With the news late last night that George Springer and the Blue Jays have reached an agreement on a $ 150 million deal for six years, the 31-year-old, who was one of the targets of the Mets, is officially going elsewhere this season . The Mets have improved even more dramatically since the start of the season, mainly because they traded for one of the best players in baseball in Francisco Lindor.
In the short term, however, it is not the fact that Springer – who according to the Mets is offered in the $ 120-125 million range over the course of six years – means that the Mets do not meet their need in midfield with the best possible option. does not fulfill. Springer has spent more and more time in the right field at center during his career, but the Astros used him as their main player as recently as last year, when he scored the vast majority of his defensive innings there. Sometimes in the next six years he will probably spend less time in the center and more in the right, but he could be played in the center daily – something that cannot be said for Michael Conforto or Brandon Nimmo.
Speaking of Conforto and Nimmo, the former is eligible for free agency after the 2021 season, while the latter has another year of arbitration permission left in 2022 before he is also eligible to become a free agent. Whether they retain one or both of the outside players, but the need in midfield is currently clear. In addition to the defense issues presented by playing Nimmo or Conforto in the center every day, the Mets would have JD Davis, Dominic Smith or recent addition Jose Martinez in the left field next to them, which would be a major defense problem in two thirds of the country create. outfield. And that brings us to the midfield options that remain in free agency.
Among the free agents named center fielders at MLB Trade Rumors, longtime Yankees fielder Brett Gardner has led the series since the start of the 2019 season with 4.2 fWAR thanks to an above-average bat. In 708 record appearances over that team, he hit .245 / .322 / .480 with 33 home runs, 13 stolen bases and a 114 wRC +. Like any left-handed Yankees hit, it certainly didn’t hurt to play half of his game in a stadium with an incredibly short curtain in the right field. And although the 37-year-old has experience at center, the Yankees have used him much more frequently in the left field over the course of his career.
Jack Bradley Jr. has been second in the group since the start of the 2019 season with 2.8 fWAR, and he is the player who will attract the most attention among Mets fans and writers covering the team. While Gardner has experience in the center field, Bradley is undoubtedly currently a center field player, having played the position almost exclusively in his major league career with just a little time in each of the corners. According to wRC +, he was only above average as a hitter in three seasons of his career, one of which was the shortened 2020 campaign. And since the start of the 2019 season, he has reached .241 / .330 / .429 with 28 home runs, 13 stolen bases and a 98 WRC +. He turns 31 in April, and there will be no doubt that he can play center in the foreseeable future – and play well.
From there, it’s Kevin Pillar, who hit .266 / .300 / .440 over the same team with 27 home runs, 19 stolen bases, a 90 wRC + and 2.5 fWAR. The Mets transferred the free agency from Pillar last winter and preferred to trade for Jake Marisnick instead, but the 32-year-old who struck right-handed played especially the center – except for the time he spent with the Red Sox spent. years playing real field with Bradley at center.
And after Pillar on that list, things get a little less familiar. Brian Goodwin, a 30-year-old left-handed hit, hit .250 / .319 / .456 with 23 home runs, 12 stolen bases and a 105 WRC +. He played center for a decent portion of his major league career, which he spent with the Nationals, Royals, Angels and Reds. Danny Santana, who had a good season for the Rangers in 2019, is on the list, but he is hardly an everyday midfielder because he has played a lot more at other positions – including first base.
As for the rest of the group, it starts with Marisnick, who played very well in 2020 but is still a center. The 28-year-old Delino DeShields has only had a 72 wRC + since the start of the 2019 season, which is definitely a midfielder and capable of stealing dogs. The 36-year-old Jarrod Dyson is similar to DeShields when he is able to play center and steal dogs, but he was even worse. Billy Hamilton is out there, but he’s already had a chance with the Mets who saw him get DFA’d for making several mistakes on the bases – something that’s hard to justify for a player whose primary asset is basic run.
Albert Almora Jr., who is only 26 and had a good start to his Premier League career with the Cubs in 2016 and 2017 before his production declined significantly in each subsequent season, is available. Chicago did not offer him earlier in the off-season, and he has been worth -0.8 fWAR since the start of the 2019 season. And Jon Jay, who has a 58 wRC + since the start of the 2019 season, is last in the group at -1.3 fWAR over that team.
It was clear that there was a huge gap between George Springer and the rest of the market for free agencies. But even among the players still available, there are clear levels. Maybe the Mets avoid all these players and exchange them instead, but if not, they would definitely be better off helping someone in the center – preferably one of the good defenders with a record of an average major league hit.