years old and is a capable option at the position. One would imagine that any rebuilding or retooling team would be interested in his services.

Some interesting potential options that could be available could include: JaCoby Jones of the Tigers or Mike Yastrzemski of the Giants, both of whom were recently listed as possible trade candidates by CBS. Trade details remain to be seen, and there are a plethora of other options available. However, either of these two players would be fascinating additions.