Earlier this winter, the Mets signed outfielder Cristian Pache to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, a very standard offseason contract for a player looking to revitalize a stalled major league career. Pache, who last appeared in a major league game in 2024, will look to claim a roster spot after failing to break through with the Diamondbacks last season.

If Pache’s name rings a bell but you can’t quite place him, it’s because he has suited up for many of the Mets’ rivals over the years, making the outfielder no stranger to the National League East. A former top prospect who signed for $1.4 million as an international free agent in 2015—MLB.com ranked him as the tenth-best international free agent at the time—he debuted for the Braves in 2020 and played parts of two seasons for Atlanta. He slashed .119/.157/.209 with a -5 wRC+ and a -0.6 fWAR in 24 games before being traded to the Athletics as part of the Matt Olson trade in March 2022.

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He got his most playing time for any singular season in then-Oakland (91 games) and hit .166/.218/.241 with a 33 wRC+ and a -1.0 fWAR, and he was eventually traded to the Phillies for Billy Sullivan. He had his best offensive season in 2023, hitting .238/.319/.417 with a 98 wRC+ and a career-best 0.5 fWAR in 48 games. He started 2024 with Philadelphia but was traded along with Seranthony Domínguez to the Orioles for former Mets offseason target Austin Hays. After just three games, he was designated for assignment and latched on with the Marlins, where he spent the rest of 2024 and hit .183/.234/.283 with a 43 wRC+ and a -0.1 fWAR in 35 games. He signed a minor league game with Arizona and spent the whole year in the minors before electing free agency and ending up with the Mets, which catches us up to the present day.

Pache can play any of the three outfield positions, but he has primarily appeared at center field, appeared in 191 of his 241 career games in center. His primary value is his outfield versatility, and it’s easy to see a world where the Mets thought he could be an ideal fourth outfielder. However, he was signed before the team brought in Luis Robert Jr., whose signing pushed Tyrone Taylor to the fourth outfield position. That makes Pache’s path to Citi Field somewhat more difficult. To make matters more complicated for Pache, the team signed MJ Melendez to a major league deal on Sunday, which puts Melendez one step higher on the depth chart. Melendez is much more adept to the corner outfield spots and would almost assuredly see the time there before Pache does. The team is expected to carry one backup outfielder, as well as a utility player who can cover multiple positions, including the outfield.

Pache’s offense, as previously highlighted, is fairly non-existent. He strikes out a ton (30.8% career K%) and doesn’t walk much (7.2% career BB%). He also doesn’t really steal bases, with five career stolen bases to date while also being caught stealing five times. He doesn’t have much power, with seven homers and a .093 ISO. He is a very strong defender, however, with a 4 OAA in 2024, a 4 OAA in 2023, and a 6 OAA in 2022. His arm strength was in the 92nd percentile in 2022, while he was also above average in OAA and arm value.

Beyond an impressive spring training, Pache likely would only find himself playing for the Mets with an injury to Robert or Taylor, or if the left field options don’t cut it and Taylor mans one of the corners. Beyond that, Pache will likely find himself in Triple-A for much of the year, or off of the club’s roster altogether.