The New York Mets have already had a successful offseason and could field a very competitive team if they choose not to add more players to their existing roster. However, new owner Steve Cohen and president Sandy Alderson, with the help of the recently hired general manager Jared Porter, are eager to keep improving the club.
One of the Mets’ targets ever since the offseason started is former Houston Astros center fielder George Springer. The 31-year old has a potent bat (.265/.359/.540, 146 wRC+ and 14 home runs in 51 games in 2020) and is a very good fielder (6 Defensive Runs Saved and 1 Out Above Average.)
However, the Mets know that Springer would command a very lucrative deal well north of $100 million. Despite signing reliever Trevor May and catcher James McCann to multiyear pacts, the team is still in the race to land the former Astro.
Not only are they still in the running, but according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, MLB executives believe the Mets and the Toronto Blue Jays are the favorites to sign the top free agent outfielder.
The Mets aren’t afraid to spend
In a rather uncertain reality when it comes to finances, teams haven’t been overly eager to bring talent via free agency. Only a handful of deals have been announced, and some of the best free agents are still in the market, most notably Springer, Trevor Bauer, Jake Odorizzi, Corey Kluber, Kirby Yates, Liam Hendriks, and DJ LeMahieu.
The Mets and Blue Jays, however, have been connected with just about any free agent and have been among the few clubs that expressed any interest in spending substantial amounts of money to improve the roster.
There is a sense that the Mets prefer to prioritize Springer rather than another top or mid-rotation arm, so it will be an interesting race to see who lands the two-way star.