2 worthwhile NY Mets free agent alternatives to Teoscar Hernandez, 1 option to avoid

Teoscar Hernandez being on the New York Mets radar and actually receiving a two-year offer from the team should have us rethinking exactly what the team will look like in 2025. Was their pursuit of Hernandez some sort of a backup plan to Pete Alonso or an additional piece they’d hope to include?

It doesn’t matter much now because Hernandez will rejoin the Los Angeles Dodgers. This leaves the Mets with a few alternatives.

No longer are we exclusively looking at a guy like Jesse Winker. We need to think a little bigger. In which case, these two free agent outfielders deserve an offer from the Mets while this other is someone they should aggressively veer away from and avoid.

The Mets should make Anthony Santander an offer

The obvious pivot from Hernandez is to sign Anthony Santander. If the Mets were willing to lose two draft picks for Hernandez, they should do the same with Santander. Freshly turned 30 as of mid-October, he’s a few years younger and if last season was any indication, on the rise when it comes to power.

Santander essentially swapped his doubles and home run totals from the previous season. Smashing a career-high 44 and driving in 102, Santander did so with a less than satisfying .235/.308/.506 slash line. The average and OBP had been better in each of the previous two years. The difference in 2024 was the explosive power.

It wasn’t as much of a mega-drop off in average as it may seem. In four more at-bats, he had only 12 less hits. With 22 more total bases than he had the previous year when he hit .257, the trade-off seems quite worth it. Add in 129 strikeouts last season versus the 152 he had in 2023 and we have a guy who made a lot more long contact but just didn’t find as many balls squeaking through for singles.

A really sweet part about Santander’s game is he does have some first base experience. He’s not a complete butcher in the corner outfield either. If it’s power the Mets want, this is the guy who should receive a contract offer from them ASAP.