I was on a Mets blog and the question was: Should the Mets re-sign Neil Walker? I thought about it but I couldn't answer it, without going into the whole roster.
When considering the Mets roster for next year, start by taking a look at the guys they have under contract and then determine all their needs and then prioritize them. In the infield, there is Jose Reyes, Wilmer Flores, T.J. Rivera, Asdrubel Cabrera, David Wright, and Lucas Duda. It seems to me that Reyes can play third base, and they must have his bat at the top of the lineup. Cabrera is the short stop. I could see a spring battle for 2nd base though I think Rivera would have the edge because Flores is so valuable as the backup because he can play all four positions. At first, Duda is serviceable, or I've heard that Conforto is a possibility, though I see him as an OF. David Wright could possibly platoon at 1st base, but I can't watch him throw the ball across the diamond anymore. I think its safe to assume that any contribution David Wright makes next year is a bonus. About Walker, it depends first on health, and then on their evaluation of TJ Rivera and Wilmer Flores as a second baseman. A healthy Walker is an excellent fielder and a very good hitter. My guess is they won't unless he wants to come for one or two seasons. One other interesting prospect is Gavin Cecchini, who wowed me with his bat in the September call up. He COULD play a role in the 2B situation, but likely will start the season in AAA because he has played mostly SS in the minors.
With regards to the OF, the Mets have JB Jason Bay, oops I meant Jay Bruce, freudian slip there. They have Conforto, Granderson, Lagares, Nimmo and Bruce and .... Everyone seems to think the Mets NEED Cespedes. And people are demanding that the Wilpons open their wallet and pay him. I personally think it is unlikely that Sandy Alderson will sign him. We all love Cespedes for his big HRs and how he carried us to the playoffs in August 2015. But if he opts out, he will then be looking for 5 or 6 year deal in the neighborhood of $150 mill. In the next year or 3, the Mets will have to start signing their young pitchers and it will be tough when you are already paying an OF $30 mill per year. Some other drawbacks are that Cespedes seems to get nicked up a lot, he’s a bit of a diva, I mean he doesn’t play CF anymore, and can’t catch a fly ball in LF, though his arm is best suited for RF. Its his God given right to play golf every day of the year apparently. He takes plays off in the field and on the bases. I think Alderson would make him an offer, but I think 4 years is all he’d go, maybe just three. Perhaps Cespedes will not opt out. He loves NY, he knows if he opts out, he’s going to get a better offer elsewhere. Maybe he’ll just stay. If he doesn’t, I think the Mets will stand pat in the OF with the 5 they have.
If Cespedes leaves, they still will need a big bat. First base would be a nice spot since Duda is kind of uninspiring. Unfortunately there are not a lot of great 1Bs out there, only Edwin Encarnacion could promise the kind of thunder that Cespedes provides, and he’s 33 (we think). Jonathan Lucroy is a nice hitter and would be a huge upgrade at catcher, but he’s really not a thumper - the 24 dingers he hit this year was the first time he topped 20 in his career. OF Mark Trumbo is another possibility at 1B. He could play OF if they move Conforto to 1B. OR, the Mets could make a trade, perhaps for a young player who might hit FA the following year.
Even if they do nothing, they should have their entire rotation healthy for 2017, and that should put the Mets back in the playoffs even if they signed no one. I would love to bring Big Sexy back too. All he does is lead the Mets in wins every year. Not sure if Addison Reed is under contract for next year, but Alderson has done a nice job mixing home grown talent with veteran acquisitions so I think the bullpen will be fine.
So the outlook is very good. If they could just land that one bat…