New York Mets: Jose Bautista would make a good fit for 2018

Jose Bautista would be a perfect fit for the New York Mets clubhouse and budget.

The New York Mets find themselves in an interesting situation this offseason. They have holes to fill, that part is not unique. The fact that they have a budget, however, is. Despite being in a major market, they are mandated to cut payroll. We can go back and forth about the reasons why, but it is what it is. The Mets have to improve by limited means.

The team has shown some interest in bringing back Jay Bruce. If that doesn’t work out, the Mets Report  had an excellent idea for an alternative:

Here we have a high-quality, yet economical idea. Parker White of 12up.com is right.

More from Empire Writes Back

• Caesars New York Promo Code: Win $250 Bonus GUARANTEED on ANY Bet!
• Last Chance Caesars Promo: Claim $1,250 Bonus for ANY MLB Bet!
• Caesars New York Promo Code Gives TWO Chances to Win Betting on Your Yankees!
• PointsBet New York Promo: FIVE $100 Bonus Bets to Back the Yankees or Mets!
• Caesars NY Promo: $1,250 Bonus to Celebrate the Return of Judge!

There is no doubting the fact that Jose Bautista is a slugger. After all, he averages 32 home runs per season. That, Mets fans, is a big bat.

He is 37 years old and on the back-end of his career. But that doesn’t hurt as much as you might think it would. First of all, in a bad year, he notched 119 hits, 23 home runs and 65 RBI. That’s really not that bad. At the bare minimum, those are useful numbers that would make the Mets better.

You only need to look back to 2015 to find the last time when Bautista had a huge year, with 40 home runs and 114 RBI. That’s not that long ago. He could improve protected by Cespedes in that lineup. His presence would also do wonders for a guy like Michael Conforto.

Bautista has made $14 million per year until last year when he signed a one year contract worth $18 million (via Spotrac). Fred Wilpon and company would have an on the spot heart attack if they were presented with that type of signing right now. Most Mets fans would not be happy about that even if they don’t like Fred and son Jeff.

Next: Five best center fielders in Mets history

However, coming off of a down year, they should be able to get him on the cheap. He’s 37 years old and obviously not getting any younger. Bautista should bring in a less than premium contract. If that can happen the Mets need to give it some serious thought. He would be a great answer in the middle of the lineup.