The New York Mets have been one of the most active teams this offseason and the expectation is that they will continue to be active as we get deeper into December.
The Mets have made an abundance of moves to try and emphasize “run prevention,” also known as defense and pitching. The Mets have added right-handed reliever/closer Devin Williams, second baseman Marcus Semien and infielder Jorge Polanco but lost left fielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers, right-handed closer Edwin Diaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers and first baseman Pete Alonso to the Baltimore Orioles.
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There is growing concern that the moves New York has made to offset their losses aren’t helping. Semien is a better defender than Nimmo, but the 35-year-old’s offensive production has fallen off a bit in recent years. Williams is coming off his worst season while Diaz has been one of the best relievers in baseball since becoming a Met. Polanco is projected to play first base and designated hitter yet has played one inning of one game at first base in his entire career.
Alonso isn’t a great defender, but he plays the position and is strong at minimizing errors on bad throws. His offensive production speaks for itself and is double what Polanco has done in his best season.
It’s clear that the Mets still have a lot of moves to make, and a big move could be made over the weekend. The Mets need a big bat in the middle of the lineup, and several key free agents are still available.
“Yes, it’s Dec. 18, and Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Cody Bellinger and Bo Bichette still have not signed,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote Thursday. “There is not yet panic, though, and understandably so. Because there is too much need from teams with World Series aspirations — and too few impact-type players to fill that demand.
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“The New York Mets, for all of their austerity thus far this winter, could stand to — and afford to — add [a big bat] as well.”
Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger, Bo Bichette and Alex Bregman are still available, but I think the Mets will try to sign the best Japanese bat on the market in Munetaka Murakami.
Murakami, 25, is viewed as the best Japanese hitter available and would be a great fit in New York’s lineup despite his lower defensive prowess. The emphasis of defense could scare the Mets away, but the team needs to find an Alonso replacement to protect Juan Soto, and this could be the best option for that need.
Murakami has until Dec. 22 at 5 p.m. ET to sign with a Major League Baseball team.