4) Austin Hays/Miguel Andujar/anyone else on this platoon-level
Whoever it is, whether it’s Austin Hays, Miguel Andujar, or some other platoon-style veteran, it’s only better than Benge starting in left field because we know it’s temporary. This kind of move brings depth to the Mets roster. Considering the shallowness of their outfield depth chart at the moment, this isn’t a horrible place to start.
The bad part of this is it doesn’t guarantee they’ve added anything significant in center field to take over for Taylor. Do we once again see them wait until the trade deadline to add someone’s Cedric Mullins?
Hays and Andujar are two “versatile” players whose defense is up for debate. Hays had a good year defensively in 2025 but he’s not about to win a Gold Glove. Andujar is far weaker, but with experience at both corner infield positions, this masher of lefty pitchers has a place on someone’s big league roster.
The lightness of these types of veterans is acceptable if the plan is to view them as duct tape on a larger leak. Speaking from experience, you should never duct tape a leak. That’s something that might just crack somewhere else. Pay the extra to have the plumber come out on a Saturday. In Mets terms, get something better than settling with one of these choices.
