3 Mets contracts we immediately knew were a mistake

2) NY Mets fans saw the risk when Michael Cuddyer was signed

Michael Cuddyer won the 2013 National League batting title with the Colorado Rockies then hit .332 in 2014 for them. The batting averages suggested he was worth a look in free agency even if a lot of it was due to playing half of his games at Coors Field.

The problem is that Cuddyer played a lot less than half of the games in 2014. He appeared in only 49 for the Rockies right before signing with the Mets in early November of 2014. The deal was for two years at $21 million.

Away from Coors Field and a little closer to 40, Cuddyer was nowhere near the same hitter. He went from slashing .307/.362/.525 with the Rockies over the course of three seasons to batting only .259/.309/.391 for the Mets. By the time the team got to the postseason, Cuddyer was relegated to a part-time role. He would go 1 for 11 in the postseason, striking out in all three of his World Series plate appearances.

Cuddyer voluntarily retired after the season ended. It saved fans from the agony of another down year. It opened up left field for Yoenis Cespedes to return and paved the way for more playing time for Michael Conforto—although he wasn’t very good in 2016 if you remember.

Cuddyer was not an awful Mets player. He was the wrong fit and not nearly productive enough. This last player we had doubts about immediately has even less of a history. Some say he might not even exist.