Reese Kaplan -- Finding a RH Bat to Smooth Out the Ruf Edges

Last time around we looked at options for the left handed relief pitchers still available in free agency. The club has often gone into the season with a single southpaw reliever and although Brooks Raley is now a member of the Mets, most feel they would be wise to add a second credible arm capable of neutralizing left handed hitters.

Today we're going to examine the need for another right handed bat. We don't need to reiterate the embarrassingly bad production the Mets got from Darin Ruf last season whose only highlight reel performance was when he took the mound to pitch (which, of course, is not the reason he was brought to Citifield in the first place). 

We won't delve into the seeming stupidity of what they gave up to get him. Nor will we look at his age turning 36 and sporting a career .230 batting average as indicative of what we can expect in an average year of productivity. The Mets owe the man $3 million for the 2023 season and an extra $250K if they buy out his 2024 option. GM Billy Eppler who made the deal has stated that they are looking for more productivity out of that RH half of the DH deal, so it's probably safe to say his owed contract is not enough money to forestall a DFA status before the season begins.

Now there are two right handed hitting options in the youth arena. Everyone is well aware of what kind of power Francisco Alvarez has and folks do foresee him as the long term catcher of the future. However, folks also know his defensive game is not yet even at an acceptable level, so he will likely start the season in AAA so he can get many more innings behind the dish to better this aspect of his game.

The forgotten man again and again seems to be slugger Mark Vientos. Yes, he is also criticized for his defense and often doesn't even get mentioned in articles that rave about the future for Alvarez and Brett Baty. He has more experience than both of them and after an adjustment period as he's progressed up the ladder, he has adapted to the new level of pitching and performed quite well. 

 As a RH half of a DH platoon he would be inexpensive, but the concern is that if he only plays against left handed pitching he would sit on the bench more often than not which would not bode well for his adjustment to major league pitching.

There are some free agents who are right handed who don't yet have jobs. While they may be looking for regular playing time regardless of age and often part-time assignments in the past, the long list of available right handed hitters contains more Darin Ruf level performers. Assuming the Mets would prefer to avoid that same mistake a second time, let's see a quartet of free agents who might be content with a decent contract and the chance to play on what promises to be a contending ballclub.

Luke Voit

The closest the Mets would have to Darin Ruf part two would be slugger Luke Voit who can be a DH with strong home run power. How capable is he for depositing the ball over the fence? Well, during his six years as a mostly part time player he has thrice eclipsed the 20 HR mark. His best effort was a 2019 campaign across town with the Yankees when he hit 21 HRs, drove in 62 and batted a respectable .263 (which exceeds the lifetime batting average of former Met Michael Conforto). 

This past season he plied his trade split between San Diego and in the nation's capital, hitting for slightly better productivity when it came to homers and runs batted in, but the batting average dropped to just .226. He was a $5.4 million player last year and likely will get a slight drop from that level given the poor batting average but high power probability.

Elvis Andrus

Another player who was once quite good but never the superstar he was predicted to be is Elvis Andrus. While the Mets are chock full of infield talent already, the role here would be possible right handed DH. He is not the slugger in the mold of Voit, but as a veteran player who has spent 14 years in the majors and during that time delivered a .270 batting average. 

He would contribute the ability to get on base and steal bases, but at age 35 you would think the legs might start to slow down a bit. Last season he hit just .249 with 18 SBs, a far cry from his season high of 42 back in 2013. He finished his long Texas contract though played in Oakland for a few years. 

 He's not going to get anywhere near the amount of money he earned in the past and a 50% reduction from his $15 million paycheck is not out of reasonable expectation. However, a $7.5 million salary to a low average hitter with decreasing speed might reek of Ruf.

Yulieski Gurriel (Oops! Too Late)

Yuli Gurriel was one of those Cuban success stories when he came to the USA to play for the Astros. His long career has included as many as 31 HRs and as many as 104 RBIs in a season while sporting a shiny career batting average of .284. Now his 2022 season was a weak one and it's possible at age 38 his better days are behind him, but on a one-year deal he might not be a bad hitter to have available in place of Darin Ruf. 

He earned $8 million for Houston and likely could be had at a discount given his age and mediocre statistics a year ago. Still, he's a quality hitter and at say a $6 million deal would be a major upgrade to the RH designated hitter productivity.  (Apparently Billy Eppler was asleep at the switch yet again as yesterday news broke that Gurriel just inked a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Oh well...) 

Is there anyone you've been eyeballing as a possible addition to the roster for the Mets in free agency? Trades, of course, are another method to enhance the roster but thus far Billy Eppler has not been too shrewd in what he's done using that route.