Mets: Five best December free agent signings in franchise history

4) Curtis Granderson

Up next we have another player who got to share the field with Colon in Curtis Granderson. Granderson, who was a fan favorite and a true class act in the game of baseball, brought a lot to the Mets when joining them.

Granderson was coming off an injury-shortened season with the crosstown Yankees before joining the Metropolitans. He was already 32 years old and would no longer benefit from the short porch in Yankee stadium, but Granderson was still able to put together some strong years while in Flushing.

On December 9th, 2013 Granderson signed a 4-year deal worth $60M. The deal was pretty evenly spaced out as the first season was worth $13M, the second and third at $16M, and the final year at $15M.

The Grandyman got off to a bit of a slow start in his first season, but he made up for it the following years. In his three and a half seasons he mashed 95 home runs, drove in 247 runs, had a .341 OBP, gave a reliable glove in the outfield at all three positions, and provided the Mets with durability as he appeared in 150+ games each season in his three full seasons.

In his three and a half seasons with the Mets, Granderson combined for a 10.9 WAR, helped the Mets make the World Series in 2015 for the first time in fifteen years, and helped them reach the postseason in back-to-back seasons for the second time in Franchise history.

In addition to Granderson’s solid performance on the field, they got a great person off the field. In 2015 he was awarded the Lou Gehrig Memorial award which is given to the player who best exemplifies the character of Lou Gehrig. In 2016 he was awarded the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award which is given to the player based on a great performance on the field and great off-the-field contributions. He was also rewarded with the Roberto Clemente Award in 2016 which is also given to a player for both great on and off the fieldwork.

Between Granderson’s solid numbers on the field for the Mets with his reliable defense and ability to stay healthy while hitting home runs and getting on base, his off the field contributions also had a great impact on his contract working out well. His 4 year $60M deal worked out well for the Mets and is one of the best signings made by the Mets in December as a result.