5 free agent alternatives the Mets could've signed for more payroll flexibility

The benefit of hindsight is a great advantage. We can look back at any scenario in life and come to the best conclusions. There will be plenty of hindsight for the New York Mets offseason to explore as the season progresses. Right now, there’s still a lot of unknown when it comes to the free agents they did choose to add and the ones they didn’t.

It goes without saying that with all free agent pursuits there is much more to it than throwing the most money at a player. Timing. The desire of the player to come to a certain team or situation. All facets matter.

But with hindsight on our side, we can look back at the Mets offseason and see a way where they could have signed different players and come away with a better payroll situation.

1) The Mets save half a million by signing Gio Urshela instead of Joey Wendle

This one is a bit complicated because who knew Gio Urshela would settle for less than $2 million? His injuries as a member of the Los Angeles Angels last year apparently weighed too heavily on the minds of interested clubs. Or maybe the Detroit Tigers who signed him for $1.5 million had enough available playing time for the veteran infielder. A lot goes into every free agent decision and this one certainly is complicated.

The Mets didn’t waste much time adding Joey Wendle to their roster for $2 million. A nice pickup, Urshela is a much better hitter. We can call the defense a draw.

The Mets save $500K here