When going over the state of the New York Mets‘ current roster, there certainly is a whole lot to like. Top-tier superstars, elite starting pitching, a rebuilt bullpen, and talented bats are currently all in place.
For a team with World Series expectations going into next year, beyond just the difference-makers on this baseball team, as much depth as possible is required. While the Mets starting pitching is certainly strong from top to bottom, the Mets could still benefit from more assets elsewhere. As recently discussed, the Mets would complete their offseason overhaul to the bullpen with one more left-handed reliever.
Offensively, the Mets could surely use at least one more bat, even if they finalize things with Carlos Correa. Specifically, the outfield will need another addition. If the Mets pivot from the Correa signing to trade Eduardo Escobar, they could use a right-handed bat as a designated hitter.
Some quality options still on the market that could fill the Mets’ two biggest offensive needs will be discussed below.
- Mets lose surging third baseman to a hamstring injury
- The Mets have reacquired a reliever they recently designated for assignment
- Mets win third straight after silencing Pirates in final 3 innings
FA hitters the Mets could look to sign:
Trey Mancini:
One player some wanted to see the Mets pursue during the trade deadline last summer. Trey Mancini is a great fit for the Mets for a few reasons. First, obviously, his familiarity with Buck Showalter. The two spent three years together with the Baltimore Orioles (2016-18).
From that point, Mancini would offer the Mets terrific versatility. Whether it be as a corner outfielder, backing up Mark Canha, or Starling Marte. Mancini has 264 games played at first base. He could also be a designated hitter for the Mets, which, if they trade Escobar, Mancini would provide strong value as the best right-handed DH on the Mets.
Lastly, the Mets’ lineup needs more power than it had a year ago. Mancini, with his size (six-foot-three, 230 lbs) and track record over his career, would provide some upside for the Mets when it comes to hitting home runs. From 2017-19, Mancini hit 35 and 24 home runs twice. Over the past two years, he hit 21 and then 18 last season. Mancini is still young, turning 31 in March, and would be an exciting addition at this point in the offseason.
AJ Pollack:
AJ Pollack has a solid .276 career batting average over his 11 years in the MLB. As recently as 2021, Pollack batted a more than stellar .297, while hitting 21 home runs, which tied his career best.
Pollack would give the Mets positional flexibility in the outfield. He has predominately played center field (648 career starts). However, over the last two years, most of Pollack’s time has been in left field (144 starts).
He is a right-handed bat who could also help the Mets as a DH. Pollack has tons of experience and could serve as a perfect fourth outfielder for the Mets in 2023.
Adam Duvall:
The career batting average of Adam Duvall is bad, .230. What the Mets would solely be signing him for is his power. In 830 career games, Duvall has hit 163 home runs. On average, one every five games.
Duvall has had a 33 and a 31 home run season, back in 2016 and 2017. From 2019-2021, Duvall had some intriguing splits. In 2019, he hit 10 home runs in just 41 games. The following year, Duvall hit 16 home runs in 57 games. Duvall posted his single-season high in 2021 with 38 homers in 146 games. He also drove in an NL-best 113 runs that year which finished tied for the fourth-most in the MLB.
He has not batted better than .237 over the last three years. But, what the Mets would be getting in Duvall, proven power, is something they need right now. He also played mostly in center field for the first time in 2022 (43 starts.) Over his career, he has started 513 games in left field and 93 in right field.
Duvall has nine total years of MLB experience, turned 35 in September, and would give the Mets the power they need.
Jurickson Profar:
Jurickson Profar has played nine MLB seasons (836 career games) and just turns 30 next month. He has started at least 20 games at every infield and outfield position over his career. Last season, all of his time was in left field. As recently as 2021, though, his immense versatility was on display, starting at least 19 games in every outfield position, a dozen at first and a half dozen at second.
While his positional flexibility is a huge plus, his career batting average of .238 is less than ideal. His best season, fairly recently, in 2020, Profar batted .278. In terms of power, Profar flashed some potential in 2018 and 2019, hitting 20 each year. Since then, he has hit just 26 over the last three years.
Profar is a switch-hitting bat with the flexibility in the field to help the Mets. He is still young but with quality experience and would provide the Mets some adequate depth.