Mets Rumors: There is room for Kiké Hernandez and Trevor Williams

The New York Mets rumors have become abundant over the past few days with the latest chatter suggesting that the Mets were interested in free-agent utility player Kiké Hernandez and free-agent starting pitcher Trevor Williams prior to the firing of former General Manager Jared Porter. While it appears that the Mets remain high on acquiring the 29-year old Hernandez, there is also still room on the 40-man roster should the new Mets front office combination of Sandy Alderson and Zack Scott deem Williams a worthy signing.

The Mets current 40-man roster stands at 38 players and while they still have a few holes to fill before Spring Training commences, both Hernandez and Williams are pieces that could fit on the currently constructed roster.

Each player could deepen the Mets’ depth, which is a major priority for the front office as they continue to navigate through the sluggish Major League offseason that seems to slowly be picking up steam. The Mets rumors surrounding both of these players simply make too much sense not to happen.

With depth being an area the front office wants to address, the Mets rumors surrounding Kike Hernandez and Trevor Williams provide valid options to explore

Kiké Hernandez who has spent the previous six seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers is a multifaceted weapon who can play all over the diamond, and he has played an integral role in the Dodgers’ recent success. This is exactly the type of player that contending clubs have on their active roster and he could fit nicely as an option in center field or spell Jeff McNeil at second base. Hernandez who has played every position in the field besides catcher would represent the modern-day Joe McEwing for the Mets should he be signed.

The interest is currently picking up for Hernandez on the open market with the Boston Red Sox also being named as a potential suitor for the former Dodger utility player’s services. Hernandez would provide manager Luis Rojas with an abundance of options on how to use him and could be a fixture in the Mets’ everyday lineup depending on what position he is playing on any given day.

On the other side of the coin, the Mets are building rotation depth with the re-signing of Steven Matz for one year and $5.2 million, as well as the trade for Padres starting pitcher Joey Luchessi. Starting rotation depth has plagued the Mets in recent seasons and it was none the more evident than in 2020 with the rotation seemingly being held together with scotch tape at different points in the season.

While the 28-year old Williams has largely struggled over the past two seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, following his breakout 2018 campaign, Williams is exactly the type of pitcher the Mets should gamble on when building pitching depth. Should the front office act on Williams, who was designated for assignment by the Pirates on November 20th, they would retain control of Williams until 2023.

Williams’s average velocity has not shown any signs of decline as his fastball still hovers around 92 MPH on average and he struck out a career-high 7.97 batters per nine innings in 2020. The downside is batters hit a whopping combined .326 average against Williams slider, changeup, and sinker last year. Perhaps a change of scenery and a new voice in his ear such as pitching coach Jeremy Hefner could help Williams turn his career back around.

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Should these Mets rumors result in action by the front office, Trevor Williams would be a great buy-low candidate to compete for the fifth spot in the Mets starting rotation, and Kiké Hernandez would provide the organization with a swiss-army knife that would deepen the Mets position group as a whole.