Palladino: Forget Money Already Spent, Alderson Has More Big Holes To Fill
By Ernie Palladino
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Sandy Alderson has done a bang-up job so far in getting both Yoenis Cespedes and Neil Walker back in the Citi Field fold.
But if anyone thinks that automatically puts the Mets in with the World Series champion Cubs as the NL's two best teams heading into spring training, they'd be wrong.
The veteran general manager still has some work to do, some situations to figure out. The subplots at first base and closer alone show just how razor-thin the difference is between a rousing chase for a pennant and a year-long tightrope walk in the wild card race.
The way things stand now, the Mets have neither a ninth-inning reliever nor a consistent first baseman, unless one believes commissioner Rob Manfred is going to let Jeurys Familia off the hook for his Oct. 31 domestic violence arrest or that David Wright suddenly becomes the answer at a shaky first base situation.
The answer to both is no. And that's why Alderson will have to use a bit more creativity in shoring up those spots than the relatively simple four-year, $110 million contract offer it took to re-up Cespedes.
Alderson may well choose to focus on finding a mid-level reliever and a catcher instead of an established first baseman because he feels a combination of Wright and Lucas Duda can adequately fill the offensive need at first. But with the baseball world convening in National Harbor, Maryland on Sunday for the Winter Meetings, Alderson would be remiss if he didn't send out a trade feeler or two for that power position.
Jay Bruce and a prospect or two could probably bring in a decent option.
The problem there is that no one knows how much Wright can offer. Alderson did the wise thing in picking up Jose Reyes' option, a move that settled third base. But Wright's gradual recovery from neck surgery leaves open all sorts of possibilities.
He could be adequate. He could be a disaster.
MORE: Ron Darling On WFAN: Mets Should 'Assume That You Get Nothing From Wright'
And the opinions being tossed around at this point lean toward the latter, if not the end of his career entirely. Neck injuries like Wright's can be tricky, and there's no guarantee that surgery gets the sufferer back to pre-injury shape.
And Duda proved himself too streaky to be relied upon, even before the lower back fracture that limited him to a .229 average with seven homers in 47 games last season.
As for Familia, it's unlikely he'll get the whole season in, which means the Mets won't get a repeat of his franchise-record 51 saves.
The reliever's wife is not pressing charges, but that doesn't mean Familia will be free from punishment. A guilty finding isn't necessary for MLB to hand down a suspension, as was seen in Reyes' situation that resulted in a 51-game exile despite the charges being dropped.
The Mets will wait until Familia's Dec. 15 court date to make any moves, but they should anticipate some sort of suspension. Whether that means breaking a budget already stretched through the Cespedes and Walker deals to go after established quality like free agents Kenley Jansen or Mark Melancon, or getting a more economical reliever in, say, Brad Ziegler remains to be seen.
But Alderson has better do something because the bullpen doesn't contain a decent replacement for Familia.
For all the good Alderson did his roster with the Cespedes and Walker signings, he still some major tuning to do.
They still have holes, whether it appears that way right now or not.
The solutions he comes up with will determine the Mets' place in the National League hierarchy.
Follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino
