Mets going Gonzo?
Looking for a temporary fix at first base, the Mets have reached out to veteran Adrian Gonzalez, a team source confirmed Tuesday night. Gonzalez was released Monday by the Braves after being traded to Atlanta from the Dodgers in a money swap to try and get under the luxury tax.
While Gonzalez is guaranteed the $22.36 million remaining on his contract paid by the Braves, any team signing him as a free agent would only be required to pay him the major-league minimum, similar to the deal the Mets made with Jose Reyes in 2016 after he was released by the Rockies.
Gonzalez, who will be 36 next season, would be a cheap stopgap who would not prevent the Mets’ top prospect, Dominic Smith, from taking over at first base in the team’s eyes.
The Mets are looking to give Smith — who hit just .198 with nine home runs and 26 RBI in 49 major-league games last season — a chance to develop a little more.
Sandy Alderson made it clear that the Mets were not overly impressed with Smith, who arrived in the major leagues out of shape last August, and that he was not guaranteed the starting first base job this spring.
Gonzalez is a five-time All-Star who was limited to just 71 games with the Dodgers last season because of back problems. He hit just .242.
The Mets need to bulk up their lineup and first base, second base and the outfield are positions they can conceivably work on. They have had interest in a reunion with Jay Bruce, planning to use him at first base and the outfield to give Michael Conforto a chance to return fully from shoulder surgery, and also to support Smith.
Gonzalez waived his no-trade clause to the Braves knowing he would be released and be able to reach the free-agent market.
With a limited offseason budget, the Mets are looking for creative ways to rebuild their lineup heading into 2018.
Henrik Lundqvist being an integral part of Ranger victories is expected. The same can’t be said for Paul Carey.
The combined contributions of those two players, though, were immense in the Rangers’ 4-1 victory over Anaheim on Tuesday night at the Garden. Lundqvist made 39 saves while Carey scored twice for his first career multi-goal game.
“It’s a big night. It was a lot of fun,” said Carey, who had a great chance in front for a hat trick stopped halfway through the third period. “Certainly I was trying to get that third one. I’ve never been able to do that at this level, so it was a good time. It’s nice to be rewarded.”
Both of Carey’s goals were assisted by David Desharnais, who dropped to the fourth line upon Mika Zibanejad’s return from a nine-game concussion absence but remained in the lineup along with Carey as Alain Vigneault opted to make rookie Boo Nieves the healthy scratch to reinsert Zibanejad, a decision that paid off.
Carey, whose first goal came with 45.5 seconds left in the first, was a depth signing for the Rangers (19-12-3) on a one-year, $650,000 deal and made the team out of training camp. Given an extended run of 14 consecutive games, he has proven to be a useful player on the fourth line, a good forechecker with enough speed and know-how to make the opposition uncomfortable. After totaling 32 NHL games over the previous four seasons, he’s made 22 appearances for the Rangers this season.
“In the last little while here he’s been called upon and he’s played well and he’s played some good minutes for us,” Vigneault said of Carey. “He’s been dependable on both ends and he’s been able to find ways to contribute on the scoresheet, which is a real positive thing.” For most of the night it seemed Lundqvist would not be beaten. He made 31 saves over the first two periods and only lost the shutout with 5:17 remaining, which was followed by Michael Grabner’s team-best 17th goal.
It’s going to get harder and harder for Vigneault to find games for backup Ondrej Pavelec if Lundqvist keeps playing like this, though Pavelec has played well himself. Over Lundqvist’s last 13 games he has a 2.03 goals against average and .940 save percentage, vintage numbers for the 13th-year face of the franchise who will turn 36 in March.
“I feel really good,” Lundqvist said. “I think the way I take care of myself right now as I am getting older – the way I eat, the way I sleep, the way I prepare – I try to do everything I can to stay on top of my game. I feel like the team is playing really well and that’s helpful. I can focus on the shooter a lot. It’s a big thing for me to commit to the shooter a lot more, feeling that support from the guys around me. I think the last month and a half I have been feeling really good.”