3 Mets free agents fans might want to re-sign exclusively for their playoff performances

Not sure if the Mets should re-sign these three? Their strong playoff performances might have convinced you otherwise.

Championship Series - Los Angeles Dodgers v New York Mets - Game 5
Championship Series - Los Angeles Dodgers v New York Mets - Game 5 / Al Bello/GettyImages
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Can the playoffs really change a front office’s plans with a certain player? Probably not. The fans are a different story. And with the New York Mets continuing their magic into October, the perception of certain players is altering, too.

When the playoffs begin, it’s a whole different season that starts. The increased number of series/games has helped make MLB into something closer to the NHL where the hottest teams advance rather than the ones who won the regular season wars.

Let’s, for a moment, forget all about what these players did in the regular season. These three who struggled at times in the regular season might have helped change your opinion of them exclusively for what they are doing in the playoffs. 

1) Jesse Winker

Jesse Winker will be one of those hotly debated Mets free agents some fans will bang down doors to re-sign and others will wish well upon his departure. Could he come back? There’s definitely room. As a part-time DH and corner outfielder, Winker is actually a decent match for the Mets. Even at the risk of spoiling his reputation as a postseason pest and clutch performer, the front office will have to weigh how heavily they want to involve him in future plans.

Winker is batting .316/.519/.684 this postseason with 5 walks versus 3 strikeouts. Undoubtedly the best choice for the DH spot, he has completely made many forget about what an absent September he had.

After slashing .343/.357/.508 and winning everyone over in August, Winker batted a much more pitiful .071/.250/.143 in September. Only because J.D. Martinez went over 30 at-bats without a hit was this not talked about more.

Winker shouldn’t be foolish enough to command an outrageous contract in the offseason. He’s still best in a platoon role as the left-handed hitting option. For the Mets, the debate might be about the number of years they’d commit. Ensuring they have room for up-and-coming players is important. A one-year deal would make the most sense.

2) Ryne Stanek

Ryne Stanek had a pretty lousy regular season if we look at things with a pair of binoculars. His 6.06 ERA was a bit deceptive. A bad debut versus the Atlanta Braves along with a shellacking against his former Seattle Mariners teammates accounted for 7 of the 11 earned runs against him. An experienced postseason performer, he has been one of the most trustworthy options for Carlos Mendoza throughout.

Routinely getting 3+ outs for the Mets this postseason, Stanek is riding a momentous wave into free agency. We’re all eager to see it wait a little longer. At least one more game against the Dodgers for him to show the Mets and everyone else how good he can be in these spots, Stanek is on the verge of becoming someone fans go on a rant about wanting back.

The $4 million Stanek got last offseason from the Mariners is in the same ballpark of what it would take to re-sign him. Adjust for inflation. Add in how well he has pitched in the playoffs. Subtract a sub-par regular season. Divide his age. We have a deal of around the same total with someone maybe willing to tack on a second year or give him a million more.

You probably didn’t have much of a thought about whether or not you’d want Stanek back once the regular season wrapped up. Today, you might be imagining a roster with him again.

3) Pete Alonso

It’s fair if you haven’t flip-flopped on your Pete Alonso opinion at all. Just as within the rules is if his playoff performance has you thinking differently. As long as what Alonso has done this postseason has made you want him more and not less (you’ve got problems if you want him even less now), you’re in good company.

Alonso put together a below average year for himself. He’s proving to be a low average, high power guy. However, even the power and run production dipped. We already know the culprit. He just didn’t hit well with runners in scoring position.

Rather than throw out a bunch of numbers, let’s look at the accomplishments in the playoffs based on how it makes us feel. The Game 3 home run against the Milwaukee Brewers will live on forever. A power display against the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. Popping an early home run versus the Los Angeles Dodgers to get things started for the Mets in Game 5 added some gasoline on the fire to re-sign him.

The thing with Alonso is it probably didn’t matter what he did in the postseason at all to determine his future with the Mets. He has been around long enough for the Mets to know how much they’ll pay him. Fans don’t have to worry about actually paying his full salary nor do we have to live with the boneheaded self-loathing if he ends up fading halfway through the deal.

We get the luxury of living in the present. If Alonso hasn’t convinced you yet to return, he probably never will. If you are one of many now certain he should remain with the Mets, join the party.

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