Latest NY Mets free agent haul includes historic Astros bust, journeyman utility man

Before the New York Mets were making you sweat out an extra inning win over the Miami Marlins, they added a pair of veteran MLB players to their minor league system. First baseman Jon Singleton comes from the pool of nomadic ball players with one of the most unique backgrounds. Along with him is Niko Goodrum, a journeyman infielder you’ve probably had trade proposals for in older versions of Out of the Park Baseball.

What does this pair of minor league free agents bring to the Mets?

Singleton’s claim to fame is the MLB contract he signed before playing a major league game. Traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the Houston Astros in the 2011 Hunter Pence deal, the Astros overlooked a 50-game suspension for marijuana use in 2012 and awarded him with a five-year extension worth $10 million. The deal had the potential to reach $35 million. It was historic because no other drafted player had ever signed a MLB extension without major league experience.

Don’t worry. The Phillies later did the same with Scott Kingery only to regret it soon after.

Singleton batted below the Mendoza Line in each of his first two seasons and after 19 games in 2015 he wouldn’t see major league action again until 2023. Failed drug tests and suspensions helped keep him out of organized baseball. He spent the 2021 season in Mexico before joining the Milwaukee Brewers in 2022 where he hit .219 in Triple-A with 24 home runs.

Singleton managed to become the regular first baseman for the Astros last season, but without a ton of success. He hit .234 with 13 long balls in 405 plate appearances. Consider it a move of desperation due to a different free agent bust, Jose Abreu. Even with a somewhat successful year, Singleton’s career numbers have him hitting below .200.

In terms of what he means for the Mets, consider it additional depth at first base and for DH at-bats should they need a lefty swinger. Jared Young, whom the team signed in the offseason from the KBO, is currently injured. Singleton is essentially a replacement for him.

Goodrum has had a career that would be much more difficult to send to Hollywood and receive positive feedback. There’s less drama with him. Although, if you were going to come up with a lazy name for a pirate, Goodrum wouldn’t be so bad.

Goodrum had some decent seasons early on, batting just under .250 in 2018 and 2019 with 16 and 12 home runs respectively. A super utility player with pop and some speed, his downfall was most certainly an inability to make contact. He struck out in 38.5% of his plate appearances in 2020, 32.9% in 2021, and a whopping 51.1% in 2022 albeit in 45 chances. 

Seat filler would be a good way to describe him at this stage because of his ability to park himself at a variety of positions. His Triple-A numbers from last season were very good, hitting .284 with 7 home runs and 44 RBI in 60 games. However, someone with as much major league experience as him should do well against non-major league pitching. He’ll give the Mets some additional infield depth we’ll hope they never need, unless of course he can sing. In which case, get him up here before the end of May.