The sluggers we wish the Mets signed this offseason and why they didn't get a deal done

3) For a while, it looked like the NY Mets would land Trey Mancini

When the clock moved two minutes to midnight, it looked like the Mets would end up with Trey Mancini. He was a much-talked-about trade deadline candidate for them last summer. He eventually landed with the Houston Astros and has already been replaced by Jose Abreu.

The number of suitors for Mancini were not immense in part because of his postseason struggles. A guy who does Darin Ruf things but at a much higher level, Mancini made a lot of sense for them prior to his deal with the Chicago Cubs.

Why the Mets didn’t sign him

This might not have been a money issue as much as it was about playing time. On the Mets, Mancini is a part-timer. He’d start against lefties and be their first answer in the corner outfield spots whenever there is an injury or someone needs a day off. On the Cubs, he gets to play every single day.

We learned prior to the Pham signing that players do, in fact, care about more than money. Andrew McCutchen went to the Pittsburgh Pirates rather than sign with the Mets because of the available number of innings he’d get. The same was definitely the case with Adam Duvall who gets to start for the Boston Red Sox, too.

The Mets would have had to throw a ridiculous amount of money at Mancini. Imagine how upset fans would be if he was one of the priciest players on the roster.