The past few weeks, I’ve taken a look at two areas where the Mets can save some cash in the off season: the bullpen and first base. There is also the potential for the Mets to save so me cash on the bench.
Omar Minaya has take the first step in the wrong direction for this however, because as Adam Rubin of the Daily News reported yesterday the Mets are likely to bring back Alex Cora next year. While Rubin did not mention specifics, if Cora gets a contract worth anything near the $2 million that he did this year, it is a major faux pas.
Everybody says that Cora makes up for his lack of skill with his ”clubhouse presence.” Don’t get me wrong, I understand that the guy seems tough as nails and played a great deal of this season injured. Still, attitude doesn’t make up for his .630 OPS. Even if you are relatively unfamiliar with sabermetrics, I think it is common to know that a .630 OPS is really bad.
In addition to this, by common defensive metrics such as UZR Cora was a below average defender, according to Fan Graphs. If he is truly such a great clubhouse guy, give him a clipboard and make him the bench coach or an infield instructor. For any price other than a minor league contract though, Alex Cora shouldn’t be coming to spring training with the Mets.
For the middle infield, the Mets do have other options. Though I’d never like to have the guy starting everyday for a baseball team I ran, Anderson Hernandez could serve as a useful backup. Whereas Cora, or a similar free agent middle infielder might command a serious contract, Andy Hernandy will be cheap. Worst case scenario, he is a cheaper version of Cora that can hopefully show off the bat that he always does in winter ball, and in the mean time support the team with his flashy glove.
Like Hernandez, Wilson Valdez is certainly no worse than Cora, while also cheaper. Also, though in limited time, Valdez seemed to be strong defensively this year despite his limited offensive capability. Though he certainly shouldn’t be guaranteed a job, offering him a minor league contract and letting him be a quadruple-A player that can be called up as a bench guy in case of injury certainly isn’t the worst thing in the world. Need not forget, that the Mets also have potential middle infield depth in prospect Reese Havens who hopefully should be due for a call up in September next year.
Around the rest of the infield for depth the Mets have Nick Evans who off the bench could serve as a useful pinch hitter against lefties. Nick Evans should never be a major league regular at 1B or LF, but he could find a niche as a guy that hits lefties hard, which is the one thing he’s done consistently throughout his career. From the farm, the Mets also have Ike Davis who could come up as a 1B or even as many people suggest an OF; he is even further along in his development than Havens. Davis had a strong year this year and could be an option for the Mets midway through the season.
The outfield depth is pretty strong for the Mets, because even though they don’t have a defined third OF behind Carlos Beltran and Jeff Francouer, Fernando Martinez and Angel Pagan are waiting in the wings. Despite his mental mistakes, Pagan has certainly shown the ability to be a 3a outfielder, so his depth on the bench is a luxury for the Mets. Martinez could probably benefit from more time in the minors, especially after continuing his trend of missing time due to injuries.
At catcher, the Mets have at least one backup in Omir Santos or Josh Thole, and depending who you ask both of them should be back ups or at least depth. I for one, feel that a platoon of those two players would be just fine, but I do understand others who don’t feel comfortable leaving the catcher’s job to them. Still though, catching depth should be far from a priority especially because these guys have shown they can be okay, if unspectacular.
The key for the Mets is that in their weakened financial state they should not be wasting money on guys who require serious contracts when equivalent guys can be brought in on the cheap. Giving $2 million deals to Fernando Tatis’s and Alex Coras is silly when every off season there are serviceable players like Cory Sullivan waiting to be signed to minor league deals. The worst thing the Mets can do, is what Matt Cerrone articulated on Mets Blog on Wednesday: giving a two year contract to a bench player. Reserves are like relievers in that they find success for a year or two in an environment, but often need a change of scenery to replicate that success. Any team would be silly to commit serious long term dollars to these peripatetic players.
Pete Lappin (3)
