Barring a shocking development, it seems as though Brodie Van Wagenen’s shopping spree during his first offseason as New York Mets general manager is drawing to a close.
While he was as aggressive as possible given who he was working under (the Wilpon family), Mets fans will still feel slighted that the team did not at least make a run for free-agent megastars Bryce Harper and Manny Machado.
Still, Van Wagenen was able to bring in plenty of upgrades at positions of need, including Edwin Diaz and Jeurys Familia for the bullpen, Wilson Ramos at catcher, and Robinson Cano at second base.
On Jan. 10, the Mets made what is believed to be one of their final major moves, signing veteran infielder Jed Lowrie to a two-year, $20 million deal. The 34-year-old is coming off a career season with the Oakland Athletics, batting .267 with a career-high 23 home runs and 99 RBI.
While it’s a solid signing on the cheap for the Mets, it adds another infielder to an already crowded mix. It’s worth noting that Lowrie is capable of playing second base, third base, and shortstop, but the problem is there were already names slated to each of his spots. He will compete for playing time alongside Cano, shortstop Amed Rosario, third baseman Todd Frazier, and Jeff McNeil.
McNeil seems to be one of the odd men out as he will be looked on as a utility man that will play both the infield and outfield, per SNY’s Andy Martino. In the meantime, manager Mickey Callaway might have to do some lineup shuffling to ensure New York’s new acquisitions get regular playing time.
Here is Metro New York’s projected 2019 lineup for the Mets:
2019 Mets projected lineup
1. Brandon Nimmo- RF
2. Jed Lowrie- 2B
3. Robinson Cano- 1B
4. Michael Conforto- LF
5. Wilson Ramos- C
6. Todd Frazier- 3B
7. Juan Lagares- CF
8. Amed Rosario- SS
The decision to move Cano to first base would ensure Lowrie gets a proper amount of playing time seeing as he’s played in at least 150 games in each of the last two years. It would also allow the Mets to keep first-base phenom prospect Peter Alonso down in the minors for at least the first few weeks of the season. That would ensure the Mets get one more year of control over Alonso should he not meet the 172-day service time limit in his first season.
At third base, Frazier could have a short leash at third base with McNeil waiting in the wings. The 26-year-old immediately showed that he was a pure hitter upon his call up to the big leagues last summer, slashing .329/.381/.471 in 63 games. However, he provides a backup option for Lowrie, as well, which means he shouldn’t have a problem getting 350-to-400 at-bats this season.
