In the lull that exists just before the Winter Meetings begin let us today ponder the best way to address the center field vacancy. Thus far the boy genius in the front office has brought us Harrison Bader overpaid for his .236 hitting which actually was an improvement on his previous season’s .232. Then for 2025 he traded for a career .206 hitter in the soon injured Jose Siri. He ended his Mets career with a brief .063 bating average. The his next move was the guy no one wanted (including his former employer in Baltimore), Cedric Mullins. He was in between Bader and Siri, finishing his Mets career with a less than robust .217 average.
Going forward with the big gap out in center Stearns traded away one possibility in his Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien deal. Given Nimmo’s recent defensive issues it is understandable to say that considering him as a center field option would not likely be the best move anyway. However, his departure expanded the problem as the club now needs a left fielder as well.
Clearly the free agent path exists but at a very steep price tag not just for 2026 but also for whatever duration would be agreeable to the camps representing Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker. While no one would complain if the Mets moved in either of these directions (except for the club’s accountants), the fact is that there are other options available via the trade market.
The biggest name in this direction would be the long time Minnesota Twins star Byron Buxton. No one disputes the man’s raw talent. His 2025 season pretty much demonstrates what he is capable of delivering. Not only does he provide Gold Glove level defense in center. He also replaces the offense lost with Brandon Nimmo no longer part of the offensive mix.
How good was he last year? Buxton hit .264 with 35 HRs, 83 RBIs and tossed in 24 SBs for good measure. For all that effort along with his stellar defense he was rewarded a nowadays modest $15.1 million. He’s on tap for that same salary for the next three years taking him through his age 32 through 34 seasons after which the case could be made that he would be transitioning from his prime years to his latter ones.
The issue with Buxton has always been his fragile health. He began his pro career as a rookie back in 2016. In all that time since he has only twice eclipsed the 500 plate appearances total. Think about that. In 10 years during 8 of them he was not able to deliver full time performance. For that reason many people are gun shy making Buxton a part of their roster.
Word has filtered out that Buxton is agreeable to waiving his no-trade clause which would open up prospective player riches that the Twins would receive if they find an acceptable partner with the resources to swap. There is no question that the Mets have desirable pieces that could get this kind of deal done.
The question is would Stearns look shrewd or foolish to commit $45+ million and losing prospects to get three years of Buxton? The alternative would be to pay an annual rate of about double what Buxton would earn and for many more years. To give you an idea of how reasonable his rate is would suggest that Starling Marte, Jeff McNeil and others in the Mets recent history were paid even more. The Marte example is especially relevant as he provided just part time availability for three of the four years he played for the team.
Is Buxton a gamble worth taking?
13 comments:
One question….how has Buxton hit in NY?
32 PAs in Citi, 66 PAs in Yankee Stadium.
17 for 87, 4 HRs, 8 RBIs, 40 Ks, 10 walks.
Siri numbers.
Buxton doesn't roll off my tongue
Now... Tatis...
Mack, all I want is to get Tatís Jr, and have him repeat Tatís Sr:
In 2008 and 2009, for the Mets, at ages 33 and 34, Papa Tatís did this:
613 at bats, 40 doubles, 5 triples, 19 HRs, and 95 RBIs, .290. Wow!
If the Tatis rumors are true I would be all over him as well. Take all the money owed and eat his salary and not give up much in return.
If those aren’t true. I like Buxton and he is younger than Nimmo I believe and can still play centerfield (where Nimmo couldn’t).
He will match Nimmos numbers and play a great defensive centerfield.
Nimmo also was very injury prone and he managed to stay on the field. Trade for Buxton and let him play 100 games in OF and DH another 30-40 games to keep him fresh. We have plenty of minor leaguers that can fill in amicably in CF.
If we fill in 1st base with a Contreras or Bellinger type and add A Buxton, I like our roster better now than when we started last year.
McLean as our number 1 for a whole season. With Sproat and Tong in the wings. We are definitely better IMO.
Also I would trade Manaea to the A’s straight up for Luis Severino. Money is almost equal and we know Luis can pitch here.
I would think you wouldn’t have to include any prospects in this type of deal because the A’s wanna get rid of Severino and Manaea has pitched for them in the past.
