The New York Mets have already been busy this winter and they are hoping to get a few more players to come to the Big Apple this offseason.
In the weeks before Christmas, children all over the world are filling out their wish lists to give to their parents. The New York Mets have their own wish list too of free agents they hope to sign.
1. George Springer
Steve Cohen has come in as the new owner of the team and has immediately made an impact. He has already improved the bullpen by bringing in Trevor May and found his starting catcher for the next four years in James McCann.
Now, he and the front office will turn to Springer. Brandon Nimmo is currently the starting center fielder but he best fits as a corner outfielder so bringing in a player of Springer’s caliber would be a huge upgrade.
There aren’t many great center fielders in the game. Ahead of Springer is Mike Trout and Cody Bellinger–that’s it.
In Springer’s last full season (2019), he nearly hit .300 with 39 home runs and 96 RBI in addition to landing on the All-Star team for the third consecutive year and placing in the top seven in the MVP voting.
A big reason why Springer is going to be so coveted is his track record of performing in the postseason. Yes, the Astros cheated in 2017 but there isn’t any evidence they did so in the World Series when Springer took home the World Series MVP award.
2. Trevor Bauer
While some fans might want Bauer more than they want Springer, this is the order that the front office probably would put together. Bauer heads to free agency at the perfect time because he is coming off an NL Cy Young award.
Many people like to talk about his 1.73 ERA that led the National League last year, but what stood out more than that was his performance in the Wild Card round. His offense didn’t give him any run support but he completely shut down the Braves lineup, surrendering zero runs in his Game 1 start.
Bauer would obviously relish the New York market, as he is the voice and face of baseball (social media-wise).
3. Liam Hendriks
Edwin Diaz had a better season than the year before but he still hasn’t lived up to the hype whatsoever as a Met. Luis Rojas would be much more comfortable with the reigning AL Reliever of the Year in the ninth inning in 2021.
The former A’s closer pitched to a 1.78 ERA in 2020 and finished with 14 saves in 24 games.
Cohen could be an x-factor in Hendriks’ decision. The reliever market isn’t going to get a whole lot of money as a whole. Proof of that was when the Indians made Brad Hand–their All-Star closer–a free agent because they didn’t want to pay him $10 million next season.
Cohen has more money in his pocket than anyone else so this could be the guy that he puts a blank check on the table for because he can be that big of a difference-maker.
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