The New York Mets have found themselves a new face of their franchise, and it would suit them best if they made smaller additions after acquiring Francisco Lindor.
Mets fans have had a great last couple of days after learning that their shortstop on Opening Day will be Lindor. The big question now is what’s next.
George Springer should not be what’s next.
It has been reported that Springer is trying to get $175 million in free agency, which is unlikely considering the loss of revenue among every team in baseball and the uncertainty of if fans will be in the stands at the beginning of the season.
The Mets still have plenty of room to work with before they hit the $210 million luxury tax threshold, but they need to consider who they’ll have to pay in the future.
Many pending free-agent decisions to come
Steve Cohen, Sandy Alderson, and Jared Porter will have some tough decisions to make this season and next winter. Lindor, Michael Conforto, and Noah Syndergaard are the three biggest Mets upcoming free agents at the end of the 2021 season.
At some point, Cohen will need to choose what combination of the three he wants to extend. Lindor is expected to sign an extension or else the Mets wouldn’t have traded for him. He will command north of $300 million which would be easier to dish out if Springer is not already on the payroll.
Conforto will cost more than $100 million in a multi-year extension, but if the front office signs Springer then that’s $100+ million that they can’t use to extend their hometown star right fielder.
A cheaper center field option allows for more additions elsewhere
Jackie Bradley Jr. makes the most sense for the Mets right now if they wanted to upgrade the center field position and move Brandon Nimmo to left field. Bradley would sign for a one or two-year deal most likely at around $8 million per year. That is at least $15 million less AAV than Springer, according to MLB Trade Rumors projections.
The Mets could then use that $15 million to fill out the back end of their rotation and/or upgrade the bullpen with an addition such as All-Star Brad Hand or reigning Reliever of the Year, Liam Hendriks.
It also presents the opportunity to add on a player’s salary that could come to New York via trade. Alderson said on WFAN on Friday that J.D. Davis is only the Mets third baseman “right now”, hinting he could certainly be dealt for Kris Bryant, who has been involved in trade talks. Bryant, 29, is a free agent at the end of the season.
Mets should follow the James McCann route
The Mets made what ended up being a smart decision this winter by opting to sign the cheaper catching option in McCann for $40 million instead of playing the waiting game with J.T. Realmuto and potentially losing out on him altogether.
Since New York knew who their starting catcher was, it allowed them to use the freed-up money from Cano’s suspension and the possible saved up Realmuto money on Lindor and Carlos Carrasco.
Bringing in the cheaper center field option would give the Mets a great defensive center fielder and more flexibility to fill out their roster.
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