Mets Trade Profile: Would Kris Bryant be a good fit in Queens?

Since Steve Cohen officially became the owner of the New York Mets the team has been connected to not only every major free agent but every major player on the trade block. What about Kris Bryant?

One trade target that is intriguing for the New York Mets franchise is Chicago Cubs third baseman, Kris Bryant. The Cubs are looking to trade some players away and there has been talk about the Cubs doing a reset. This could be an opportunity for the Mets to make a move.

The Mets have a mid-level need at third base. They can play several players there like J.D. Davis, Jeff McNeil, or Andres Gimenez but they could definitely benefit from upgrading at that position.

There are a few external options and one of them is Kris Bryant who is in his last year of arbitration, projected to make around $18.6 million.

Bryant is an interesting case because for some reason he is not viewed as highly as he was when he first came into the league. The 28-year-old hit the ground running in 2015 winning the NL Rookie of the Year award and then following that up with an NL MVP award in 2016.

Recently, however, Bryant has been getting a bad rap due to an injury in 2018 and a shortened season in 2020 due to the pandemic.

So, the question becomes is Kris Bryant a good player for the Mets to target in the trade market? We will break down Bryant’s case in this article and see if Bryant is the right move or not.

Is Bryant’s defensive profile a fit for the Mets?

Kris Bryant is a third baseman…kind of. Bryant mostly plays third base for the Cubs but over the last few years, the Cubs have been playing Bryant in the outfield in addition to third base.

The question is why the change of position even in a part-time role?

I asked myself this same question and in looking at Bryant’s defensive statistics it became more clear.

Bryant has a career .950 fielding percentage at third base which is not the greatest. For context, Bryant’s fielding percentage would rank 156 all-time among third basemen. Not to pile on but for comparison players like Kyle Seager, Justin Turner, and even Todd Frazier, yes Todd Frazier have a higher career fielding percentage than Bryant.

Additionally, Bryant has -14 defensive runs saved (DRS) at third base in his career and he has +6 DRS in the outfield in his career. The question becomes what is his long-term position? Is it third base or is it the outfield?

Verdict

If his long-term position is a corner outfield position, then the Mets should have zero interest in trading for Bryant even with his offensive potential. The Mets have Michael Conforto in right field hopefully for the next decade and most likely Brandon Nimmo in left field. They do not have a spot for Bryant in the outfield.

If his long-term position is third base then Bryant makes more sense to trade for but his price tag will be dependent on which offensive version of Kris Bryant you are getting.

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The way I would approach a possible trade for Kris Bryant is if the Mets miss out on Francisco Lindor and Nolan Arenado then the Mets should inquire about Bryant but I believe there are better fits for the Mets on the trade market at the moment than Kris Bryant.