The best free agent available in George Springer, has finally signed with a team. Late last night Springer and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a 6-year $150 million contract. Springer gets that $25M AAV he was looking for all offseason, while Toronto finally lands a star. The Mets were apparently only willing to offer somewhere between $120M-$125M over 5-years, and backed off as Toronto offered much more. While I am of course saddened to see that Springer won’t be a Met, I’m not angry like a lot of Mets fans seem to be.
Just two weeks ago the Mets acquired the best shortstop in the league, and arguably a top 5 player in MLB, in Francisco Lindor. We also managed to get Carlos Carrasco in a package that I am still laughing about. If we didn’t trade for Lindor and then lost out on Springer, I’d be pretty upset. But happily that Isn’t the case. It baffles me that many fans seem to have quickly forgotten about the Lindor trade.
By not signing Springer, the Mets now have payroll flexibility to be able to lockup: Lindor, Michael Conforto, and presumably one of Noah Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman by this time next year. Lindor will command a contract north of $300M while Conforto might net somewhere between $150M-$200M. Syndergaard is coming off of Tommy John Surgery and will miss about half of the 2021 season. If he comes back strong, I expect he’ll get anywhere between $80M-$125M. Stroman will also get somewhere around $60M-$80M. If you sign Springer for $150M plus… Signing Lindor AND Conforto becomes impossible. Letting Springer go could very well be a blessing in disguise for the Mets.
There are quite a few centerfielders available on the free agent market or through trade who’d fit well on the Mets. My top candidate is Lorenzo Cain of the Brewers. Cain sat out nearly all of the 2020 season due to Covid-19, and is owed $35M over the next two seasons, including $17M in 2021. While Cain will be 35 when the season starts, his defensive ability hasn’t seemed to go anywhere as in 2019 he won his first Gold Glove award. The Mets probably wouldn’t want to tack on his $17M price tag without shedding some salary. Jeurys Familia and his $11.66M salary in 2021 would need to be in the trade, along with a mid-level prospect such as OF Freddy Valdez or RHP Ryley Gilliam.
Next up is Jackie Bradley Jr, and while I wouldn’t be overly excited at all by this signing, his defense out in CF is a must. Since JBJ’s all-star season in 2016 in which his BA was .267, he’s been a .240 hitter with a putrid .737 OPS and an even worse .324 OBP. Obviously by signing JBJ the Mets would be sacrificing offense for defense, which I would be ok with. The Mets have lacked a true CF for well over a decade and Bradley would provide a much-needed boost in CF until top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong is ready to go.
Kevin Pillar is another free agent option who’d provide sustainability in a position which has been well below average for the Mets for a long time now. While some believe Pillar isn’t a CF anymore, I don’t really understand that notion. He’s been a staple in CF for every team he’s been on over his 8-year career and hasn’t shown that much of a drop-off lately. His bat is similar to Bradley’s, but Pillar is more of a run producer.
Former Cubs top prospect Albert Almora is another CF that could entice the Mets. He’s a better fielder than Pillar, but has the potential to be the best hitter of the prior two that I mentioned. Almora is an above average potential fielder who hasn’t really tapped into his offensive potential yet. Put him into a lineup surrounded by: Lindor, Alonso, Conforto, Smith and McCann, maybe Almora can fully tap into his potential.
Enter Harrison Bader. A New York native from Bronxville whose under team control until 2024, Bader is similar is Almora. Being that he hasn’t tapped into his potential yet. He’s 26 and is a life-time .234 hitter with an OPS of .721. Both are well below average, but he’d provide he team with great energy. He’s very energetic in the Cardinals’ dugout and could have a similar type of resurgence that Almora could have with the Mets.
The only issue is that of these five that I mentioned, only one of them (JBJ) is a left-handed hitter. The Mets have a right handed dominate lineup. The addition of Lindor, whose a switch hitter, shouldn’t be the last lefty added to this lineup. But is JBJ the answer for CF? I don’t believe so. Trading for Lorenzo Cain is the route that should be pursued.