Since his five game hot streak in mid-August – and someone please tell Gary Cohen that it was five games and not two weeks – Juan Lagares has a .194 AVG and a .657 OPS over 28 games and 68 PA. He’s definitely shown some power, with 4 2B and 3 HR in this stretch, which has kept his OPS from being ultra embarrassing.

The payroll strain the Mets will be under next year likely keeps them from being serious suitors to re-up with Lagares. He’s a fine fourth/fifth outfielder and as long as you paid him as such, he’d be a fine guy to have on the team. But it’s likely someone else will pay him more and then the Mets just have to make sure to add a defensive reserve outfielder to their offseason shopping list, since there’s no one in the high minors to fill that role.

Lagares should have little trouble finding a job for 2020. And who knows, maybe there’s still some upside left in there. He’s the kind of guy if you could get him on a $1.5 million deal might turn around and give you $6 million worth of value. But he currently has contributed negative $6.4 million of FanGraphs Dollar Values here in 2019, a season in which the Mets are paying him $9 million.

4 comments on “Monday catch-all thread (9/23/19)

  • Chris F

    I agree, in a world where payroll has the chance to severely prune back FA options, investing anything in Lagares is a mistake, unless he is literally the only center fielder the team has, with no intention to fill it as a poorly staffed position. If you can get him at 1.5 M$ it may be worth it. I dont believe Conforto or Nimmo make “October” center fielders.

  • John Fox

    I don’t expect it, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Lagares was back with the Mets next year. He’s north of 30 so rebuilding clubs not likely to want him, and he seems to like the only organization he’s ever played for and he might be amenable to a hometown discount.

  • MattyMets

    Spot on. He has value, but not that much. I can’t imagine anyone offering him a multi-year deal. If he’s available with no big offers I’d be happy to bring him back on a modest 1 year deal.

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