The Mets have added the finishing touch to their outfield and it's not the icing on the cake most fans wanted.
Instead of re-signing slugger Yoenis Cespedes or landing another big bat and putting him in center field, the Mets reached an agreement on a one-year deal worth $4 million with outfielder Alejandro De Aza Tuesday, pending the 31-year old's physical.
There was only a slim chance the Mets would re-sign Cespedes, but this seems to slam the door on that possibility now, one team source said.
While the Mets have repeatedly said they have the money to expand on their $109 million payroll from 2015, they have remained cautious with their contracts so far this offseason. They have about $62 million committed before heading into arbitration with nine players, including Matt Harvey, Neil Walker and Jeurys Familia this winter.
De Aza, who will be 32 in April, is a career .267 hitter with 45 home runs and a lifetime .747 OPS over eight seasons in the majors. Last year with the Giants, Orioles and Red Sox, De Aza hit .262 with seven home runs.
While that does not compare to the heavy-hitting Cespedes, who carried the Mets offense through August and September, the fact DeAza hit for a higher average — and hit all seven of his home runs — off of right-handed pitching last season — and the fact he was significantly cheaper — made him the right fit for the Mets for 2016.
Discussing the roster composition last week, GM Sandy Alderson said that having former Gold Glove center fielder Juan Lagares was a factor in their plans, as was the class of outfielder free agents available to them.
"The fact we have a guy like Lagares, who next to (Daniel) Murphy was one of our best hitters in the postseason, is a consideration," Alderson said. "He didn't play that much, but he was pretty good in the role he played.
"And by the way, start looking at the players who are available, the number that you could end up writing in the lineup 150 times without reservation is very limited."
Lagares, used as a defensive replacement and against lefties, hit .348 with two doubles in 25 postseason at-bats. He hit .273 with a .333 on-base percentage last season against left-handers. De Aza hit .278 with an .800 OPS against right-handed pitching last season.
In that plan, the Mets seem to be taking a chance on De Aza's defense. He played the majority of his career at left field though has played 317 games in center over eight seasons. De Aza played in center just nine times over the last two years.
But Alderson thinks this balancing can work, especially on offense.
It allows manager Terry Collins to take advantage of splits like those of De Aza and Lagares.
"We've tried to be more versatile with the overall roster and therefore having flexibility, dealing with right-left situations as well as other specific situations," Alderson said. "Last season where, having available, more or less complementary players on the bench not only made it easier for Terry to manage, but also gave us flexibility day-to-day to deal with fatigue, deal with injury, deal with better or worse performance against right or left hand pitching.
"On the offensive side specifically, with players that are complementary, that limits the number of plate appearances we have where there are negative matchups. For example we limit the number of left-on-left plate appearances for a particular player with an OPS against lefties that is say .500 and we can take advantage of that same player who might have an .800 OPS against right-handers by complementing that player with someone else who is equally successful against left-handed pitching," Alderson said. "Then we've got the best of all worlds, even though we don't have necessarily a superstar player at that position."
The Mets were never really looking for a super star in center field. They checked in on other players, like Will Venable and Denard Span. Span was perhaps the ideal fit for the Mets with his ability to lead-off, but he was seeking a multi-year deal coming off a season in which he played only 61 games due to injury.
The Mets also were not in the market for an outfielder who had a qualifying offer after having lost their 2015 first-round pick in signing Michael Cuddyer last winter and having traded away quite a few prospects in their run to the World Series last year.
So they felt De Aza was the right fit.
Alderson, who is undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, declined to discuss his health, but did say he has remained heavily involved in the Mets' offseason work. Though he did not go to the GM or Winter Meetings, he is able to go to the Mets offices several times a week.
Source: nydailynews.com
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