What do you all think?
I still believe that the Mets should play Taylor in center until (change) Ewing is ready and play Benge in left out of camp
Rotation
I would first decide who I am keeping based on past accomplishments
SP1 - last year's prorated +6,00-WAR - McLean
SP2 - last year's ERA leader until hurt
SP3
LAST YEAR'S SALVATION until hurt and worn out
David Peterson
SP4
HOLMES
SP5
TBD
Trades and free agent signings fall into two distinct categories (at least): those you make no matter what else you are contemplating doing, and those you make depending on what else you are reasonably confident you can accomplish doing and the costs of doing so. The Nimmo/Semien one falls into the former category in part because it actually increases the number of other options you now can explore. Very few trades and signings fall into that category. Even a Diaz signing does not fall into that category, whereas the Soto signing did. Both Buxton and Ryan are very plausible additions, especially because they are upgrades at key positions, at very reasonable salaries and for limited periods of time of the sort Stearns favors -- and I agree with him on that front, though i assume he treats the three year limit as a defeasible presumption not an absolute. It is an interesting question whether the Mets approach the Twins on an individual player basis or try to expand the deal discussions to include both players which would give the Mets an opportunity to expand the range of potential prospects (more prospects going to the Twins but from different tiers within the farm system).
I believe Stearns believes in Benge, Williams, Morabito and Ewing, and that cuts both ways. On the one hand, it gives him some leeway in letting one go in a trade for an established player like Buxton, knowing that others are still available to play CF when ready and another to play RF (assuming a Soto move to LF). On the other he may feel that his future outfield consists of 3/4 of that group, but he doesn't know who or exactly when, but keeping them all behind Taylor and Soto for now (the latter ultimately moving to DH at some point) is the better strategy, and playing one of the four in RF now gives him the most flexibility, pending other moves he may want to make this year or opportunities he may want to pursue at the trade deadline, etc. These decisions are incredibly difficult to make.
If I were making decisions (and thankfully for all of us who love the Mets I am not), I would want to feel that I have made all the moves that could reasonably be made that would have us competing for a WS championship this year and the next two, while placing us in a position to continue doing so with as few bumps in the road as possible thereafter for the next five or so.
For me that would likely mean either Suarez or Diaz as closer on 3 year deal with player option for 4th for Diaz or Team buyout of the 4th, Ryan and the rest from within the organization. A starting rotation that is based around McLean and either Peralta in a deal for him alone or Ryan if you can also get Buxton, King as a free agent (or a comparable free agent) and a combination of other pitchers from the organization. I don't think the market will be broad for Alonso, but I think the Red Sox are serious players in it. He would be my first choice at FB/DH largely because he is the best available protection for Soto that the Mets could conceivably have. Period. Who I have at 3B depends on whether Alonso is at first. If you can't sign Alonso, you need an excellent fielder at 1B with vg bat to ball skills and I personally like O'Hearn. There are some others. I want to minimize trades because the strength of the system is on the farm. But O'Hearn/Baty combo comes up short on power. So for me that is another factor in Alonso's favor. I am on record as not at Alvarez fan until he can show that he has reconstructed his swing mechanics. He gets nothing from the ground now in his sequencing, and this problem will only magnify from more time behind the plate. He is already a catcher who doesn't squat in his catching position. He can't throw runners out. One of the young outfielders is the 4th outfielder, and Acuna or Mauricio in the utility infielder. I'd like a veteran bench player as well as Torrens as the 2nd catcher. This construction limits trades and thus the potential loss of high level talent from the farm while being quite competitive for a WS over the next three years. It's just one of several possible approaches one can take.
i wish i loved Tatis, but I don't know that I can. He has been injured too often, but I think the real issue is how much you have to pay him and how many top tier prospects (who you don't have to pay much) you have to give up to secure him. I think you have to give up Tong in any trade you make with either Milwaukee or Minnesota; and unlike others, I am fine with that, because his ceiling is no higher than theirs and that is only if he develops an east west pitch that he does not have now. You will also have to give up someone in the outfield to get back a Buxton as well as a player or two in the 10-20 tier in either trade as well as more further down in the expanded Minnesota trade and Vientos, Acuna or Mauricio.
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