The New York Mets are involved in a pursuit of free-agent designated hitter Jorge Soler, according to multiple reports — MLB insider Hector Gomez most recently suggested that the NL East club is showing “a lot of interest.”
Soler addresses a glaring hole in a Mets lineup that, on paper, could certainly use one more impact bat. The designated hitter spot has been a hole in New York’s nine since the National League adopted the DH full-time in 2022 after the failed experiments headlined by Darin Ruf and Daniel Vogelbach.
The 31-year-old Soler has been an above-average power hitter for the better part of the last five seasons, posting 162-game averages of 38 home runs during that stretch, headlined by a 48-home-run 2019 with the Kansas City Royals, with an .820 OPS. That kind of bat can lengthen a Mets lineup that doesn’t have a true No. 5 option behind Pete Alonso in the clean-up spot.
A short-term deal is likely in the cards for Soler, though the Toronto Blue Jays are willing to offer a multi-year deal for him, per Gomez.
Regardless, the interest somewhat conflicts with what Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said during Luis Severino and Harrison Bader’s introductory press conference on Wednesday.
Following a report emerging that Stearns was going to focus a considerable chunk of his remaining $10 million budget this offseason on relief pitching, he said he wouldn’t “necessarily close the door on that, but I also don’t think it’s essential.”
“Some of that is interrelated to third base, where we do have young players,” he continued. I want to make sure they have sufficient at-bats.”
With Ronny Mauricio out for the majority of the 2024 season after undergoing right-knee surgery, the third-base job is boiling down to youngsters Brett Baty and Mark Vientos. While the former is favored to get the first crack at the job, Vientos could see considerable time at the DH spot alongside the likes of DJ Stewart.
Neither has shown an ability to provide the same kind of high-impact pop as Soler, who would help the Mets considerably toward Stearns’ goal of legitimate contention for a playoff spot in 2024.
The team has also been linked to veterans Justin Turner and JD Martinez this winter.
