The New York Mets signed veteran infielder Eduardo Nunez over the weekend. It was a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. Standard procedure by this time of the year in which players with little to no market have to settle for a chance to win a rotation spot or a place in the major league roster.
In the Mets’ case, they have three candidates for backup infield duties. To be more specific, they need a backup middle infielder. After all, Dominic Smith can play first base in the event that Pete Alonso suffers an injury, and Jeff McNeil, Jed Lowrie and J.D. Davis are prepared to defend the hot corner, although the latter is not very good at it.
Take into account the fact that Lowrie hasn’t played shortstop since 2016 and is a health risk. He might be better suited to play second or third, but his role is unclear at this point. He is, also, a strong trade candidate.
Someone who can spell the Mets’ starting middle infield duo
Amed Rosario and Robinson Cano, the starting middle infielders, need someone who can play both second base and shortstop. The three candidates on the Mets’ roster are homegrown talent Luis Guillorme and recent signees Max Moroff and Nunez.
Guillorme, 25, is a slick-fielding shortstop that earned a 70-grade glove from Fangraphs’ prospect evaluators. That’s in a scale from 20 to 80. He has experience at short, second base and third.
His bat is not his strongest tool, but his Minor League track record suggests that he can be average at the plate. He hit .307/.412/.452 with 7 home runs in 278 plate appearances in Triple-A last season. In the bigs, he had a .246/.324/.361 line.
He can be a perfectly adequate backup, and if he takes a step forward with the bat, the Mets would have another everyday player at short.
Moroff, 26, was signed back on December 5. His deal is of the minor league variety and includes an invitation for Spring Training.
Moroff had a putrid .125/.176/.250 line with one home run and one stolen base in 20 games for the Cleveland Indians in 2019. Like Guillorme, he offers the ability to play shortstop, second base, and third base.
His chances of making the Opening Day roster are slim because of Guillorme’s presence and the signing of Nunez. However, he shouldn’t be dismissed just yet. He lacks Guillorme’s potential in the hit tool, though.
Nunez, meanwhile, is a veteran infielder that the Mets are hoping has something left in the tank. He is a career .276/.310/.404 hitter with lots of speed and some occasional power. He is 32 and wasn’t effective in 2019, though (.228/.243/.305.)
Who will earn the right to serve as major league depth for the Mets while covering some innings in shortstop and second base, with some at third? Everything may depend on what the team does with Jed Lowrie. However, Guillorme seems primed to earn some reps.