Earlier this offseason, the Mets were frequently rumored to be interested in adding Butt to their DH lineup after parting ways with Dan Vogelbach at the November non-tender deadline. However, the club now appears to have other priorities. According to a recent report by Will Sammon of The Athletic, the club intends to stick with its internal options at DH and instead focus its attention on the free agent market for players such as: JD Martinez or Jorge SolerAt least prices won't fall “dramatically”. Sammon went on to point out that the club did not actively pursue a contract for the outfielder. Teoscar Hernandez or first baseman Rhys Hoskins before the duo signed with the Dodgers and Brewers last month.
The news isn't necessarily a surprise given President of Baseball Operations David Stearns' comments last month that indicated the team was not interested in adding veterans this winter and taking opportunities away from young players.To that end, Sammon suggests the most likely use of a DH in Queens this year is to give the 24-year-old slugger plenty of playing time. Mark Vientosand DJ Stewart and Starling Marte In addition to occasional outfield duties, he has also received playing time at DH.
Vientos has struggled with a .205/.255/.354 slash line so far in his major league career, but he has only appeared at the plate 274 times in the majors. The youngster appeared in 61 games at the same level last year, crushing Triple-A pitching with a .306/.387/.612 slash line and a career .247/.377/.499 line in six seasons in the minor leagues. proud of. . Meanwhile, Stewart, 30, spent parts of five seasons as a part-timer with the Orioles and was about league-average at the plate, but showed a little more promise after joining the Mets on a minor league deal last year. . Stewart hit a solid .244/.333/.506 with 11 home runs in just 185 plate appearances in 58 games with the club last year, but his strong power production was limited to 30.3%. It was accompanied by a high strikeout rate.
Marte is a much more established hitter at the major league level than the other two who could be part of the Mets' DH mix. The 35-year-old veteran of 12 major league seasons boasts a career slash line of .287/.343/.445 and a 134 wRC+ in 2022, but missed 341 at-bats last year due to groin pain. I had a hard time. Last year I had neck and migraine problems. Marte will likely be noticed as the club's regular right fielder, but Stewart and Stewart's presence Tyrone Taylor Another corner outfield option would give the Mets the flexibility to utilize the DH spot on a semi-regular basis with the hopes of keeping Marte healthy through the 2024 season.
While the Mets appear to be exiting the DH market in favor of internal options, the Red Sox still appear to be interested in adding a right-handed hitter to the lineup to replace a developing pitcher. Justin Turner, recently signed a one-year contract with the Blue Jays. Even before Hernandez signed with Los Angeles, Boston had deep ties to Hernandez and was reported to be a likely landing spot for Hernandez. adam duvall last month. More recently, MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo said that a reunion with Duvall would still be beneficial for the Red Sox, even though free agency with Duvall is “not as close to a resolution” as reports at the time indicated. I gave an opinion. If the 35-year-old slugger ends up landing somewhere else, Cotillo said, garrett cooper, CJ Kron, Donovan Solanoand Randal Grichuk He could be a potential alternative option for the club.Recent reports have linked Boston with acquiring the veteran outfielder. Tommy Pham.
It is worth noting that each of these proposed options has a defensive home outside of the DH. Despite the existence of triston casas The first baseman is likely to spend the majority of his time at DH if players like Cooper or Cron are signed by Boston, and Solano has experience in the overall infield and could be used as a right fielder similar to what Turner did last year. may play a role. He is a handed player who can play the roles of first base, second base, and third base, while also taking regular at-bats from the DH slot. Duvall and Grichak, on the other hand, have experience in all three outfield spots and could be added. tyler o'neal as a right-handed complement to the club's left-handed outside hitters. Masanao Yoshida, Wylya Abreuand Jaren Duran. Pham will likely play a similar role, but at this point in his career he's primarily limited to an outfield corner or DH.
Coach Cotillo has indicated that the most likely addition Boston will make to the lineup at this point in the winter is a bat near the edge of the club's roster, but that doesn't completely rule out more important additions. isn't it. Cotillo has warned that further additions to the club's roster are “unlikely at best” given the club's recent comments, but he still believes that if the club can clear salary space, Soler will be That suggests he could be a good fit for the club.Reports last month indicated the club had expressed trade interest in both Yoshida and the veteran closer. Kenley JansenHowever, at present, a contract with Janssen seems more likely than a contract with Yoshida.
If the Red Sox can find a way to keep Soler's contract within their budget, he would likely provide a big boost to the club's lineup. The hard-hitting outfielder is coming off an incredible season with the Marlins, hitting .250/.341/.512 with 36 home runs and 24 doubles. This kind of production could be transformative for Boston's lineup, which only got a .242/.305/.393 line from right-handed hitters last year. This slash line is good for a wRC+ of just 86, fourth from the bottom among major league clubs in 2023. In contrast, Soler posted a wRC+ of 126 and owns a cumulative wRC+ of 117 dating back to the 2018 season.
Cotillo points out that Martinez is one of the key hitters the Red Sox don't plan on targeting this winter. The veteran slugger slashed .292/.363/.526 during his five-season tenure in Boston and hit 33 home runs in just 117 games with the Dodgers last year, but Cotillo believes the Red Sox are looking to get back on track. Along with longtime DH who reported no interest in forming. While there's no question that Martinez's bat is valuable, he lacks the ability to play the field exhibited by other options Boston is reportedly considering, and Cotillo says the veteran's approach is red. He was not “widely loved” in the Sox clubhouse and was in contrast to the leadership style he displayed. Turner's accomplishments made the 39-year-old popular among his teammates last year.
