It has been my opinion and the opinion of basically every fan of the New York Mets that they had to make this offseason count. With only $40 million on the books for 2014, and ace pitcher Matt Harvey out for the season, they had to add several high-quality players. Not MVP candidates necessarily, but good, reliable productive guys.
Curtis Granderson fits the bill incredibly well. After what felt like months of negotiating, the Mets inked him to a 4 year, $60 million deal.
Let's look at the facts. He is an 11-year veteran. He has speed. Three seasons of 20 or more stolen bases. He has power. Six straight season of 20 or more homers until last year when he was injured. A three-time All-Star and a very good defensive outfielder. He can play anywhere in the outfield, and that position is far and away the biggest weakness on this Mets roster. Moreover, after the last three years, he has proven he can thrive playing in New York City.
Not to mention he's a Chicago kid and part investor in the phenomenal Fifty/50 sports bar on the northwest side. I think I may have to go indulge in a 4-courser sandwich to celebrate!
The biggest knock on him is he strikes out too much. Over 100 nearly every season, including 195 in 2012. The thought of him and Ike Davis and Lucas Duda in the same lineup may set strikeout records.
Now GM Sandy Alderson has more work to do. A starting pitcher and a shortstop at the least. For instance, Bronson Arroyo and Stephen Drew. That might be shooting too high, but a team built like that along with David Wright, Jon Niese, and Zach Wheeler could win 85 games. If Harvey was around, I'd say that would be a legitimate playoff contender. Let's see what happens.
No comments:
Post a Comment