New York Mets: T.J. Rivera is the forgotten piece of the hectic offseason

The New York Mets have had a busy offseason and already have a different look and feel, but on the back-burner of it all will be a returning T.J.  Rivera.

The New York Mets have made a lot of moves already this offseason but one of the pieces that they will be getting back in 2019 is also T.J. Rivera.

Jeurys Familia is not the only Mets player who will be coming back in 2019. At some point, the Mets infielder and native New Yorker will be back.

It might have been super easy to forget, or even give up on T.J. Rivera in the last calendar year. He missed the entire 2018 season and was at his best in 2017 when the Mets were at their worse.

He underwent Tommy John surgery over a year ago and suffered too many setback to have it even be worth coming back in 2018.

However, he is a hidden gem from this offseason. It is almost difficult to explain how. But look at it this way.

Wilmer Flores is now a free agent.

Why is that okay? It is okay because T.J. Rivera is a version of Wilmer now.

With the addition of Robinson Cano, and the hitting surge of Jeff McNeil from last year, you almost have to assume both of those players will find playing time in 2019.

The Mets are going to have to get creative in figuring that out.

Also, the Mets have Todd Frazier and an unproven first baseman. I’m assuming that Peter Alonso will be at first.

But, in addition to that, we must not forget how Todd Frazier spent time on the DL last year and might not be as reliable as he only got older.

In addition to that, if he does not get traded, the Mets will only have the inconsistent, leaning towards bust, Dominic Smith as another infielder.

If you tie all of these player together the Mets still need something. They still need that platoon player who can come in and help in the case of an injury or players failing to produce.

That player is T.J. Rivera. That makes the Cano trade even more of an asset. The Mets aren’t losing anything from it, through having Rivera.

Rivera does not exactly have a grandiose or appetizing sample size to base off but in over 300 at-bats, he is a .304 hitter.

But, he can also play multiple infield positions. In fact, he has even started at first, second, and third base before.

So, with Rivera coming back, the Mets have depth. They have a right bat who can come in and make situational baseball easier.

The best part is, the Mets do not need to rely on him yet. The guy has not played in an MLB games since the summer of 2017. You do not need to be an expert to realize how long a time that is.

But, he is still an asset to have. They can allow him to eaze into things. A few at bats here and there. Play a little defense.

Overall, he just provides depth. They brought in Cano and had to let go of Wilmer.

They still have McNeil and they still have Frazier.

Of course, there are a lot of unknowns how the Mets will approach this roster in 2019. There are few given this early in the offseason.

However, as crazy as things have been, and who knows what new General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen will do next, the Mets and the fans must not forget.

One of the best things to happen to the Mets this offseason is getting T.J. Rivera back. He is the tool every MLB team needs. He might be a solid enough hitter to surprise us all too.