NY Mets Monday Morning GM: 3 targets off the board, why they aren’t Queens-bound

2) Munetaka Murakami

It wasn’t unfathomable for the Mets to win the Munetaka Murakami sweepstakes. In fact, at two years and $34 million, they would have been justified in swarming him. Alas, the Chicago White Sox came out on top.

Murakami was a tantalizing yet imperfect fit for the Mets. A corner infielder who doesn’t have very good defensive skills, he would have gone completely against the idea of run prevention. Then again, the Mets also signed Jorge Polanco to a two-year deal worth $40 million to play first base, a position he only flirted with in practice time last year with the Seattle Mariners.

Concerns about how Murakami can’t hit pitches over 93mph as well as other metrics made him a far less fascinating free agent than he was when it first became known that he’d get posted. He was a gamble. At first base with one significant power bat to help replace Pete Alonso, the Mets may not have been so willing to let him be their big free agent buy in lieu of their beloved all-time home run king.

Even after passing on Murakami, there was a sense they could go out and do something else at first base, and they still can. It won’t be one of their most regularly discussed trade targets as he’s heading to the Boston Red Sox.