New York Mets Have Some Interest in Bringing Back Former Mariners' OF Jesse Winker
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According to a recent report in The Athletic, the New York Mets have some level of interest in a reunion with former Seattle Mariners outfielder Jesse Winker.
Per Will Sammon:
As an example, the Mets hold some interest in a reunion with free-agent outfielder/designated hitter Jesse Winker, league sources said. The Mets acquired Winker, a left-handed batter, at last season’s trade deadline. With the Mets, he had a .683 OPS, played the corner outfield spots and DH and, players said, enhanced the team’s clubhouse chemistry.
The need for bringing back Winker is necessitated by the fact that the Mets reportedly missed out on another former Mariners outfielder: Teoscar Hernandez signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers instead.
This year, Winker hit .253 with 14 homers and 58 RBI between the Mets and Nationals organizations.
Winker is one of the more frustrating players in the last decade or so of Mariners baseball. After being dealt to Seattle in 2022, he hit just .219 with 14 homers and 53 RBI. There were also questions about his fit in the clubhouse, and he ended that season injured and unavailable for the M's as they broke the playoff drought. The Mariners traded him to Milwaukee before the 2023 season and he hit just .199 with the Brewers, hitting only one home run.
He had been acquired alongside Eugenio Suarez in 2022. He made the All-Star team in 2021 with Cincinnati and never had an on-base percentage lower than .357 there. There had been rumors about him re-signing in Cincinnati this year, but nothing has happened yet.
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