NY Mets: How the lineup would thrive with universal DH

Mets iteration 1: Dom Smith at 1B, Pete Alonso DH, or vice-versa

Dom Smith being at first seems to be the most popular, but let’s break both situations down. Under the first scenario, Dom Smith would play first base, Pete Alonso would be the DH. Smith is only in left field because the DH does not exist in the National League. Prior, Smith was a first baseman and plays the position well.

Both Alonso and Smith have both improved defensively this year, though Smith is a worse defender, but the Mets would be wise to use either of these.

Most people would argue that Alonso would be the DH because his defense was only as acceptable as it could’ve been last year. It has made a big improvement. Others have seen Alonso’s struggles at the plate when universal DH was mandatory in the 2020 pandemic-shortened season.

Last year, his batting average was .231, he had 16 home runs in 57 games, and an .817 OPS. Much of this could be contributed to teams advancing their scouting reports against Alonso since he’s clearly rebounded this year.

It could’ve also been a coincidence, but Alonso has played two games for the Mets as DH this season in their eight games at American League ballparks. On their June 8 game against the Baltimore Orioles, Alonso played DH and hit fourth, going 2-for-4 with two home runs. On July 3 against the New York Yankees, Alonso went 0-for-4 and joined Michael Conforto as the only Mets players without a hit that day.

This is just a small sample size, but one of his home runs against the Orioles was off of lefty Bruce Zimmerman, and Alonso dominates left-handed pitching with an OPS of 1.015 this year against them. However, in the outing against the Yankees, he was hitless while facing lefty Jordan Montgomery.

It might make the most sense for the Mets to have Alonso and Smith take turns. But there are other options.

Mets iteration 2: Buy a first baseman

This offseason, it might make sense for the Mets to buy a first baseman. One name that should come to mind for everyone with this belief is Freddie Freeman. He’s a likable guy who is in the final year of an eight-year, $135 million contract with Mets foe, Atlanta. He’s only 31 and has a career batting average of .294.

If Freeman goes to free agency, the Mets could purchase him and throw him at first base, Dom Smith back in left field, and DH Alonso. It’s so simple.

There are plenty of other options the Mets could take a shot at. Anthony Rizzo, who was just traded from the Cubs to the Yankees for the rest of the year, comes to mind. Rizzo is 32 years old and would rejoin his former teammate Javier Báez, assuming Báez re-signs. San Francisco’s Brandon Belt (34) could also be a solid option.

Of these options, getting Freeman would be an absolute steal. He would light a spark through the whole offense. Can you imagine having Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Dom Smith, elite on-baseman Brandon Nimmo, contact genius Jeff McNeil, JD Davis, and Freddie Freeman on one team? New York would explode.

Mets iteration 3: Buy an outfielder

It would likely be required for the Mets to buy an outfielder if the Mets give Dom Smith or Pete Alonso the DH role, but going big could really work out for them.

Something else to think about is that Jonathan Villar heads to free agency this offseason, while Kevin Pillar has the option to stay for an added year, and the Mets might also want to think about adding depth pieces.

2022 free agent options include Corey Dickerson, Eddie Rosario, and Avisail Garcia. The Mets could technically decide to bring Conforto back next year in the hope that he flourishes, but not doing well in a contract year doesn’t usually bode well for players. He’ll be signed in free agency by someone, but the Mets will question that road.

Another option to consider is Mets #6 prospect Khalil Lee. He made his major league debut filling in back in May against the Braves, going 0-for-1 appearing as a pinch runner for Kevin Pillar. In 18 at-bats, he has zero walks and 13 strikeouts, but delivered a pinch-hit RBI double off of Miami’s Adam Cimber to give the Mets a 6-5 win in extra innings.

The Mets acquired Lee from Kansas City in a three-team trade back in February, but has been solid for Syracuse this year and could make big strides near the end of the season. Lee is also on the Mets’ 40-man so he’ll be at Spring Training next year.

Even if the Mets theoretically added Lee to the MLB roster next year, they might want to consider adding another outfielder.

The DH could help the Mets substantially.

Once the lineup is healthy, Lindor would likely move back to shortstop and Javier Báez would move to second base, but the rest of the lineup is a mystery.

Michael Conforto has been very bad against left-handers this season so it makes the most sense to sit him when facing them and shove Jeff McNeil into right field. But can you sit Jeff McNeil, considering that McNeil is one of the best examples of a lefty who hits right-handed pitching well. His average was .318 two years ago, but that was mainly helped by his success against righties, hitting a keen .320. His bat is too valuable to not have in the lineup.

On the flip side, when Conforto gets hot, he’s really hot, but he just hasn’t had it this season. The best you can say is that he doesn’t look as bad as Giancarlo Stanton, who is having terrible at-bats. Conforto is seeing the ball, but not hitting it hard or having good swings. His hard-hit rate is down this year.

At the end of July, Conforto’s batting average slid down below .200, which clearly isn’t great. There’s no indication that this will be the norm going forward. He’s a regular 20-30 home run guy, yet has a total of 6 through 67 games this season. Last year, he had 9 in the shortened 54 games.

Arguments for a universal DH have strengthened as of late, especially after several injuries hurt starting pitchers this season, related to batting. Even if teams have a few good-hitting pitchers, it still makes sense to initiate the DH.

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This is especially relevant for the Mets, whose offense has stumbled so far. Báez will be a great spark addition, but if given the DH, this offense can be outright dangerous.