Another disappointing New York Mets season is in the books and fans have already begun discussing which of the 2022 free agent class their team should sign.
Should they bring Marcus Stroman back? Will they bring in Kris Bryant to man the hot corner after being connected to him at the trade deadline? Does J.D. Martinez make sense should the universal DH rule be implemented?
The list of candidates is long, but what about players the Mets should avoid this offseason?
Many upcoming free agents are tempting, but might not be worth it for the Mets to bid on.
Let’s take a look at three of them:
Michael Conforto
We kick off this list with a guy who’s been a Met, but one the team should let walk away. Drafted 10th overall in 2014, Michael Conforto has had a respectable seven-year career in Queens, but never really became the superstar player that many expected.
As a member of the Mets, Conforto has slashed .255/.356/.468, with an .824 OPS, 124 OPS+, 132 HR, 396 RBI, and 361 BB.
It seemed like Conforto finally broke out in 2020 after putting together MVP numbers in his age-27 season.
Unfortunately, he went on to have an awful 2021 season. He started off the season terribly before serving a lengthy IL stint. It was good to see him turn things around at the end of the season and become one of the Mets’ best hitters, but it wasn’t enough.
Conforto has done a lot for the Mets throughout his career and is loved by most of the fanbase, but the organization would be wise to find a replacement during the offseason.
The Mets have a serious problem right now. They should be World Series contenders, but can’t even get to the playoffs. They need to upgrade, especially if they’re going to be spending money on the position, regardless.
Now that Conforto declined the Mets’ qualifying offer, they certainly shouldn’t be his primary suitor and the ones to make him the biggest offer out there.
As long as they’re able of acquiring someone better, that’s what they must do.