NY Mets Top Offseason Priority

The 2017 season was a major disappointment for the NY Mets. Injuries and under performance doomed the team from the start. This ultimately led to the dismissal (resignation) of Terry Collins along with cleaning out much of the coaching staff. Over the next month or so, while the playoffs are taking place, I am sure Sandy Alderson will address this area.

No matter who is at the helm as skipper, success will elude the Mets unless upgrades to the roster are made. Fortunately, the Mets have a lot of money coming off the books so spending should not be a concern. The one drawback to this situation is this is one of the worst free agent classes that I can remember.

While there are many needs. I feel one of the biggest is the Mets need to add a bat. When you look at the everyday players, three positions jump out as needing to be addressed. With David Wright almost certainly done, 3B is one of the main positions of need. Second base also falls into this category with the trade if impending free agent Neil Walker. Finally, since Michael Conforto went down with a major shoulder separation, the start to his 2018 season is in doubt leading me to believe the Mets need to add another OF.

So what does this team do? In looking through the free agent rosters, there is very little to be impressed by. As I stated, the Mets need a bat and I feel the only option in the free agent market is for a corner OF. 2B and 3B simply do not have the players with the bats the Mets require. CF could be considered a position of need yet those on the market are equally unimpressive. This leaves RF as the area of focus.

One of the first decisions for the Mets is whether to pick up Asdrubal Cabrera's team option for 2018. I think the Mets do this. He showed enough ability at 3B to give the Mets front office comfort that he can handle the position. Also, his bat, while not considered "big" is potent enough if surrounded by other talent. Hence, I believe 3B will be solved in house.

Second base also could go the in house route. Both Wilmer Flores and T.J. Rivera are considered viable there. Defensively they are below average but their bats make up for it. T.J. brings the ability to hit for average while Flores has shown he adds power to the lineup. While not optimal, the in house option could give the Mets equal production to what they get on the open free agent market.

Which brings us to RF. Here is where the Mets must spend. The two choices are Jay Bruce and J.D. Martinez. Bruce showed he could handle NYC and seemed to enjoy playing for the Mets. His .800+ OPS certainly helps the Mets lineup bringing 30 HR potential to a now depleted lineup. Bruce endeared himself to the fans while turning into a team leader. The contract he gets should be reasonable for what he brings to the table.

That said, the Mets #1 priority should be J.D. Martinez. Bruce is a potent bat, Martinez other worldly. There are few guys in the league who can throw up a .900 OPS and Martinez is one of them. His defense is abysmal which makes him a better DH candidate than RF. However, you are not paying for his glove and, hopefully, the new manager will understand how to make defensive replacements late in the game since Lagares and Nimmo most likely will be on the team. J.D. is going to command a healthy contract this off season since he had a great run with the DBacks but the Mets have the money and should spend it.

The Mets lost a ton of firepower at the trade deadline which needs replacing. Martinez coupled with a healthy Cespedes would be one of the most potent 1-2 punches in the league. They would be very strong offensive bookends in a powerful OF when Conforto returns. These three would take the pressure off the rest of the lineup especially Rosario and Smith who will be entering their first full season in the big leagues.

To me, this has to be the NY Mets Top Offseason Priority.

If you liked this article, please give it an upvote and rehive it to all your friends who are Met fans.

Pictures provided by google images.

• What is Hive