Mets sign ex-Yank as depth for infield
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Mets continue to capitalize on a soft market for lowceiling players. They have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with veteran infielder Adeiny Hechavarria, pending his physical examination, according to an industry source.
Hechavarria, 29, will report to First Data Field on Monday and undergo his medical examination before joining the club for its first full-squad meeting. He might not be cleared to join the team on the field until Tuesday. In Hechavarria, the Mets have a bona-fide backup for starting shortstop Amed Rosario. Veteran Jed Lowrie ranks second on the depth chart among players with guaranteed contracts, yet the 34-year-old Lowrie hasn’t played shortstop regularly since 2014. Hechavarria played 31 games at shortstop last year, 15 with the Pirates and 16 with the Yankees, plus four games at third base. Overall, he slashed .258/.289/.332, largely in line with his career norms.
At Sunday’s Grapefruit League Media Day, Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen declined to discuss Hechavarria specifically since he hasn’t passed his physical. However, Van Wagenen said, “We were aggressive in identifying which pieces we wanted to acquire, but I don’t think it was mutually exclusive to not continuing to look for other players. This potential depth piece that we’re about to finalize, hopefully, is another example of it.
“I think some of the non-roster players that we’ve signed in recent days and weeks are now supplementing some of the bigger pieces that we’ve already done. We’ll continue to do that. We’re always looking for ways to be better.”