15 worst free agent signings in Mets history

Bad free agent signings and the New York Mets. There have been a lot. But there have also been some fantastic ones. Then there are those caught somewhere in between.

What makes a free agent signing so bad? Several factors are at play. Production on the field, ability to stay healthy, and the dollars and/or years included all combine to determine whether or not a free agent agreement turned out to be a good one for the team.

From the notoriously long deals to the ones that were just a tremendous pain for a single season, these are the 15 worst Mets free agent signings in franchise history.

15) NY Mets worst free agent signing: Michael Cuddyer

Michael Cuddyer was and could still be best friends with David Wright. After the 2014 season, with his career coming to a close, Wright was able to bring him to New York to teammate up with him on the Mets. The two-year deal worth $21 million wasn’t so bad for a guy who won the 2013 batting title and continued to rake in an injury-filled 2014 campaign.

Unfortunately, the injuries continued for Cuddyer in New York. What didn’t remain was his productive bat.

Cuddyer slashed .259/.309/.391 in his 408 plate appearances for the Mets. Way down from his lifetime numbers and especially what he did with the Colorado Rockies over the past two years, it was a huge disappointment.

By the end of the 2015 season, Cuddyer was hardly playing. The Mets had brought in reinforcements for their outfield. Cuddyer had suddenly become an expensive bench player.

Luckily for the Mets, Cuddyer chose to retire after the season was over. He turned down the final year of his contract voluntarily. The Mets could now go forward with a different outfield mix. Unfortunately, soon after they would end up signing the next guy on our list to replace Cuddyer.