The New York Mets have suddenly discovered fiscal sanity, and the New York media isn’t happy about it at all. They’re trying to sell Mets GM David Stearns on making all kinds of pricey moves, and the latest comes from Will Sammon of The Athletic, who is calling free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger a “perfect fit.”
Is there anything to it? The idea’s not awful, actually, but the problem once again is the terms. According to Sammon, a four-year deal for the 30-year old Bellinger, “would likely be perfect.”
In his mind, perhaps. In reality, Bellinger is a Scott Boras client who could be poised to land a deal north of five years, with Tim Britton of The Athletic projecting the outfielder’s final contract to be seven years for just over $182 million.
To do the appropriate reality check here, ask the obvious question: When was the last time a Boras client took fewer years and less money when it wasn’t the stated desire of that client to go to the specific team making that kind of offer?
That would be never, basically. According to Sammon, agents and executives from different clubs have described the Mets as “disciplined.” That’s an accurate description of his moves to date, and yet Sammon adds that “there are points when a big-market team like the Mets, set to carry another payroll greater than $300 million, should stretch in free agency — discipline be damned.”
He goes on to make his case, and in many ways it’s a solid one. Bellinger would be an ideal choice to hit behind outfielder Juan Soto, if he was desperate to go to the Mets as his ultimate destination. He’s also an excellent defensive outfielder who could play center field and first base occasionally.
Sammon also included a good quote from an NL scout who described the Mets positional players as follows: “Their good hitters can’t field, and their good fielders can’t hit.” And adding Bellinger would improve that, as Sammon states.
So what are the odds that Stearns will actually do this? Slim and none, unless Sammon has an actual line to owner Steve Cohen and he can get Cohen to buy his arguments, both literally and figuratively. The problem with that is simple: Why would Stearns let Diaz and Alonso go, ship outfielder Brandon Nimmo out of town, then add an outfielder who will almost certainly be a contract albatross in his final 2-3 seasons?
What will happen here is that Stearns will make another signing or deal that’s economical, maybe even this week. His moves may or may not work but Stearns is committed to staying the course, which means the New York media will have to learn live with it.