The offseason is underway and the general managers meetings begin tomorrow. New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson has been doing his homework and rumors indicate he already has his eye on a number of free agents.
The Mets must figure out a way to replace the offensive firepower of Yoenis Cespedes and Daniel Murphy, both of whom (more than likely) will not be back with the team in 2016. The sluggers have driven themselves out of the Mets' price range with their performances during the second half of the season, so New York will explore cheaper options.
"Early indications are that the Mets will target free-agent centerfielder Denard Span, who was not given a qualifying offer after an injury-plagued year with the Nationals," writes Marc Carig of Newsday.
"The Mets also have their eye on Gerardo Parra, whom they nearly traded for at last July's trade deadline, and Dexter Fowler. Span, Parra and Fowler appear to be preferred internally over other potential fits in centerfield such as Colby Rasmus and Will Venable."
Span figures to be the best fit because he'll likely be the cheapest and won't cost the team a draft pick. Parra is expected to fetch a $40 million deal and isn't primarily a center fielder, while the Cubs gave Fowler the qualifying offer, which means the Mets would have to surrender their first-round draft choice if they sign him. New York already did that last year when they signed Michael Cuddyer away from the Colorado Rockies, so it's unlikely they make that same move again.
As for replacing Murphy, rumors have suggested the Mets could make a run at Ian Desmond, but as Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out, the duo of Wilmer Flores and Ruben Tejada finished 10th in the MLB in Wins Above Replacement (WAR). They also have prospects Matt Reynolds, Gavin Cecchini and Dilson Herrera as depth options.
Carig added that the Mets could also make a run at Baltimore Orioles reliever Darren O'Day, who was not given the qualifying offer. However, because the free agent market for relief pitchers is so thin, O'Day may command a sizable multi-year deal.
That might not matter that much to Alderson because New York has a clear need in the bullpen. The unit struggled down the stretch and was further exposed in the postseason. Tyler Clippard will depart in free agency as well, and while he wasn't all that effective for the Mets, he still needs to be replaced. O'Day, 33, would give the Mets another capable arm in the bullpen, and a very effective one at that.
O'Day is 23-8 with a 1.92 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 283 strikeouts in 273 games (263 innings) over the past four seasons in Baltimore.
Carig said there is mutual interest in a reunion between the Mets and left-handed reliever Jerry Blevins, who appeared in only seven games before breaking his arm and then re-injuring it in the middle of the season. Perhaps they opt to keep Blevins and avoid spending a lot on a bullpen arm since it's been said they'll probably keep Addison Reed, who is projected to earn over $5 million in his final year of arbitration.
All in all, the Mets are in a tough spot. They have work to do this offseason, and after making a number of trades before this year's deadline, it's likely they look to fill areas on their roster in free agency. With that being said, they aren't expected to spend a lot because Carig says there's been "little indication" the Wilpons will exceed last year's $103 million payroll by much.
New York is expected to have $87 million committed to 2016 once they take care of all their arbitration settlements, which doesn't give them much financial freedom.
