3 offseason NY Mets free agent additions to bolster their defense

2) Ryan O'Hearn

Ryan O’Hearn went from one of the worst batters in baseball to one of the sport’s most underrated. Since 2023, O’Hearn has turned in a wRC+ of at least 118, with 2025 being a career year. He batted .281/.366/.437 with a .349 wOBA, and 127 wRC+ over 544 plate appearances with the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres. However, O’Hearn had his best season yet with the glove at first base. 

He had +4 DRS and +6 OAA in only 541.1 innings at the position. O’Hearn was silently one of the best defensive first basemen in baseball. He ranked in the top ten in both OAA (5th) and DRS (7th) among his fellow peers at his position. He had more DRS than Gold Glove finalists Bryce Harper and the same or more OAA than Spencer Steer, Vlad Guerrero Jr., and Harper. O’Hean has experience in both left and right field, but doesn’t grade out particularly well, and has never appeared in 30 games in the outfield in a season.

Even if the Mets signed O’Hearn, they could still add Pete Alonso. O’Hearn is only projected to make $24 million over a two-year contract, per Jim Bowden’s projection. If the Mets signed both, that would likely mean more O’Hearn at first base, and more time for Alonso at designated hitter, which given the Polar Bear’s defensive numbers at his primary position, would help the Mets’ defense out dramatically. But he could definitely still play first base when a lefty is on the mound, given O’Hearn’s career splits vs LHP.