New York Mets

Can the New York Mets patch up their problems at third base by signing Yulieski Gourriel, a player Yoenis Cespedes called “[the] best player in Cuba?”

The New York Mets have a handful of problems.

One of the most glaring is a vacancy at third base. El Capitano, David Wright, underwent a succesful cervical discectomy and fusion surgery performed by Dr. Robert Watkins in Marina del Rey, California.

As of the present, Wilmer Flores is the team’s starting third baseman. After a slow start, he’s had a torrid month of June. However, he’s posted a .366 BABIP — nearly 90 points above his career average — which suggests that he isn’t going to be able to sustain this production.

If he does, New York will be aided tremendously. Realistically speaking, though, he’ll simmer back down to Earth, which means that Sandy Alderson’s squad will still be without a crucial corner infielder.

The Mets currently have a window to win the World Series — and it should be open for a couple more seasons. The team shouldn’t mortgage their future on making the postseason this year, rather, they should ensure that they have the chance to hoist baseball’s ultimate trophy for a number of seasons.

They can do both by inking Cuban third baseman Yulieski Gourriel to a deal. Gourriel, a former teammate of Yoenis Cespedes, is the top ranked Cuban prospect according to Baseball America.

Unsurprisingly, Cespedes extensively praised Gourriel: “At the time I left Cuba [in 2011] that was the best ballplayer in Cuba. He’s a five tool player.”

Gourriel has been lauded for being able to hit for both average and power. He’s displayed patience at the plate and an adequate arm in the field.

Over a span of nine seasons in the Japanese and Cuban leagues, he’s hit .335/.417/.580. Cespedes hit .319/.404/.585.

As Mets Daddy terrifically encapsulated in an article for MetsMerized, if this production translates into the big leagues like Cespedes’, New York will be acquiring a star.

They better hope so.

NEXT: Is A Wild Card Finish Harsh Reality For The New York Mets?

Justin Weiss is a staff editor at Elite Sports New York, where he covers the New York Islanders and Brooklyn Cyclones. In 2016, he received a Quill Award for Freelance Journalism. He has written for the Long Island Herald, FanSided and YardBarker.