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NY Mets: 3 free agents they shouldn’t join the bidding war for
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.
Trevor Story
There are several reasons why the Mets shouldn’t pursue Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, the primary one being that the Mets should just re-sign Javier Báez.
Báez loves playing alongside his buddy, Francisco Lindor, who was the reason he wanted to go to the Mets in the first place. Báez is also one of the best defensive players in MLB, is versatile in the field, and played incredibly for the Mets upon joining them at the trade deadline.
If the Mets sign Story, the intention will be to play him at either second or third base because of Lindor at shortstop. However, like Lindor, Story has never played anywhere other than SS.
Is that worth the risk? Because that’s what it is. The Mets would end up paying all that money on an experiment and this isn’t a team in a position to do that.
Second, it seems that only recently people stopped attributing Story’s success at the plate to the notoriously hitter-friendly Coors Field. There is much truth to that argument.
Let’s look at Story’s career numbers at home versus his numbers on the road:
Home: .303/.369/.603, .972 OPS, 430 H, 100 2B, 21 3B, 95 HR, 279 RBI, 138 BB, 393 SO
Road (five fewer games): .241/.310/.442, .752 OPS, 338 H, 80 2B, 6 3B, 63 HR, 171 RBI, 128 BB, 472 SO
The discrepancy is glaring. Story has been incredible at home, but very unremarkable on the road.
Do the Mets really want to be the trial that determines if Story is merely a product of Coors Field or a legitimately elite hitter?
Justin Verlander
The Mets are going to need pitching help, especially if they bid Marcus Stroman farewell during the offseason. Future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros is a name that stands out, but the Mets should stay away for obvious reasons.
Verlander will be 39 years old next season. He’s no spring chicken. Couple that with the fact that he’s coming off Tommy John surgery and Verlander is far from appealing.
He was aging like fine wine and did win the AL CY Young in 2019, the season before he had surgery, but he hasn’t pitched since the beginning of the 2020 season.
There, of course, is a chance that Verlander comes back great and continues to dominate. But the risks accompanied with signing him aren’t ones the Mets should be taking. A team with other fall-back options is the right place for Verlander.
The only way Verlander to the Mets makes sense/is a good move is if it’s one made out of luxury and surplus, not necessity. If the Mets add a few solid arms to the rotation and decide they want to sign Verlander to be a bottom of the rotation depth piece, then it makes sense.
Next. Where will Dominic Smith get traded?
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The Mets are better off looking for starting pitching elsewhere and should definitely prioritize bringing Stroman back, but that’s a conversation for another day.