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In his first winter in charge of the New York Mets, president of baseball operations David Stearns has made several moves to shape the organization’s 2024 roster. One perceived hole that hasn’t yet been plugged by an external acquisition is designated hitter.
The Athletic’s Will Sammon reported on February 1 how the front office is currently viewing this area of the Mets’ everyday lineup. There are still two free-agent sluggers available who could conceivably be had at an affordable price and immediately boost New York’s offense: J.D. Martinez and Jorge Soler.
While New York isn’t closing the door on either hitter, Sammon is reporting that their respective asking prices will need to “dramatically drop” for the Mets to become “aggressive pursuers.” If that’s the case, then which hitters will share the majority of DH at-bats in Queens during the 2024 season? Per Sammon, it will mostly include a combination of Mark Vientos, Starling Marte and DJ Stewart.
Designated hitter has been an area of concern for the Mets since the Universal DH rule went into effect at the start of 2022. The hitters used for this position have combined to hit .223/.309/.374 across 1,588 plate appearances. It’s produced a .682 OPS, which is the sixth-worst mark in baseball, per FanGraphs.
How Much Would Prices Need to Drop for the Mets?
There’s certainly been outside pressure put on the Mets to take advantage of a slow-moving free-agent market. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman called on New York to sign Martinez or Soler because they “owe it to Pete Alonso” to get him legitimate lineup protection. Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter also predicted on February 1 that New York would ultimately land Martinez.
If their respective prices need to drop dramatically for the Mets to get seriously involved, what would it take?
On November 6, MLB Trade Rumors made contract predictions for their top 50 free agents. They pegged Martinez for a two-year, $40 million deal and Soler for a three-year, $45 million pact. Based on Stearns’ offseason moves, New York might only be seriously interested if it’s a one-year commitment.
The lone player to join Queens on a multi-year agreement this winter is starting pitcher Sean Manaea. He signed a two-year, $28 million deal, but even the second season of his contract isn’t totally guaranteed. It’s a player option, per Spotrac.
A Look at New York’s Projected 2024 DH Production
Daniel Vogelbach received the bulk of at-bats as New York’s designated hitter in 2023. He hit .233/.339/.404 with 13 home runs and 48 RBI in 319 plate appearances.
Keeping with the trio of Vientos, Marte and Stewart, here’s what FanGraphs’ ZiPS projections are expecting from them in 2024:
- Vientos: .238/.300/.428 with 20 home runs and 67 RBI
- Marte: .264/.323/.391 with nine home runs and 44 RBI
- Stewart: .218/.294/.369 with 12 home runs and 43 RBI
Stearns said on January 10 during an appearance on “The Show” podcast with Heyman and the New York Post’s Joel Sherman that the Mets didn’t want to take opportunities from young players to establish themselves by acquiring a veteran.
How the market evolves will determine what ultimately happens. This is lining up to be a great chance for Vientos to show what he can do, though. Marte is currently slotted to be the starting right fielder. With infielder Ronny Mauricio rehabbing from a torn ACL, there are more at-bats to go around for Brett Baty and Vientos.
As it currently stands, ZiPS is projecting a .728 OPS for Vientos in 2024. That’d be a substantial increase from his career .610 OPS and it’d be a significant boost to the Mets’ lineup.
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