STEARNS DIRECTING TRAFFIC
New Met prez managing infield logjam, also on lookout for outfielders
NASHVILLE — The Mets have too many infielders and they aren’t sure what they can get out of the outfield. David Stearns is trying to figure out how to solve the equation.
The Mets came to Music City for the winter meetings this week seeking starting pitching, but they’ve made known a desire for outfield help as well.
“We could stand to add an outfielder there,” Stearns said Monday at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. “That can look a variety of different ways and we could take a variety of different paths. It could be more defensive-oriented. It could be someone who we view as a bat-first player. I do think there are options on the free agency and trade markets that we’re working through.”
Asked what he thinks he can expect from 35-year-old Starling Marte after a season marred by groin injuries and migraine problems, the Mets’ president of baseball operations didn’t deflect.
“I don’t know,” Stearns said.
This doesn’t mean the Mets are counting out a player who was crucial to a 101-win season in 2022. Stearns is optimistic about a bounceback year for a two-time All-Star now that the club has identified what they think went wrong with his rehab from double groin surgery a year ago. With the quest to build depth, the Mets need to find an outfielder who can play both corner spots and log “significant playing time” to insulate themselves.
“I think that we need to create levels of redundancy throughout our roster and we need to create levels of rest,” Stearns said. “I’m going to remain very optimistic about what Starling can provide and will provide for us, but we also have to make sure we have sufficient depth behind.”
Marte was one of the most important hitters in the 2022 lineup, earning an All-Star nod and NL MVP votes. He hit just .248 with a .625 OPS, five home runs and 24 stolen bases while playing through pain. His minus-6 outs above average in the outfield was the worst of his career.
Marte is working out in his native Dominican Republic this winter. New manager Carlos Mendoza will check in on him later this month when he visits the country to tour the club’s Dominican complex. Stearns will also make a trip to the Dominican before spring training.
Currently, the Mets only have three outfielders on the roster: Marte, Brandon Nimmo and DJ Stewart. With the ability to play multiple positions, Jeff McNeil provides the Mets with some outfield depth. The Mets could move him to the outfield to plug the hole, but they don’t view that as a solution.
“I think one of the great things about Jeff is that he can play all over the field, so I think we’d be doing ourselves and him a disservice if we just penciled him into one specific spot,” Stearns said. “I think the way our roster lines up right now, he probably sees a lot of time at second base. That’s probably his most comfortable position.”
This makes for a crowded infield with second baseman Ronny Mauricio and newly-added infielder Joey Wendle also needing time.
McNeil is also coming off a down season that ended with an injury — a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. But the Mets view last season as an aberration for the 2022 NL batting champ. He’s also a more reliable defender than the 22-year-old Mauricio, who only moved to second base last season with Triple-A Syracuse.
Mauricio’s future might be at third base, but that creates questions about where Brett Baty and Mark Vientos will play. The Mets didn’t come away with an answer for either of them last season.
The 23-year-old Vientos, who came up in the minors playing third base but was switched to first so the organization could accommodate Baty, is still without a real position. Stearns remains intrigued by his bat, but interrupting his defensive development by using him only as a platoon DH might not be in the best interest of the team or Vientos.
Vientos will get a shot at the hot corner and so will Baty and Mauricio. Wendle will play plenty over there as well. McNeil will get chances in the outfield.
COMEBACK SEASON
Luis Severino is healthy and the Mets think he can stay that way. The club signed the former Yankees right-hander to a one-year, $14 million contract last week. It’s a prove-it deal for a once-great ace whose career has been decimated by injuries.
Severino is coming off the worst season of his career, but he still threw in the high-90s at times and a revamped training regimen has the Mets optimistic about a bounceback campaign.
“He’s been through a lot the past couple of years with injuries, as everybody knows,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But the talent, we saw it towards the end of the year. Fastball, live. Obviously, the goal is to keep him healthy. This is something that we need to work on with him and his people and our people here.”
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