An affordable reunion the Mets should make

Reunions between teams and players have been a commonplace for the New York Mets over the past. Fans will never forget Tom Seaver returning to the Mets in 1983 a few years removed after the Mets made one of the worst trades in baseball history in trading “The Franchise.” And more recently, the Mets had reunions with Jose Reyes, Bobby Bonilla, and Jay Bruce in recent years. 

But with the Mets looking for possibly another bat, and if they can’t get any of the big sluggers out there like Willson Contreras or J.D. Martinez, there is someone in mind for the Mets that they should reunite with.  

This player not only can help off the bench, but he was part of one of the most iconic moments in recent Mets history, and has been beloved by the fans ever since, even when not in a Mets uniform. And his current team has played themselves out of serious title consideration and are looking to sell. 

If all else fails at the trade deadline, the Mets should reunite with fan favorite Wilmer Flores. 

Given how much the Mets have struggled against left-handed pitching this season, and our experience watching Flores throttle lefties in the past, it makes sense. 

Another thing to note here is that Flores’ team, the San Francisco Giants, have lost 24 of their last 36 games and fell under .500 over the past week, and the Giants are reportedly willing to sell their other veterans at the deadline, like outfielder Joc Pederson, and starter Carlos Rodon. Flores would fit that bill too as a veteran. 

Flores, like Pederson, would be a rental, since he is a free agent at the end of the season, and the Mets would only have to give up a lower-level minor leaguer or two to get him. His salary is $3.5 million this year, which is practically nothing under Steve Cohen.  

Now, it would be tough for Flores to get ample playing time on the field because he isn’t as defensively advanced as Luis Guillorme or Francisco Lindor, but you can never have too much depth on a roster, especially in the playoffs. But Flores has hit really well against lefties throughout his career, especially when he wore a Mets uniform from 2013 to 2018.  

Flores is also clutch in big spots. He is also the Mets’ all-time leader in walk-off RBI's, with 10, including the memorable one on July 31, 2015 against the Nationals in a huge divisional tilt, just two days after reports came out that he was supposedly traded to the Brewers, then the cameras showed him crying on the field. The crying proved to be all for naught as the trade was called off.

Obviously, “The Mets should trade for Wilmer Flores” is a statement Mets fans, even the casual ones, want to hear because of how much the fans loved him after the no-trade, but also for his love for the TV show “Friends”, so much so that his walk-up music was the theme song to that show “I’ll Be There for You” by The Rembrandts.  

A Wilmer Flores reunion just makes too much sense right now.