Reese Kaplan -- Mets Need Many Defensive Upgrades

A lot has been said about David Stearns’ apparent late revelation that run prevention is something on which to focus in the future as it was not part of the plan during the disastrous season that just ended.  If you take a look around the Mets defensive roster it is a pretty depressing scenario.

In the outfield you have mega payday star Juan Soto whose abilities in right field are decidedly below average.  It’s difficult to explain to a ballplayer that he was more valuable to the club for his bat and he would serve them better by not costing them with his arm or glove.  Some are advocating moving him to first base in the event of a Pete Alonso departure while others suggest his future is as a DH.  The latter is more likely as it removes his glove completely from the defensive gap and allows him to concentrate on being the kind of hitter and baserunner that justifies his enormous salary.

Brandon Nimmo was never regarded as a great draft choice with limited amateur playing time compared to other options but he has evolved into a highly respectable hitter.  This past season he hit his career .262 batting average right on the button along with 25 HRs and 92 RBIs.  His 2.9 WAR rating made him a relative bargain considering he was being paid $20.5 million as he will continue to command through 2030.  With each WAR worth $8 million or more he’s most definitely earning his keep.  Unfortunately while his offense has flourished his defense once deemed sufficient for regular duty in center field is now questionable for the less demanding role in left field.

We’ll skip over Pete Alonso right now as he is increasingly insufficient defensively and flip to offensive former king and defensive thin ice in the form of Mark Vientos.  No one knows if he can regain the 2024 form again to make his bat worthy of regular insertion into the lineup but he’s shown inability to play either 3rd base or limited trial at 1st base.  With the hitting he could be a DH candidate but the 2025 output paled in comparison to what he did a year earlier.

Already you see three candidates to be DH in the coming season but they would then open up vacancies on the roster.  As it stands right now the Mets have no outfield if you trade away or realign how you use Brandon Nimmo.  It’s highly unlikely this early into their long term deal with Juan Soto that they would insult him by suggesting he is a liability in the field.  However, it is possible something will be done with both which means they need three outfielders with Tyrone Taylor returning to a more suitable role as a backup. 

Interestingly, there’s been a lot of press recently about the Munetaka Murakami announcement that his team will be posting him to cross the Pacific to continue his already impressive young career in the USA as part of the Major Leagues.  If you’re still unfamiliar with him, he’s a left handed slugger who set a Nippon Professional Baseball record with 56 homers (better than even Shohei Ohtani did while he was still in Japan).  He has played primarily 3rd base while also spending about 25% of his time across the diamond at first base.  Unfortunately, his defensive reputation is rather dim and makes you wonder whether or not he would seriously be on the Mets’ radar as his best role given the emphasis on run prevention would again be DH. 

Oh, and how much would Murakami cost?  Well, the early numbers bandied about suggest $40 to $60 million for a multiyear deal but now the wild speculation is between $200 and $300 million.  The Los Angeles Japanese baseball haven is presumed to be the number one contender with the Seattle Mariners as number two. 

For now it will be interesting to see how the Mets realign themselves to make them into a formidable challenge to opposing hitters.  Right now there are no easy answers on the table.