The New York Mets are really good at surprises, especially when it comes to their superstars. No one knows if they’re going to cater to them, let them walk in free agency or trade them, so there’s always plenty going on to keep the fan base guessing.
Outfielder Juan Soto is the latest example of this. The Mets recently announced that he’ll be moving from right field to left after a series of offseason moves, and Soto offered up the ultimate in positional flexibility in his comments to the media when he arrived at spring training.
“If you want me to pitch, Mendy, I’ll pitch,” Soto told manager Carlos Mendoza during a phone conversation about his possible move from left to right, according to a report from Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Did this move literally come from out of left field? Last we heard, Soto had vowed to work hard to improve his -12 Outs Above Average run rating in right, and former third baseman Brett Baty was working out in left field to possibly take over there.
Now there’s a different form of logic in play. Call it Mets logic, but suddenly it makes sense to make a major positional move with the season just over a month away. The Mets are trying to justify this based on the fact that prospect Carson Benge primarily played right field in college, even though there’s no guarantee that Benge will actually make the club coming out of spring training.
“It made sense for us from a roster perspective,” Stearns said. “Not something we had contemplated, but as we’ve had conversations, it made sense.”
The other options in right are just as sketchy. Outfielder Tyrone Taylor has been mentioned as a candidate to play right field, and in theory Baty could also shift over, even though he’s never played the outfield on an extended basis. The Mets also have newly-signed MJ Melendez, but he’s on a one-year deal for short money, and he never hit over .235 in his four years with the Kansas City Royals.
Meanwhile, injuries have thrown the infield into a minor state of chaos. Shortstop Francisco Lindor will be out for at least six weeks after having surgery to repair his fractured hamate bone, which means backup infielder Ronny Mauricio as the next man up at short, at least for the moment.
One thing we do know about Soto is that he does have the potential to be a plus outfielder in left. He did it back in his rookie year for the Washington Nationals, when he had a +5 OAA, according to DiComo.
We should all be used to this by now, really. It’s yet another chapter in “As The Mets Turn,” and it does generate plenty of great copy to go with the oft-mediocre baseball.