New York Mets Should Pursue Carlos Gomez
The New York Mets could really use a right-handed bat in the outfield right now. Fortunately, Carlos Gomez is about to become a free agent.
Everyone remembers the infamous moment last season when Carlos Gomez had apparently been traded to the New York Mets from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Zack Wheeler and Wilmer Flores.
Flores cried on the field when informed of the impending trade. As we all know, the trade didn’t end up going through because of a medical issue with Gomez. Instead, the Mets acquired Yoenis Cespedes from the Detroit Tigers two days later. One year later, there’s a realistic possibility that we’ll be seeing Gomez and Cespedes both playing for the Mets.
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The Houston Astros designated Gomez, 30, for assignment Wednesday. He cleared waivers, and will become a free agent on Thursday unless the Astros are able to trade him before then. The Mets are one of the teams that have expressed interest in him.
General Manager Sandy Alderson said on Thursday that the team has an open mind about the prospect of signing Gomez. Other teams rumored to be in the running to get him include the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals.
The Marlins just lost slugging outfielder Giancarlo Stanton to a groin injury that will probably sideline him for the remainder of the season. Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday recently broke his thumb in a game and will be out awhile.
The #Cardinals are indeed looking into trading for Carlos Gomez, as @dgoold said. Ability to play CF big. Might get outbid by the #Mets
— Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) August 12, 2016
For the Mets, it makes a lot of sense to try and sign Gomez. Since Juan Lagares and Justin Ruggiano are both on the disabled list, the team has a shortage of right-handed hitters in the outfield. When the Mets have faced left-handed pitching lately, Ty Kelly has been starting in left field.
Kelly, who is batting .200 with a home run and three RBIs in 40 at-bats, isn’t exactly tearing things up. The Mets faced another lefty last night in Robbie Ray when they were in Arizona taking on the Diamondbacks. Kelly started in left field.
Starting Kelly against lefties isn’t exactly ideal. Right now, however, Mets manager Terry Collins doesn’t have any other options. His three main outfielders that are currently healthy, Curtis Granderson, Jay Bruce, and Alejandro De Aza are all lefties.
Carlos Gomez is hitting .210/.272/.322 in 323 plate appearances this season. Is making $9M this season.
— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinMedia) August 10, 2016
This season, Gomez hasn’t exactly had the best year. He’s hitting just .210 with five homers and 29 RBIs. This is the main reason that the Astros designated him for assignment. This wasn’t the performance they were expecting out of him when they traded for him last July.
Just a few years ago though, Gomez was one of the better hitters in all of baseball. He batted .284 in 2013 and 2014, driving in 73 runs during each of those seasons. He was an All-Star both of those years.
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Sandy Alderson should really consider pursuing Gomez. He would certainly be an upgrade over Kelly. A speedy center fielder with some power, Gomez could really be a valuable asset for the Mets. We’ll see if the team makes a move on him before the end of the week.