With George Springer on his way to Toronto, the New York Mets appear to have their eyes set on Jackie Bradley Jr. and Kiké Hernández.
According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the New York Mets’ main targets are now Jackie Bradley Jr., Kiké Hernández, and bullpen help.
Jackie Bradley Jr. becomes a necessity for the Mets after missing out on George Springer. The Mets can’t move forward with Brandon Nimmo in center field and JBJ is the only starting center fielder left on the market.
Bradley Jr.’s elite defense would be most welcome for the Mets. With him in center field and Nimmo moving back to his natural spot in left field the Mets should have an above-average defensive outfield — a huge upgrade over their 2020 unit, which was among the league’s worst.
The question with JBJ has always been the bat. He’s an inconsistent hitter, though he did put together a strong 2020 hitting .283/.364/.450. That was a career year for Bradley that he isn’t likely to repeat, but if he can come close then he’ll be one of the steals of free agency.
Even when he was among the worst hitting center fielders in MLB in 2018 and 2019 JBJ was still worth 2.8 and 1.4 fWAR respectively.
Kiké Hernández would be a strong addition to the bench. His versatility would be most welcome, as would his right-handed bat. He’d fit perfectly on the Mets bench next to Luis Guillorme and José Martínez.
In the bullpen, the biggest name out there is Brad Hand. The Mets were seen as frontrunners for Hand before he switched agents. Now, nobody knows. Sandy Alderson is notorious for refusing to hand out multi-year deals to relievers. Hand wants a multi-year deal. One side will have to crack for a deal to happen.
If the Mets don’t land Hand, then two names to keep an eye on are Justin Wilson and Oliver Pérez. Two strong lefty relievers with ties to the New York Mets organization.