2 Areas New York Mets Must Address After Carlos Correa Resolution
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Once the Mets come to a resolution on the Carlos Correa situation, there is still work to be done in the roster building department.
Here are two key areas the Mets must address after the Correa saga concludes.
Bullpen
General manager Billy Eppler did a great job addressing the high-leverage portion of his bullpen: re-signing Edwin Diaz and Adam Ottavino, adding David Robertson and trading for Brooks Raley. Now, the Mets must work to fill out the rest of this unit with proven arms.
Beyond Drew Smith and the four pitchers previously mentioned, the Mets have several remaining holes in their 'pen.
The Mets have depth relievers in John Curtiss, Tommy Hunter, Elieser Hernandez, Jeff Brigham and Jimmy Yacabonis, but they could stand to add another option or two on the open market.
If they shop in the more expensive pool for relievers, lefty Andrew Chafin and right-hander Michael Fulmer are two pieces that fit.
On the second tier level of the market, the Mets could potentially look at Will Smith, Willy Peralta and Matt Moore.
Should the Mets go after another top reliever, they will still likely have to sign a pitcher off the next tier to round out their bullpen, which is at least two pieces away from being complete.
Outfield
According to a report from MLB insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Mets plan on targeting a backup outfielder once the Correa saga is over.
Beyond the starting outfield trio of Starling Marte, Brandon Nimmo and Mark Canha, second baseman Jeff McNeil is currently the Mets' fourth outfielder.
After McNeil, minor leaguer Khalil Lee is the fifth outfielder on the depth chart, which is why the Mets have to bolster their depth in this area.
The best backup outfield options that remain on the free agent market include: Adam Duvall, A.J. Pollock and Jurickson Profar.
If the Mets are unable to sign any of the previously mentioned options, David Peralta, Robbie Grossman and Tommy Pham are three names that make sense.
Peralta, specifically, would be an underrated addition, as he posted a .731 OPS, hit 12 home runs and drove in 59 runs for the Tampa Bay Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks this past season.
Like the bullpen, the Mets likely need to add multiple outfielders, one at the major league level and one on a minor league deal in order to bolster their outfield depth for this season.
Read More:
- Mets 'Very Frustrated' With Carlos Correa Negotiations
- Mets in Search of Backup Outfielder
- MLB Insider says Carlos Correa Deal With Mets Will be 'Dramatically Different'
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