The New York Mets have added some depth at first base. Matt Adams will provide another powerful bat if called upon.
The New York Mets announced on Friday that they have come to an agreement with free-agent first baseman Matt Adams.
We have signed first baseman Matt Adams (@BigCityForReal) to a minor league contract and invited him to major league #SpringTraining. #Mets pic.twitter.com/RkrPbedGmO
— New York Mets (@Mets) January 31, 2020
The deal is a one-year, minor-league contract with an invite to spring training. Matt Adams played a major role in coming off the bench for the world champion Washington Nationals in 2019.
He slashed a paltry .226/.276/.465. His .741 OPS is incredible considering his awful on-base numbers and that’s a testament to the power in his bat. He hit 20 home runs in 310 at-bats. For comparison, Pete Alonso hit 53 in 597 at-bats.
Adams has real power potential which could be an incredibly valuable tool for first-time manager Luis Rojas. The issue is that Adams doesn’t bring anything other than his power. He’s a neutral defender at first base, his base running isn’t good, and he strikes out a ton.
Adams was awful against the Mets last season, hitting just .182/.182/.182. That’s six hits in 33 at-bats, all singles without any walks.
Considering the Mets already have Alonso and Dom Smith on the roster, it’s hard to see what role Adams could play. It’s likely he’s a filler piece for the minor league roster who ends up on the 40-man roster if Alonso or Smith suffers an injury.
This isn’t the flashiest move the New York Mets could have made but its a fine move that adds depth in case of emergency.
With spring training just around the corner, the Mets are still lacking in the bullpen and have little starting pitching depth. It’s puzzling why the team would prioritize a depth-first baseman over depth pitching at this point.
Hopefully, they rectify that quickly.
