The Cubs might steal another free agent target from the Mets

The Chicago Cubs swept in Saturday night and signed one of the more logical fits for the New York Mets, Trey Mancini. Now the Cubs are reportedly interested in two more players we should see come mentioned in offseason Mets rumors.

Aside from a bat like Mancini, the Mets could still use another lefty reliever. Two of the better options out there are our dear old friend Andrew Chafin and converted starter Matt Moore.

There haven’t been any Mets rumors recently indicating the team is after either of them. Zack Britton has been the lone ranger when it comes to bullpen additions linked to the Mets.

Mets rumors: Andrew Chafin and Matt Moore are better targets than Zack Britton

The amount of time Britton has missed in recent years should have the Mets thinking twice about taking a chance on him. If they’re going to go after a lefty reliever, one of these two recent Cubs targets is the one to sign.

Chafin would be the more expensive of the two. He is less of a lefty specialist, more of a late-inning guy who happens to be a southpaw. Moore, on the other hand, is more of a fit as a guy to use in a more traditional LOOGY role with the three-batter minimum role ruining any chance of exclusively utilizing him that way.

Current lefty bullpen options for the Mets include Brooks Raley plus a pair of starting pitchers, David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi. Peterson is far more valuable as a sixth starter for the team and even thinking about moving him to the bullpen right now would be a waste of his talents. Lucchesi is a bit different. Coming off of Tommy John Surgery, the team could always think of slowly easing him into a larger role. He hasn’t accomplished much at the major league level. A transition to full-time bullpen work isn’t outrageous.

The Mets have already lost out to the Cubs on one of the bats they could have used. Will it happen with one of the bullpen arms? Adding another lefty reliever doesn’t feel like the most important need for the club right now. In the aftermath of letting Carlos Correa walk, it’s questions about the potency of the offense which now lead the charge.