Reese Kaplan -- Free Agent Marketplace Getting Thin on Sluggers

Another week come and gone with no new updates regarding the would-be Met, Carlos Correa.

The last time I broached this subject we examined the alternatives in-house for the Mets to consider if the Correa cacophony fades into painful oblivion. 

Today, let's go in another direction and take a look at who is out there still in free agency who could be a sour Plan B if no one budges on the long term health issues which have ground Correa's second straight prospective contract into a holding pattern with as much discomfort as being told you'll need a root canal.

So the free agent contenders out there are starting to look a bit thin with more and more possible alternatives placing their John Hancocks on someone else's contractual paperwork. The latest news as that latter stage slugger A.J. Pollock is close to inking a deal with the Seattle Mariners. 

From the Mets' perspective it shouldn't cause any major heartache as 489 White Sox at-bats in 2022 saw him hit a lackluster .245 with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs for his age 34 season. 

By contrast, the subpar season from Eduardo Escobar tallied a similar .240 average but with 20 HRs and 69 RBIs in about the same number of plate appearances. The Mariners are only paying him $7 million as compared to the $9 million owed to Escobar, but the right handed Pollock isn't causing any regrets among the Citifield faithful.

Still left on the board are some other players who might fit better on the Mets as a DH or in the outfield. Number one on that list might be the primarily former Cincinnati Red and Atlanta Brave Adam Duvall. 

The right handed slugger has had his ups and downs on the stat sheet, but as recently as 2021 hit 38 HRs and drove in 113 (to lead the league) while also winning a Gold Glove award. As a bit of a late bloomer he never graced the 8 figure salary plateau and he's projected after a dropoff in 2022 to settle in the same range as the now Mariner A.J. Pollock. 

Whether the Mets looked to him to form the right handed half of a DH role or take over an outfield slot from Mark Canha, you can't argue much with his ability though he didn't become a starter until age 27.

The once Met farmhand Nelson Cruz is once again seeking a new employer. After many years of being a prodigious slugger, his numbers are certainly down a bit. The right handed masher hit 32 home runs as recently as 2021 split between two teams, but for Washington in 2022 his average and run production numbers were way down. 

He's a stop-gap kind of player who might complement Daniel Vogelbach while bringing some veteran presence to help some of the younger players prepare for the start of their major league careers. It's probably he'll net A.J. Pollock money as well.

Another in the "he was great once" category is Andrew McCutchen. He's definitely at the tail end of his career but he's shown some late flashes. The average and speed are both down, but the right handed hitter slugged 27 HRs in 2021 and still managed to deliver 17 of them in 2022. Dollar-wise he's not in the big money ballgame anymore and could be a Darin Ruf stopgap measure.

Right handed mid-career player Trey Mancini did club 18 HRs split between two teams last season, but earlier in his career he hit over 30. The $7.5 million salary that was paid in his last full season suggests he's another in that A.J. Pollock range, but at under age 31 he might be an asset for much longer.

Most of the other potential fits are not enough to make you spring for a premium beer, let alone pop for champagne. Corey Dickerson, Tommy Pham, Robbie Grossman and others of that ilk feel like Wilpon level choices.

In the "Go figure!" realm is former San Francisco Giant Brandon Belt who has had some decent seasons but never really seemed to reach the plateau most envisioned when he ascended to the major leagues. In his absolute best single season he hit .275 with 17 HRs and 82 RBIs, though in 2021 he hit 29 HRs in just 325 ABs. 

Last year was a bit of a lost cause all the way around with the batting average precariously close to the Mendoza line and his former $16 million salary level looking like it's due for a major hit. 

Even if you felt he had it in him to revisit that 2021 success, he's a lefty slugger and the last time I looked the Mets renewed one of them in the form of Daniel Vogelbach. I don't see a great fit here.

Another poor fit would be third baseman Mike Moustakas who has twice eclipsed the 30 HR metric but he's also a lefty hitter and has not done much in the past few years. He's not the one-year-gap type of player that's any surer than Darin Ruf, so it would seem he's a non-starter in the Mets universe.

It would seem there are no $315 million solutions after Carlos Correa, so you either have faith in the current cast or you are ready to accept the best of what's left in the free agent marketplace. Trades can indeed happen, but we haven't yet crossed that bridge.