NY Mets Monday Morning GM: 5 left field options not named Cody Bellinger ranked

1) Jarren Duran

There isn’t a better choice at the moment for the Mets as far as a trade for a left fielder goes than to call up old friend Craig Breslow and strike a deal to relieve them of their outfield surplus. Their overcrowded outfield and underfilled infield make the two teams such good trade partners that their history of making smaller trades (Justin Slaten, Pablo Reyes, etc.) should have them finally putting together something larger this offseason.

Duran’s career numbers need to be ignored because he wasn’t great his first two seasons. In 2024, he finished 8th in the AL MVP race. He’s a speedy outfielder whose -5 OAA last year in left field needs to be ignored. After all, he’s coming from the Red Sox where a big green wall can play tricks on you.

Duran spent most of his career batting leadoff for the Red Sox, a role he wouldn’t have in Queens with Francisco Lindor around. We’d probably have to insert Duran into a more unfamiliar role, batting fourth or fifth for the Mets. Less power than the ideal middle of the order bat, a lifetime .297/.372/.461 slash line with runners in scoring position should tell us he’s capable of handling it differently. The Mets didn’t think twice about moving Brandon Nimmo to the cleanup spot after years of batting first. The situation would be similar with Duran without the albatross contract.

We’ll be lucky if the Mets end up with anyone better than Duran. Although the cost should cause us some grief, he seems to fit better than anyone else.