Mets: The only three free agents worth overpaying for this winter

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 05: George Springer #4 of the Houston Astros hits an RBI double against the Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning in Game One of the American League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 05, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 05: George Springer #4 of the Houston Astros hits an RBI double against the Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning in Game One of the American League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 05, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 26: General Manager Sandy Alderson of the New York Mets announces that pitcher Matt Harvey has been diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) on August 26, 2013 at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 26: General Manager Sandy Alderson of the New York Mets announces that pitcher Matt Harvey has been diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) on August 26, 2013 at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

The New York Mets have the ability to control the free agent market this offseason but there are only three players who are worth overspending for.

With Major League Baseball free agency underway and with affluent New York Mets owner Steve Cohen officially in office, the Mets offseason that has been yearned for by all Flushing faithful is finally here. While Cohen and Sandy Alderson have some decisions to make on the front office personnel, once those decisions have been made it can be expected it will be all systems go on acquiring Major League talent in free agency.

The Mets certainly have an advantage that many other organizations around the league will not have this offseason and that is an influx of cash to spend with a new billionaire owner. While many teams have already begun cutting costs by declining club options on players, the Mets will be looking to take on costs this offseason especially with a few significant contracts coming off the books that include Yoenis Cespedes, Wilson Ramos, Jed Lowrie, and Rick Porcello.

The Mets front office has the opportunity to flex its muscles early and often this offseason and it may take that flexing to land a couple of desired players. It will be very hard to imagine the Mets being outbid by any team this offseason to land a premier target.

While I don’t believe the Mets should spend recklessly this offseason, I do believe there are three free agents available that are worth overspending for if it comes down to it. Without further ado let’s take a look at those three free agents that are worth overspending for this winter.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 14: George Springer #4 of the Houston Astros hits a two run home run off Tyler Glasnow #20 of the Tampa Bay Rays during the fifth inning in Game Four of the American League Championship Series at PETCO Park on October 14, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 14: George Springer #4 of the Houston Astros hits a two run home run off Tyler Glasnow #20 of the Tampa Bay Rays during the fifth inning in Game Four of the American League Championship Series at PETCO Park on October 14, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Outfielder George Springer

One of the top-three premier free agents on the open market that isn’t named J.T. Realmuto or Trevor Bauer is former Houston Astros outfielder George Springer. The 31-year old Springer may be one of the very few names to receive a contract in excess of $100 million this offseason, and that company includes the previous two names mentioned above.

This past season Springer had a solid line of .265/.359/.540 with 14 home runs and 32 RBI’s in 51 games played. Springer would also provide a significant upgrade defensively in center field over Brandon Nimmo whose defense profiles better in a corner outfield position.

While the Astros did extend a qualifying offer to Springer, there also have been departure rumors circulating the three-time All-Star. It has been rumored around the league that Springer would like a fresh start elsewhere and is not planning on returning to Houston after being associated with the notorious sign-stealing scandal.

There certainly will be many teams involved in the bidding for Springer this winter despite the cheating scandal that occurred and you could certainly count the Mets as one of them. The Mets have been missing a game-changing player in center field since Carlos Beltran’s departure and it would only be fitting to sign a player of that caliber away from the Astros again.

MLB Trade Rumors.com has predicted Springer landing a five year $125 million deal from the Chicago White Sox this offseason while also noting that the Mets are a potential fit. If the Mets are truly committed to finding a permanent solution to their center field woes, they certainly are going to have to overpay for Springer’s services, but given his pedigree, he certainly would be worth overpaying for.

CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 21: Brad Hand #33 of the Cleveland Indians pitches during the ninth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field on September 21, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the White Sox 6-4. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 21: Brad Hand #33 of the Cleveland Indians pitches during the ninth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field on September 21, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the White Sox 6-4. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Left-Handed Reliever Brad Hand

When the Cleveland Indians surprisingly declined Brad Hand’s $10 million club option before the start of free agency, it sent a bit of a shockwave to the rest of the league on how the market may move this offseason. With the 30-year old reliever now hitting free agency it’s certainly worth noting that Hand can be considered the second-best reliever on the open market behind Liam Hendriks.

During the 2020 season Hand had posted a 2.05 ERA with 16 saves (which led the American League) in 22 innings pitched for the Indians. The three-time All-Star also had a dazzling 0.773 WHIP which was the lowest of his career and struck out 33.7% of the batters he faced this season. Hand certainly wasn’t let go due to his spectacular season, but due to financial constraints that the Cleveland front office will be facing this winter.

While the Mets seem to be set at closer with Edwin Diaz, it could be argued that the team could use another dominant reliever in the bullpen, as question marks are surrounding who may take over the set-up role in 2021. With fellow southpaw Justin Wilson hitting free agency as well, the Mets could look to Hand to fill that left-handed void in their bullpen.

Dominant and consistent relievers don’t often hit the open market but when they do, usually a bidding war ensues. It’s very hard to tell how the free-agent landscape is going to look this offseason, especially for relievers, but it would be in the Mets best interest to overpay for a dominant reliever long on results to help shore up the late innings next season.

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 29: James McCann #33 of the Chicago White Sox tracks a foul pop-up against the Oakland Athletics during the seventh inning of the Wild Card Round Game One at RingCentral Coliseum on September 29, 2020 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 29: James McCann #33 of the Chicago White Sox tracks a foul pop-up against the Oakland Athletics during the seventh inning of the Wild Card Round Game One at RingCentral Coliseum on September 29, 2020 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Catcher James McCann

If the Mets are going to overpay for George Springer, I don’t envision them also overpaying for catcher J.T. Realmuto. In this circumstance, I could imagine them “overpaying” for a more affordable option in catcher James McCann.

As previously stated I don’t believe the Mets will be outbid this offseason for any player they are targeting and McCann certainly fits that bill. There will be multiple teams interested in acquiring the 30-year old catcher this offseason and his market may cast a wider net due to his affordability in comparison to J.T. Realmuto. This is the perfect example of the Mets flexing their financial muscles and rightfully overpaying for a player they covet.

It already has been rumored that Realmuto is not keen on playing in New York which may make the decision easier for the Mets brass to pivot to a more affordable option in McCann. While defensively McCann is known as one of the best in the game, his offense has come alive over the past few seasons which garnered him a spot at the 2019 All-Star Game.

During the 2020 season, McCann hit .289 with seven home runs and 15 RBI’s in 97 at-bats with the Chicago White Sox to go along with a .896 OPS while splitting time with fellow catcher Yasmani Grandal. In 2019 which became McCann’s coming out party, he had hit .273 with 18 home runs and 60 RBI’s, to go along with a .789 OPS in 118 games.

Next. Best Mets center fielder candidates for 2021

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McCann could command a two or three-year deal this offseason, with an average annual value close to $10 million per season. If the Mets front office needs to exceed that number by a couple of million dollars to get their starting catcher for 2021, they should not hesitate to overspend.

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