Reese Kaplan -- Setting Front Office Winter Priorities (Part Two)

On Monday we examined briefly the need to improve the pitching staff for the upcoming season.  As a refresher, when the World Series ended the Mets were standing to lose 4 of 5 starting pitchers and everyone from the bullpen this side of Edwin Diaz and Drew Smith.  That's obviously priority number one for the front office to address.

Despite the 101 win season, the Mets also had some issues to address on the offensive side of the ledger as well.  While you can't complain about the efforts received from Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte, that solid group of five hitters only compromises 55% of the guys swinging a stick.  

The missing components were not necessarily bad, but they could stand to be improved.  Mark Canha in left field, Eduardo Escobar at third base, any of the catchers and the Designated Hitter position all under performed.  

Now going into the new season there is some prospective help from the farm.  Brett Baty was one of the top two developing minor leaguers and before his injury ended his major league trial prematurely, he was coming off a combined AA/AAA season good for a .315 average, 19 HRs and 60 RBIs over the course of 362 ABs.  

Many feel he is in the mold of a David Wright type who can hit for average and power.  Of course, he is still unproven at the major league level.

Francisco Alvarez will likely be a major bat at some point, soundly thrashing the best pitchers in the game, depositing the balls over the wall, but right now he's very young and needs some time to grow into his talent.  His defensive game is a work in progress and for a team that is going to be relying on a majority of new pitchers for 2023, it may not be prudent to force him into the lineup from day one.  

As it is, his 2022 season was mixed between AA and AAA.  He hit .260 with 27 HRs and 78 RBIs in just over 400 ABs.  However, there was a learning curve as his Binghamton numbers were proportionately far better than what he did in Syracuse.  I foresee him coming up when his bat or injuries at the top force him into the roster conversation, but leaving Port St. Lucie with him as the starting catcher is premature.  

The forgotten man of the trio of fresh faces is third baseman Mark Vientos.  While he's not as defensively polished as Baty, he is older and more mature than is Alvarez.  The then 22 year old spent all of his minor league 2022 season in Syracuse, hitting .280 with 24 HRs and 72 RBIs in 378 ABs.  He had done this level of work after clubbing 25 HRs and driving in 63 during a 2021 season split between AA and AAA.  His power and batting average are more mature and he deserves a closer look, but at this juncture it would appear that Baty gets the nod to fight Eduardo Escobar for that starting gig at 3B.

Which leaves the right handed half of DH duties about the only opening in which Vientos can insert his way into the lineup.  

So the questions for the front office is how to deal with the contracts on the books already and how to address things for the team in the near future.  James McCann is midway through a four-year deal and has not shown anything like what was expected of him when he was signed to a $40 million contract.  

Tomas Nido has shown improvement in his game both defensively and in delivering sacrifice bunts, but no one feels he is starting material unless injuries force your hand.  With Francisco Alvarez on the near horizon and Kevin Parada hot on his heels behind him, it's highly unlikely the Mets will attempt to pursue an obvious solution like Willson Contreras.  Instead they might try to peddle McCann to another club, paying down his seemingly inflated salary, then opening up a role for a one-year deal for a veteran receiver who can fulfill the interim role along with Nido until Alvarez is declared ready with both his bat and his catching gear.

There are only three names from the list of available catcher free agents who look as if they could be suitable, though they might prove to be more expensive and seeking a longer deal than the Mets would offer.  Omar Narvaez is going to turn 31 and holds a career .258 batting average.  At this point he has played part time quite a bit and probably looks to be the number one guy a'la McCann, but there's no guarantee someone will offer him that role.  He certainly seems a bit young for the one-and-done type of deal they likely seek.

Christian Vazquez is a career .261 hitter with better power.  At age 33 this coming season he's also likely seeking a starting gig or a multiyear deal to serve as a backup or in split duty.  He was earning about $500K less than the younger Narvaez and he's likely seeking a $5 million per season deal which could price him out of this role.

In-between age wise is the imponderable Mike Zunino who has catching skills and terrific home run power but struggles to stay above the Mendoza line.  After starting off his career with Seattle, he moved onto a long stint in Tampa.  As a hitter, he's only sporting a career average of .200, but has hit as many as 33 HRs in his career.  

Right now although youth is still on his side, most folks would consider him a poor investment after his $7 million salary last year.  He might be enticed into a discounted one-year make good deal, but it's hard for most professional athletes to accept taking less money.

So that brings us to an interesting and nearly perfect fit for the Mets for 2023.  Catcher Kurt Suzuki has bounced around in his career between the Angels, Nationals (twice), Braves, Twins and A's.  His career batting average is .255 and a half dozen times in his long career he was in double digits in home runs.  Ever since 2012 he's been splitting duty with other catchers and will turn 40 during 2023.  

He could likely be brought in on a minor league deal or a very low cost major league contract.  Granted, in the past few seasons his bat isn't playing very well, but in this case Nido could move up to the primary starter with Suzuki being a veteran backup.  That combination (along with some salary relief from the remainder of the McCann contract) could help address some other areas.  

Now who the Mets choose to fulfill the outfield will be examined in the third part of this series.  Right now you will pencil in Starling Marte somewhere and have Mark Canha available as well.  Until they know who is going to write the 2023 paycheck to Brandon Nimmo that challenge needs to be addressed as well.