3 types of players the Mets should avoid adding this offseason

The New York Mets won't have a general manager this year. They've put that on hold and will allow President of Baseball Operations David Stearns to call the shots fully. This doesn't prevent us fans from playing GM from home.

Mets fans will be in agreement on certain players the team should pursue this offseason. We know they need to get the best possible starting pitcher. A legitimate starting left fielder feels like a must as does a DH. We can spend all day reviewing the holes in the bullpen. Let’s save that for another day.

We know what the Mets need. What about the types of players they should avoid?

The oft-injured starting pitcher

Poor health can ravage the career of any athlete. It seems to take its greatest toll on pitchers. The Mets will be in search of several of those both for starting roles and spots in the bullpen. While they don’t need to stick only with those channeling their inner Cal Ripken Jr., the team should avoid the starting pitchers who seem to make annual trips to the IL.

There is an exception, however. If the Mets load up heavily at the top of the rotation, taking a flier on someone with a poor track record of staying on the field might not be the worst choice. The team just can’t put their faith in someone staying healthy. So a player like Luis Severino who hasn’t made more than 20 starts in a season since 2018 only makes sense if he’s a complementary piece and not a major one.

The healthiest pitchers aren’t always the most effective ones. It’s about finding the right balance between talent and being able to stay on the field. Lucas Giolito, for example, is a generally healthy arm whose abilities on the field come into question. Former Mets starter Chris Bassitt is one of the better examples of a guy who has the right balance. He’ll never win a Cy Young but you know what you’re getting.