Do you ever have $ 105 million burning a hole in your pocket?
Then you can report to the Mets.
OK, that’s a slight misinterpretation of what fell on Friday. What is clear, however, is that Steve Cohen still has money to spend on the Mets for 2021, and not just after trying hard for Trevor Bauer, giving National Young League winner Cy Young $ 105 million and seeing him opt out. for a smaller bid ($ 102 million) from his hometown of Dodgers.
Here are the most viable and sensitive options left for the Mets to invest in their club:
1. Start pitching
At the moment, the initial rotation of Mets Opening Day consists of Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, Carlos Carrasco, David Peterson and Joey Lucchesi, with Noah Syndergaard aiming to return in the middle of the season after Tommy John’s operation. When you take into account that the teams will adapt from a season of 60 2020 matches to the 162 standard games (they hope), more depth will be needed. The start-pitching market has moved the least from any position this season. Among those still available are Jake Odorizzi, James Paxton and Taijuan Walker.
2. The central field
It would be hairy if the Mets imported a top central defensive player to Brandon Nimmo and the National League didn’t implement the designated striker, since you would move Nimmo from center field to left field, Dom Smith from left field to first base and Pete Alonso from first base to … the bench? Obviously the platoons will come into play. However, common sense says DH will return to the NL this year, and how good free agent Jackie Bradley Jr. or Lorenzo Cain of the Brewers, a potential Milwaukee payroll, would look like is patrolling in the middle of the field. Citi Field?
3. The third base
JD Davis, whom the Mets defeated in refereeing on Friday (he will win $ 2.1 million), remains a defensive responsibility on the hot corner. Could Sandy Alderson convince her favorite mistake, Justin Turner (who is still a free agent), to return to Queens? A change of puppies for Kris Bryant seems less likely.
4. Extensions
Two of the best Mets players, Michael Conforto, home and recently acquired Francisco Lindor, are in their prime. Lindor has expressed her openness to bypassing the free agency, as long as it takes place at the beginning of spring training. A package of over $ 300 million is possible. Conforto, whose agent Scott Boras usually takes his clients to a free agency, would probably need more than $ 100 million to stay put.