What the Mets interest in Joc Pederson might mean...

The Mets seem to be interested in some thump from the left side

What’s up with the Mets? 🍎

• Pete Alonso’s market is dwindling (New York Post)

• Alonso deserves to be a Met (Newsday)

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Rumor Mill 💨

• The Rangers are showing interest in RHP Chris Martin (Dallas Morning News)

• The Yankees are expressing interest in LHP Tim Hill for their bullpen (New York Post)

• The Astros will looking for bullpen help and a left-handed hitting outfielder (Houston Chronicle)

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Realistic and unrealistic left-handed power options ✍️

This is the quietest week on the baseball calendar. The league office is closed for the holiday, so are the club offices, and many of you are off and traveling with your family and/or friends.

That doesn’t mean the wheels don’t stop spinning though. After all, the internet works from most everywhere, so do mobile phones, and business is business regardless of whether or not your favorite GM is sipping a Pina Colada from the beach in St. Barts while you’re at home freezing your ass off walking your dog at 6:30 a.m. and slipping down your icy steps.

OK, that latter part was me venting.

There’s definitely a chance a few deals could get done between now and New Year’s. Who does what and when, we shall see.

Onto the Mets, who of course I was thinking about in my free time on Christmas Day.

Earlier this week, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the Mets had interest in signing OF Joc Pederson before the Rangers snagged him on a two-year, $37 million deal.

I never thought the Mets would sign Peterson, mostly because I figured he’d want at least $15 million on a multi-year deal after such a good year in 2024. I also know they might view that payday and even his season in 2024 as an aberration coming out of a hitter-friendly park in Arizona, and he will regress towards his career OPS+, which is 119 versus the 151 he produced in 2024.

That’s not to say 119 is bad. That means he is typically 19 percent better than average, and the Mets could definitely use a hitter of his ilk.

But considering the Mets were interested (to what level, I couldn’t say) demonstrates a couple of things.

First, the Mets are in the market for a left-handed hitting power bat for a utility outfield role, a left-handed designated hitter, or both.

Second, if they’re in the market for such an asset, how serious is this Alex Bregman/Pete Alonso rumor, really? If the Mets sign both, that means Bregman will be the third baseman, Alonso will be the first baseman, and Mark Vientos is their full-time designated hitter. They would not need to platoon Vientos with a left-handed hitter and would not need even a Jesse Winker type for the roster to be a left-handed bench player.

By the way, Vientos had an .816 OPS against right-handed pitching in 2024. So like I said, he would be a full-time designated hitter in a world where the Mets sign Alonso and Bregman.

As such, I still feel like it’s Alonso or Bregman, not Alonso and Bregman. Maybe I’m wrong, but those are the paths in each scenario.

Let’s just say the outcome is OR, since that feels like the most likely path.

Obviously, Pederson signed with Texas on a two-year deal. Jesse Winker is an obvious fit for that spot on perhaps a two-year deal but for significantly less money. Winker should get a raise from the $2 million he earned in 2024, but he’s probably in the $6-10 million range as opposed to the $18.5 million salary Pederson got. The Mets would need a right-handed complement to Winker, and that could be in the form of Starling Marte, who is a diminished player but still had an .844 OPS vs left-handed pitching in 2024.

That would make the Mets opening day starting lineup look something like one of these (don’t get hung up on the order right now, for those who like to complain or think batting orders really matter):

1. Francisco Lindor SS

2. Brandon Nimmo LF

3. Juan Soto RF

4. Pete Alonso 1B

5. Mark Vientos 3B

6. Jesse Winker/Starling Marte DH

7. Francisco Álvarez C

8. Tyrone Taylor/Jose Siri CF

9. Jeff McNeil/Luisangel Acuña 2B

OR

1. Francisco Lindor SS

2. Brandon Nimmo LF

3. Juan Soto RF

4. Mark Vientos 1B

5. Jesse Winker/Starling Marte DH

6. Alex Bregman 3B

7. Francisco Álvarez C

8. Tyrone Taylor/Jose Siri CF

9. Jeff McNeil/Luisangel Acuña 2B

Neither of these are bad at all.

There’s something a little more far fetched I was thinking about too.

What if Anthony Santander’s market never develops, his free agency lingers, and he can be had on a short-term deal come February? He’s tied to draft compensation after he declined the $21.05 million qualifying offer. There are issues with his peripherals and the .302 on-base percentage he produced last year, but if he can be had close to what he’s already declined on a short-term deal, he fits the profile of what the Mets are looking for like a glove.

The Mets wouldn’t need Santander to play the field that much, which would protect that weakness in his game. He’s a switch hitter, so that would make Marte expendable with a chance to get some salary offset for Santander too (that matters for the luxury tax more than anything else).

Santander hit .235/.308/.506 with 44 home runs and 102 RBI with 129 wRC+ and a career-best 3.3 fWAR in 155 games for the Orioles in 2024. His splits were generally unremarkable against left-handed and right-handed pitching.

Seems to make theoretical sense, doesn’t it? Now, back to reality.

It’s fair to forecast that the market never developing for Santander. But the Mets would have to give up another pick to sign Santander, which makes this idea remote if I had to guess. And I just don’t think the Mets need to wait that long and/or hope that happens or to even spend that much money to get similar value out of other players, such as Winker and Marte.

There’s also the park factor, and Santander’s game might not translate that well at Citi Field, especially if it’s expected he won’t be as productive in 2025.

But hey, it’s December 26. We were off on Christmas Day, and again, I was thinking about a few things Mets in my spare time.

And, I am sharing those thoughts with you and for you to consider this morning.

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Around the League 🚩

• The Kia Tigers in the KBO signed former Cub Patrick Wisdom (Korean Times)