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

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.