3 former Mets players who had a big opening weekend

These three exes had a big start to their season.

San Francisco Giants v San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants v San Diego Padres / Brandon Sloter/GettyImages
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How ‘bout those former New York Mets? We were bound to see a couple of our exes excel in another uniform. These three proved they were more than ready for the 2024 season to begin.

1) Michael Conforto

Unbelievably, the Mets have played two full seasons since Michael Conforto last suited up for them. A stalwart in the outfield and middle of the lineup for what felt like much longer than it actually was, Conforto is now in year two with the San Francisco Giants. If the opening weekend performance is any indication of what’s next, he’s in store for a big year.

Four games into his season, Conforto is batting .400/.471/.933 with a pair of doubles and home runs each. He has already scored 6 runs and driven in 5. Eliminate the extra from the two home runs and he has accounted for 11 total runs of offense for the Giants. That’s more than the Mets have scored as a team.

Conforto is in year two of his deal with the Giants he signed after missing all of 2022 due to injury. He opted into the $18 million deal for 2024 after a less than stellar 2023 campaign. He had eerily similar numbers to what he did in his last year with the Mets in 2021. Both seasons included an identical 125 games, 406 at-bats, and .384 slugging percentage. Several other numbers were reasonably close. Even the OPS+ which adjusts for ballparks had a one point differential.

The Giants were much more fortunate this offseason in free agency after some big swings and misses the year prior. Blake Snell fell to them. So did Matt Chapman. Conforto, a holdover from last year, should have a prominent role.

2) J.D. Davis

Once a Met and distantly almost a Met again, J.D. Davis is also a two-time former teammate of Conforto’s. His tenure with the Mets ended in the infamous 2022 trade deadline deal with the Giants. But it’s across the bay where he is getting his shot to play.

After passing through waivers and looking at a few free agent offers, Davis signed on to play for the Oakland Athletics. Playing at home this weekend in front of an Oakland crowd that has surrendered all hope, Davis showed off why some Mets fans were eager to invite him back prior to the J.D. Martinez signing.

Tied for the American League lead in home runs with two, Davis’ early pair of solo shots have made a good early impression in Oakland. Having already played at both corner infield spots and the owner of a four game hitting streak to begin the year, it looks like this surprise pickup by the Athletics could turn into a very effective one.

The obvious hopeful outcome for Davis is to play well enough to the point the Athletics end up trading him. There’s no reason for him to ever sit considering the state of their organization.

3) Seth Lugo

Now with the Kansas City Royals, Seth Lugo is coming off a year where he proved the Mets should’ve reconsidered moving him to the rotation. He was reliable for the San Diego Padres last year and parlayed it into a multi-year contract with the Royals this winter. He made his American League debut on Saturday against the Minnesota Twins, tossing 6 scoreless.

Not factoring into the decision, Lugo gave up 2 hits in addition to walking and hitting a batter. A late rally by the Twins would cost him a chance at a victory which he was in line for after exiting with a 1-0 lead.

Still a well-liked and respected member of Mets history, Lugo was someone whose time in New York was remembered mostly for how effective he was as a reliever. The partial UCL tear might’ve scared the Mets off from transitioning back into a starter’s role as did the need for such a steady presence in the bullpen.

Lugo made 26 starts last year for the Padres. He finished with an 8-7 record, 3.57 ERA, and 146.1 innings. His contract will pay him $15 million this season and next with a player option for 2026 worth the same.

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