As the New York Mets keep looking for a guy capable of being a good defender in center field, one name has appeared on the team’s radar in the last few hours. Free agent Enrique Hernandez, who recently won a World Series ring with the Los Angeles Dodgers could be a fit in Queens.
According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the New York Mets “were in pretty strong” on the free agent utilityman. However, it appears that the primary person pushing for Hernandez was the now-fired general manager Jared Porter.
Heyman notes, however, that even though the Boston Red Sox remain “high” on Kike’ Hernandez, the Mets and others also interested.
It remains unclear, to this point, if Mets’ president Sandy Alderson or assistant general manager Zack Scott will be prioritizing Hernandez the same way Porter was. In any case, he makes for a very interesting player with defensive versatility and some pop.
The Mets could use Hernandez’s versatility
In 2020, Hernandez slashed .230/.270/.410 with a .290 wOBA and a 83 wRC+. That’s well-below average offensive production, but Hernandez has been good in the past and has been, to this point, basically an average hitter for his career, with a 99 wRC+.
For his career, he has 18 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) at second base in 1,263.1 innings. He played 95 frames in the outfield last season with the Dodgers, with 1 DRS and a 6.6 UZR/150. If he signs with the Mets, the most glaring need right now in the defensive alignment is center field.
After losing out on star center fielder George Springer to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, the Mets remain focused on adding a center fielder and some additional pitching help. Jackie Bradley jr., Albert Almora, and Kevin Kiermaier are some of the names being linked with the team in the last few hours.