NEW YORK: During the first season, Mets president Sandy Alderson has underscored his desire to fill the roster primarily through a free agency. The Mets, with a relatively weak farming system and a relatively large budget, are in a unique position to do so. This does not mean, however, that the
NEW YORK: During the first season, Mets president Sandy Alderson has underscored his desire to fill the roster primarily through a free agency. The Mets, with a relatively weak farming system and a relatively large budget, are in a unique position to do so.
This does not mean, however, that the Mets plan to ignore the best players available in the commercial market: Nolan Arenado and Francisco Lindor. It simply means that they will work with an added layer of discretion when discussing these names internally.
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“I think the focus remains on free agency,” Alderson said this week. “There are a lot of good players who don’t need prospects in return. On the other hand, there are also some interesting agents in the commercial market. So I think what we need to do right now is make sure we are actively involved in both. areas and we evaluate the opportunities that exist in both. ”
Much of the charge of Alderson and new CEO Jared Porter this winter not only revolves around putting a competitive team on the field in 2021, but also creating a sustainable winner for years to come. Alderson has stated that the way to achieve this is by building the Mets agricultural system, as well as complementing it with improved exploration, development and analysis systems.
While the Mets ’farming system has improved in recent years, it still ranked No. 20 in MLB Pipeline’s 2020 mid-season review. Almost all prominent prospects, such as Ronny Mauricio, Francisco Alvarez and Matt Allan, remain years away from the Majors. So barren are the top levels of the Mets that they have made the priority of this signing by hiring Minor League veterans this winter as they have inked more than a dozen players who can fill the Syracuse Triple-A roster.
The Mets do not accept the idea of further weakening this farming system in an agreement for Lindor, which has only one year of contract.
“We don’t want to give up on prospects, and we’re going to be very careful in doing that,” Alderson said. “On the other hand, there may be something that makes us say,‘ Okay, with respect to this particular deal, that makes sense to us. And while we don’t want to give up on perspective, there may be a way to do it. ” Therefore, I think we will be actively engaged in both areas, although we will focus on the fact that free agency, yes, [it] it requires commitment to the dollar, but it does not require giving up prospects ”.
One of those players who could make the Mets rethink their strategy is Arenado. Unlike Lindor, Arenado has hired six more seasons, albeit at a significant price: $ 199 million. The Mets have a unique position to absorb that salary given the deep pockets of owner Steve Cohen, and doing so could convince the Rocky Mountains to treat them to Arenado at no potential cost.
Such an agreement would move the Mets to less than $ 30 million over the luxury tax threshold, however, it could undermine its ability to cover other more prominent needs in rotation and off-field. Is third base, with JD Davis and Andres Giménez at the top of the depth box, enough for the Mets to consider such a drastic move?
“If you talk defensively, our third-base situation is probably a little up in the air,” Alderson said. “Is it as blatant a need as a third or fourth starter? I do not think so. But look, we’ll look for opportunity goals. And if there are ways to improve our team in areas where we’re not the weakest, but we can use an upgrade, these are things Jared and the organization will need to keep in mind. ”
The Mets lose a pitching perspective
The Mets sent right-hander Ryder Ryan to Texas on Friday to complete his August 31 operation by Todd Frazier. Ryan, who originally reached the team in a trade deal with the 2017 deadline for Jay Bruce, produced an ERA of 3.05, primarily as a downloader, in his minor league final season with Double A Binghamton on 19.
The Mets still owe the Rangers another player who will later be named by Robinson Chirinos, whom they acquired in a separate Deadline deal.
Anthony DiComo has been covering the MLB.com Mets since 2007. Follow him on Twitter @AnthonyDiComo, Instagram and Facebook.