Well, he’s still out there. Following a down 2021 season in which afterwards he was expected to command a big-time salary, Michael Conforto still remains a free agent entering the 2022 season. With Freddie Freeman, Kris Bryant, and Kyle Schwarber off of the market, Conforto is one of the best names still available in free agency. Although its been reported that tons of teams have dipped their toes in the water or have had conversations about Conforto, he still has not found a match. Could his match be in Queens?
Running a quick overlook of Conforto’s 2021 season with the New York Mets will show why some teams have been hesitant to bring him on board. A .232 batting average, 14 home runs, and a pedestrian .344 OBP which compiled to form a .8 WAR. Not ideal for a player looking to cash in on a major deal. Yet, the interest in Conforto is drawn when you look at some of his better seasons. Across the 2016-2019 seasons, he slugged 100 home runs, had a .351 OBP, and drove in 284 runs. Those are numbers that a lot of teams who are looking to add one more bat should be willing to gamble on.
They are numbers that the Mets should be willing to gamble on as well. With the designated hitter inserted into the National League for the 2022 season, they need to add an impact bat wherever possible. For the Mets, it should be an added bonus that this bat has already played for the team for the past couple of seasons, and has probably seen his value on the market depreciate due to waiting so long to sign. For those concerned with the numbers from his 2021 season, and question me for wanting to bring him back after laying the season totals out, let’s look at some splits.
Conforto actually had a solid May for the Mets, batting .255 with a .386 OBP. It was June and July that truly hurt him. Across that 35 game span he slumped to a .153 batting average, registering only 17 hits and getting on base at a .289 clip. This was a low point for Conforto and the entire team, as they battled through injuries and not living up to the expectations that came with the season. No one needs to be reminded of that.
In August, September, and October Conforto quietly showed glimpses of the player that everyone was expecting him to perform as. Over that span of 56 games, Conforto batted .280, had a scorching .373 OBP, and slugged 12 of his season’s 14 home runs. It was quietly a tale of two seasons for Conforto.
Signing Conforto would create a conundrum for the Mets, who do have a starting outfield of Starling Marte, Brandon Nimmo, and Mark Canha. They also currently have a multitude of options at DH, with Dom Smith, Jeff McNeil, Robinson Cano, and J.D. Davis. If they sign Conforto, one of the trio of Smith, McNeil, and Davis will be traded. This could be an advantage for the team, as they still need some left-handed pitching in their bullpen following the departure of Aaron Loup this offseason.
Besides the fact that signing Conforto could create the force to trade for a lefty reliever, the Mets should be motivated to add more talent due to the arms race that has opened up between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves. Since the lockout has ended, both of those teams have not only remained strong with players that led them to success last season, but have gotten better through additions of impact players like Matt Olson, Freeman, Kenley Jansen, and others. While the Mets certainly have made their roster stronger than it was last season, they will still be counting on bounce-back seasons from a lot of their stars to compete with the likes of the Dodgers and Braves. Conforto, if he performs like he did the second half of last season, could be another impact player for the Mets to have on their roster to keep up with the Dodgers and Braves.
Last season did not pan out the way that the Mets or Conforto expected it to. Both fell flat of expectations. For the Mets, it cost Steve Cohen the opportunity for glory in his first season as team owner. For Confoto, it cost him a massive paycheck. In 2022, both parties have an opportunity to right the ship. What an amazing story it would be for Conforto, who homered as a rookie in the last World Series the Mets appeared in in 2015, to be a member of the team who brings the glory all the way back to the team. They don’t need to lock him down long-term, or even for a few years. Conforto should be given a one or two-year deal that will position him to be a part of some successful Mets teams, as well as rebuild his value heading into free agency at age 30. It is a win-win situation for both sides, and one that should strongly be considered by the Mets as the season nears closer.
Conforto hit 100 home runs across 2016-2019
He was an All-Star in 2017
Conforto hit .280/.373 in his final 56 games of 2022
Dalton, I don’t know… Conforto himself in an interview in September said that playing in New York is difficult. He showed all the body language and hints of a guy that wanted out, without just coming out and saying it. Then, we have the Boras camp putting out information about how much offense gets suppressed by Citifield… I just don’t see it. Now, money talks, but I just don’t see it. Plus, the moves signaled a team that has moved on. If you go sign a guy now to replace Cahna, you give a bad message to future free agents. Also, Boras doesn’t want Nimmo’s playing time to suffer while possibly having Conforto limited and affected in his next free agency. I think we need to let him go.
I think the need for a lefty is overstated and you can get one later. The Dodgers have cornered the market on lefties in recent years, but no one talks about their dominance.
Yup. +1
Michael was an excellent Met but I think the focus needs to be on the pen. On paper, the World Champion Braves are having an excellent offseason, and are clearly the team to beat in the NL East. For all the enthusiasm of a wealthy owner, top payroll, and maybe two Cy Young caliber starters, for my two cents, the Mets are still in the second level of playoff contenders. On top of that, there may not be many easy wins in the NL East this season. The Met pen still needs a big addition…but I’m not sure where that will come from.
The Jansen signing tipped the scales. If he was a Met……
I liked Michael Conforto and wished he would have taken the qualifying offer. But he didn’t. The Mets were forced to move on and they signed Starling Marte. They also spent money on other free agents that filled out their other needs. It wouldn’t be prudent to sign fourth outfielder for 19 million dollars now, especially when you have other backup outfielders like McNeil, Smith and Davis on the major league roster. The Mets also have Lee, Plummer and Cortes in the minor leagues. If they wanted to spend 19 million dollars they could have spent $16M on Jansen. I hope Michael Conforto gets his multi-year contract from some other team. He was a good Met.
Conforto had some great moments with our Mets, but he was streaky and did not withstand the pressure of playing for a new contract well. He needs a fresh start. And signing him when we don’t need him in the OF is a waste of money and loses us a compensation pick.
Sign Watson for the LH role in the pen and save the rest of Conforto’s salary to add more later in the year.
At this point, McNeil should be kept. We need him at 2B (and he can play other positions fairly well, if needed). If we can trade Smith or Davis (both of whom I think will do well this year) for a useful player (in the bullpen?), fine.
I also say No to Conforto. Not a true solution to anything.
I agree with TJ that the Mets are still trailing the Braves.
(Jesse Winker was a perfect fit (a la Keith Hernandez) for the lineup).
Billy Epps has to work some magic for the fourth OF… yeah, we could use McNeil, Smith, or Davis, but it’s not a strong team that will win a tough division.
Rosario might have worked… gone.
Mets infield ok.
Mets catching… weak but adequate
Mets starting pitching… potentially dominant
Mets OF… barely adequate … address it!
Mets bullpen… decent but lopsided… address it!