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There are still intriguing offensive players remaining on the free-agent market and potentially in trades, but the Mets remain in wait-and-see mode about adding a bat.
“I wouldn’t necessarily close the door on that, but I also don’t think it’s essential,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said Wednesday on a Zoom call. “Some of that is interrelated to third base, where we do have young players. I want to make sure they have sufficient at-bats.”
Brett Baty and Mark Vientos are the Mets’ primary third-base options, and Stearns said he would expect that to remain the case heading into spring training.
Ronny Mauricio was removed from the mix following surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will keep him sidelined at least into September.
Vientos has shown upside offensively, but struggled last season in his limited chances to play third base.
“Sometimes, sort of that bat-first player when we’re talking about a DH position, it can be helpful to rotate players through that,” Stearns said. “We haven’t made a firm decision on that one yet. I still think it’s a little bit to be determined and we’re still discussing.”
J.D. Martinez, Justin Turner and Jorge Soler are among the names still available on the free-agent market.
As for the decision to give Baty and Vientos a chance at third base, Stearns said it’s about seeing what the Mets have in their own young players.
“I believe over time as you do that, as an organization you are rewarded for it and you get really quality players, solid players who can contribute in your organization for a long time,” Stearns said. “I’m excited to see what our younger players can do and we have some of them that I think can play third base.”
Stearns said it became clear to him as negotiations with Yoshinobu Yamamoto neared conclusion last month that the Japanese right-hander preferred the Dodgers.
The Mets offered Yamamoto a 12-year deal worth $325 million, the same contract he received with the Dodgers.
“We certainly had an obligation to put our best foot forward in everything we did,” Stearns said. “I think we did that as an organization. I think we were very competitive. I think we demonstrated our sincerity throughout the process and we didn’t get the player. Certainly that is disappointing … we have got to move on and continue to do our work.”
The Mets signed right-handed reliever Yacksel Rios to a minor league contract with an invite to major league spring training.
Rios, 30, appeared in three games for the Athletics last season.
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