NY Mets: How the lineup would thrive with universal DH

Despite having one of the best-hitting pitchers in baseball in Jacob deGrom, the New York Mets would have one of the most dangerous lineups in the league with universal DH in both the American and National League.

Currently, the lineup consists of Dom Smith, Brandon Nimmo, and Michael Conforto in the outfield, JD Davis at third base, Francisco Lindor at shortstop, Jeff McNeil at second, Pete Alonso at first base, James McCann at catcher, and Javier Báez as a newly-traded infielder.

It’s unclear as to what the Mets will do once Lindor comes back from injury, but they could possibly platoon Conforto and sit him against left-handed pitchers. His batting average is .121 against them this year.

Either way, the Báez addition will make the Mets stronger and more versatile.

That addition even provides the option to help out McNeil at second while he’s going through his leg issues. Next year, the lineup might not look much different. Michael Conforto is eligible for his first year of free agency at the end of the year, but the rest of the starters are either under arbitration/renewable team control or signed through 2022 or later.

It’s also a CBA year and baseball in 2022 hangs in the balance, but one rule change that’s likely to make an appearance is universal use of the Designated Hitter. The Mets could seriously benefit from use of the DH.

Here are a few different alterations of the lineup they could try.

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.