The New York Mets are prioritizing their defense and pitching staff after a disastrous second half last season knocked them out of playoff contention.
The “run prevention” focus by president of baseball operations David Stearns is in full effect with the amount of moves he has made to bolster the pitching staff as well as improve on the defensive side of the ball.
But in doing so, Stearns lost a lot of key players that will affect how the offense plays, including star slugger Pete Alonso. Alonso’s offensive averages of 42 home runs and 114 RBI will be very difficult to replace, especially because his replacement at first base is infielder Jorge Polanco, a solid player but one who isn’t likely to hit more than 20 bombs or knock in more than 70 runs.
Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor don’t have the dangerous presence of Alonso behind them anymore, which will create issues if the Mets can’t sign a power bat to fill that void. New York needs a guy like star right fielder Kyle Tucker, and MLB.com’s Mike Petriello thinks the Mets rank sixth in terms of teams that need Tucker in its lineup.
“Don’t worry, Mets fans. Sixth on this list is still … well, you get the idea. While it's hard to say the Mets' offseason has been quiet, some may still find it disappointing. Like the Yankees, their solid outfield projection rests mostly on a single megastar right fielder, with Juan Soto’s 6.0 WAR projection accounting for nearly 70 percent of the entire Mets outfield value,” Petriello wrote Wednesday. “While rookie outfielder Carson Benge is indeed well regarded, he’s also listed as the starter on the depth chart at left field and center right now. We’ll safely assume that he won’t actually be asked to cover two spots by himself and that they will in fact bring in an outfielder.
“If it’s free agency, that’s pretty much going to have to be Tucker or Bellinger, because there simply isn’t another starting-quality free agent outfielder available, unless you think they’re going to try Harrison Bader again. Trades are a possibility, too, of course.”
Tucker would not only fill Alonso’s void in the lineup, but he would also add speed on the bases and Gold Glove-caliber defense. Tucker should be higher on this list, but the Mets could get the same type of play from outfielder Cody Bellinger, who will still be expensive, but not as much as Tucker’s projected worth.
Bellinger also has experience playing in New York, so he could be easier to convince than Tucker.