During the off-season, we see many baseball teams making moves, whether it is by trading players or signing the players who are free agents. The Mets have made some decent moves during the off-season, however there is still some room for improvement.
One of the first moves made by the Mets was the one-for-one trade. The Mets traded Jonathon Niese, left-handed pitcher, for the second basemen of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Neil Walker. Once this move was made Met fans figured that Daniel Murphy would not be returning since that was the position he once played. They were right because on Christmas Eve the news came out that Murphy took a three year deal with the Washington Nationals.
Last season with the Pirates, Walker had 16 home runs and an on-base percentage of .328. I believe that the Mets got the better end of this deal here, since Niese had a 4.13 ERA. Walker is very good defensively, he was able to assist in a 4-5-4 triple play. The Mets made many errors during the post season due to poor defense, having Walker will definitely benefit them.
Several days after acquiring Neil Walker, the Mets finalized a contract with Asdrubal Cabrera. Cabrera played as a shortstop and second baseman, he played for the Cleveland Indians, Washington Nationals and Tampa Bay Rays. While playing on the Rays, Cabrera hit 15 home run. He had an on-base percentage of .315 in 2015, while nothing really stands out defensively, Cabrera seems to be great at bat.
The Mets really could use some power hitters since the number four hitter in the 2015 line up, Yoenis Cespedes is a free agent. If the Mets do not find a big bat, they would have to rely on Michael Conforto and Travis d'Arnaud to take this role. Conforto hit nine home runs in 2015 with a 26 RBI and an on-base percentage of .335. In 2015, d'Arnaud hit 12 home runs and had an on-base percentage of .340.
The Mets were looking into centerfielders in place of Cespedes' position. There were names thrown around such as Denard Span, who has played for the Minnesota Twins and Washington Nationals. Many fans liked Span's stats, last year he had an on-base percentage of .365. Span would be the big bat that the Mets need on the team.
Instead, the Mets opted for Alejandro De Aza. De Aza played for teams such as the Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and San Fransisco Giants. Many fans were disappointed in the decision because De Aza does not really stand out. This decision made fans question if the Mets have enough money or are just being cheap.
The Mets renewed their contract with right handed pitcher Bartolo Colon for one more year. Last year Colon had an ERA of 4.16.
The Mets are set with their starting pitchers consisting of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard. However, the team is still on the look out for a relief pitcher.
While the Mets are on the right track with some of the moves they are making, there are still a few missing pieces in the line up for 2016.
