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NY Mets Roster: 3 players I’m ready to drive to the airport
The New York Mets stumbled to the finish line in 2021 and that is mainly because of the number of players who underperformed. Going into this season, I expected this Mets lineup to be among the league’s best but instead, they are tied for the third-lowest in runs per game at an abysmal 3.91. They are among rebuilding teams like the Pirates, Rangers, Orioles, and Marlins.
They spent over 100 days in first place this season and that was mainly due to the pitching. Led by a historic first half from Jacob deGrom, an all-star half for Taijuan Walker, and Marcus Stroman pitching like an ace, the Mets seemed destined to win the division.
In the second half, deGrom was hurt, Walker struggled mightily, and the rest of the rotation struggled as a whole.
Having a losing season with this Mets roster is unacceptable.
The only players who did what they were expected to while staying healthy for a majority of the season are Pete Alonso, Jonathan Villar, Marcus Stroman, and most of the bullpen.
The rest of the team underperformed and is the reason why the Mets will be watching the postseason from home for a fifth consecutive year.
I expect there to be a lot of change with the coaching staff with Luis Rojas being fired among others but change must happen with the players as well. Some of the guys who underperformed I believe can bounce back and stay but others I am ready to drive to the airport.
Dominic Smith
Dominic Smith was one of my favorite players the last couple of years. He was a great hitter and seemed to be a really fun teammate. This season he has completely lost his starting job and has shown that he doesn’t really have a place in the future.
Smith’s position is first base and that spot will be handled by Pete Alonso for a long time. This season Smith became a full-time left fielder and to his credit, did improve, but is still well below average out there.
With the DH likely coming to the National League, an argument could be made to just DH Alonso and slot Smith in at first base which is his natural position. I don’t think this is a good idea for a couple of reasons.
Alonso really improved defensively this season, posting 4 DRS and 1 OAA, both much higher than his previous highs. He’s blossoming into an above-average defensive first baseman so I’d rather not take him away from that position.
Another reason is the impending return of Robinson Cano. After missing the 2021 season with his second failed PED test, Cano is expected to return next season to the Mets as he still has two years left on his deal.
Of course, there is the chance that the Mets just cut him, but I wouldn’t expect them to not give Cano a shot since he is due to make a combined $48 million dollars in the next two seasons.
I think the best spot for Cano would be at DH. He is 38 years old and did not play this season so the chances that he would be productive in the field seem slim to me. Hopefully, they can get a little bit of production out of his bat.
This means the only spot left for Smith on this roster would be back in left field. Smith has an 83 OPS+ this season, over 80 points lower than last season. If his bat is not productive again while also being below average in the outfield, he will be a negative WAR player again like he has been this season.
I believe the Mets should trade Smith either for a pitcher or an outfielder while teams might value him.
J.D. Davis
J.D. Davis was one of the Mets’ best players in 2019 and he was a huge reason they went on the second-half surge they did that season. He put up a 137 OPS+ and hit 22 home runs. In the two seasons since then, Davis has combined to hit 11 home runs. That is due to the shortened 2020 season and injury, but he also just has not been as good of a hitter.
Pitchers have learned about a weak spot up in the zone with fastballs and Davis has not been able to adjust to that since the 2019 season. In order for Davis to rediscover his 2019 form, I believe he has to learn to either lay off the high fastball or hit it.
Even with his offensive production decreasing, he is still a good hitter and I believe will always be a good hitter. This season he has slashed .285/.384/.436 with five home runs and 23 RBI in 179 at-bats. His 126 OPS+ is not too far off from 2019.
He has had good production while dealing with a left-hand sprain for most if not all of the season and has been put on the IL once again with the injury which will end his season. This shows me that he can definitely be the hitter he was a couple of years ago if he is healthy and tweaks some things.
The reason I believe the Mets should look to trade J.D. Davis is because of his defense. Davis is an awful defender at third base and has a -7 DRS in just 50 games played at third base this season.
The Mets have a lot of ways they can go this offseason to improve defense at the position while not losing much or even gaining with the bat.
They can re-sign Javy Baez and play him at second base while sliding Jeff McNeil over to third base. McNeil posted a 5 DRS at third base in 2019. While he did only play in 31 games at the position, his defense at second base shows me that he can at least be an improvement over Davis defensively at third.
Baez also is such a good defender I have no doubts that he would be an excellent third baseman while the Mets can play McNeil at his natural position of second base.
Another option they have is signing Kris Bryant in free agency. Bryant isn’t an all-world defender at third base, posting a -4 DRS in his career, but that is still an improvement over any season of J.D. Davis at third. Bryant’s defensive versatility makes him very valuable as well for when injuries occur, Davis only appeared in the field at third base this season and is not good in the outfield.
Like Dom Smith, Davis might be a guy who profiles better as a DH. With the Mets not really having that spot open, Davis is expendable.
Kevin PIllar
Kevin Pillar is a warrior and a great teammate but I believe his time as a great baseball player is over. He was brought in on a two-year $6.5 million dollar deal this past offseason to be a good depth piece in the outfield. Due to the injuries to Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto, Pillar is tied for fourth on the Mets roster in games played which is not how the Mets drew things up.
Pillar has slashed .226/.274/.411 with 15 home runs and 45 RBI. The 15 home runs are fourth on the Mets.
It’s safe to say his hitting has been subpar. His OPS+ of 86 would agree with that statement. He has always been a below-average hitter but the one thing he did well offensively was hit left-handed pitching. This season, however, he has put up a .678 OPS against lefties, almost 100 points lower than his career mark of .772.
Pillar’s calling card has been his defense. His nickname “Superman” came from his outstanding plays in the outfield. His defense has been declining for a while and this season, he was in the 40th percentile in Outs Above Average according to baseball savant and posted a negative DRS in center field and right field this season.
So, Pillar is not a good hitter and is below average in the field. The 32-year-old should not be on the roster of a team trying to contend and Steve Cohen should be willing to eat the remaining money of his deal in order to upgrade the position. He can do that from within with someone like Khalil Lee, or sign a defensive-minded fourth outfielder for cheap.
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The Mets seem to love Pillar so I assume he will be on the roster next season but if it were up to me, he would not be.