Report: Mets Agree to Deal With CF Albert Almora Jr.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets agreed to a contract with outfielder Albert Almora Jr. on Sunday, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Andy McCollough.

The terms of Sunday's deal have yet to be announced.

Almora, 26, spent his first five years with the Cubs. He is a career .271 hitter, tallying 28 home runs and 134 RBI. Once considered to be a key member in the young Cubs core, Almora was an important piece down the stretch in 2016, when they won their first World Series in 108 years. But, his production dipped over his last few seasons and he struggled to find playing time with Chicago in 2020. He was mostly used as a defensive replacement and logged just 30 at-bats, posting a career-low .465 OPS.

Still, Almora fills an obvious need for the Mets this season after they missed out on acquiring outfielder George Springer, who last month signed a six-year, $150 million deal with the Blue Jays. In Almora, New York gets a strong defensive center fielder who could see more at-bats against left-handers. Right now, all three of the Mets' projected starting outfielders are left-handed hitters, with converted first baseman Dom Smith manning left field. Almora has been more productive in his career against lefties (.734 OPS) than righties (.694).

The addition of Almora marks the latest of a string of moves by the Mets this offseason. New York signed catcher James McCann to a four-year deal in December, and they traded for shortstop Francisco Lindor in January. The Mets were one of the finalists to sign reigning NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer, but Bauer signed with the Dodgers on Friday.

The Mets finished fourth in the NL East in 2020 at 26–34. They enter 2021 seeking their first playoff appearance since 2016.