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New York Mets rumors from the past and possibly for the future are beginning to circulate. A rather big bomb dropped Thursday afternoon when it broke that the Mets checked in on Freddie Freeman prior to the lockout.
Buster Olney reported Mets rumors on his podcast on ESPN.com
Podcast https://t.co/jckqGtb8Y2 Conversations with MLB players working out in Nashville waiting for spring training -- Kemp, Yastrzemski, Casali; @kileymcd talks about the Top 100 prospects, Volpe, Witt Jr., when Rutschman will be promoted; @ToddRadom talks uni changes.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) February 24, 2022
Freeman is coming off of an excellent 2021, slashing .300/.393/.503/.896 with 31 homers, 25 doubles, 120 runs scored, and a 133 OPS+. He posted two Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and three Outs Above Average (OAA) at first. The lefty is known for playing just about every day, and he did that last year with 159 games played in. Not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he’s played 158 or more games in four of the last five seasons.
These Mets rumors are interesting because with Pete Alonso being one of the better first basemen in the league, they don’t need Freeman. However, he is a defensive upgrade, and Alonso would rake from the DH spot.
Imagine a lineup that looks something like this:
- Marte
- Nimmo
- Lindor
- Freeman
- Alonso
- Escobar
- Canha
- Nido
- McNeil
Signing Freeman would add another lefty bat and immediately lengthen the lineup. It also opens up some other players for trades. The original plan was to trade one of Dom Smith, J.D. Davis, and Jeff McNeil. Now they can trade two of those three. Or, if they really want to go crazy, they can trade for a third baseman like Matt Chapman, move Escobar to second, and trade all three of those guys. Be prepared for more Mets rumors around these guys.
The Mets reportedly checked in on Freddie Freeman prior to the lockout https://t.co/VMly5WTeRB pic.twitter.com/rOnnEXlOJg
— SNY (@SNYtv) February 24, 2022
It’s fantastic to see Mets rumors for players that they don’t even need. It’s a clear demonstration that the front office is in win-now mode and wants to put the best overall team on the field moving forward.
Signing Max Scherzer back in November made just about anything possible for this franchise, even the addition of a longtime rival and star like Freddie Freeman.