3 first basemen the NY Mets should still pursue, leaving Jorge Polanco as a DH

2) Ryan O’Hearn

So he’s not right-handed, but Ryan O’Hearn is definitely someone who’d be a good match to offer some of the same things as Okamoto. He doesn’t come with the same question of abilities against MLB pitchers. O’Hearn had a career year split between the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres. His defense was strong and he even appeared in some games as a corner outfielder. Three years is about all he can expect. In a market where first basemen who don’t hit with immense power can sometimes get overlooked, a one or two-year contract isn’t out of the question.

I like O’Hearn as the true first baseman of the Mets with potential to play some left field. Of course, the Mets should be going heavily after some of the top targets such as Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger. It might be optimistic to believe they actually will. In that case, have O’Hearn play some left field as needed with maybe a minor platoon with a right-handed hitter.

An OPS over .800 in two of his last three seasons including a career-high in home runs and RBI last year, O’Hearn is a player in the same market as Okamoto. The Mets haven’t been heavily linked or rumored to have much interest in either one. This might just confirm they will snatch one as no one saw the Polanco deal coming.