The New York Mets have already overhauled their middle infield by signing of Asdrubal Cabrera and trading for Neil Walker, but the team might not be done making moves.
The latest Mets rumor is that the team wants to find a lefty centerfield to pair in a platoon with Juan Lagares. Newsday reports that Denard Span, Gerardo Parra and Will Venable are at the top of the list for the Mets. New York might even offer one of those players a long-term deal.
"We’re going to look at each one of them individually," assistant general manager John Ricco told Newsday. "If it’s enough of an upgrade where it warrants a longer-term deal and we think it’s going to make us better, I think we’d be open to that."
Lagares had a down year defensively in 2015, but did win a Gold Glove the season before. Lagares was solid against lefties, but struggled mightily against right handed pitching. He posted a .599 OPS against righties, the lowest among all players with at least 200 at-bats against right handers.
All three players would be upgrades over Lagares against righties. Parra posted a .809 OPS last year and has a .767 career figure. The 28-year old wants a four-year contract. Span recorded a .880 OPS last season, up from his career .760 OPS. Health issues could cost Span a long-term deal. Venable had a .710 OPS last year, which was down from his .745 career figures. Venable is already 33 and would likely be the cheapest option.
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