Best Mets center fielder candidates: Ranking five of the most enticing options

5) Amed Rosario

Amed Rosario is a total wild card option for the Mets in center field if they choose to move in this direction this offseason. There have been rumblings over the past couple of seasons that the Mets front office has wanted to move the 24-year old shortstop to center field at some point. Whether this idea has any merit with a new owner coming into town as well as presumably a new front office, it remains to be seen.

But for argument’s sake, if the Mets’ front office still believes in Rosario’s abilities and potential, this move could become a reality with Andres Gimenez now being considered the Mets shortstop of the future amid his breakout season in 2020. With Gimenez established presence at shortstop, Rosario would probably be considered the Mets’ second-best internal option to patrol center field in 2021.

While there is an inherent risk with putting Rosario in center field with no previous experience, this may be a move that the Mets would consider to save Rosario’s future in New York. Yet it also doesn’t go without saying that the Mets have been one of the worst overall defensive teams in baseball for several seasons now, and playing another member of the organization out of position may be more detrimental defensively than finding another solution for Rosario’s future with the organization.

For what it’s worth Rosario could take this whole offseason to develop the skills needed to play center field and come into Spring Training as a legitimate option for the Mets in the outfield. But for a team that is currently in the win-now mode, this move largely looks like an unnecessary risk worth taking and should be one of the last options to consider this offseason.