In an offseason where the Mets have been consistently linked to all of their former players, and actually signed Jay Bruce, the team was never truly linked to Curtis Granderson.

Well, they won’t anymore as Granderson has signed a one year $5 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.

As we learned from his four years in Queens, any team that adds Granderson has done well for themselves. He’s a tremendous person and mentor in the clubhouse. More than that, he’s a good and durable baseball player.

Considering these qualities, it really is surprising the Mets showed no interest in a Granderson reunion. Last year, Granderson was a 1.5 WAR player, who played all three outfield positions. That’s important because the team doesn’t know when Michael Conforto will be able to return.  On top of that, Yoenis Cespedes and Juan Lagares cannot stay healthy.

Instead of looking for a versatile outfielder, the Mets opted to focus on 1B/OF due to the rookie season of Dominic Smith.  In looking to sure that up, the Mets signed both Bruce and eventually Adrian Gonzalez.  Gonzalez is the more interesting signing of the two because he is the anti-Granderson.

For his part, Gonzalez is not a healthy player, has not played well on the East Coast, and he has not been seen as a good clubhouse presence.  Considering the purported issues in the clubhouse late last year, Mickey Callaway managing for the first time in his career, and no one on the coaching staff having any MLB managerial experience this situation seems less than ideal.  Actually, it seems like it could be an impending disaster.

The reason no one is really questioning the Mets thought process here is because we all know why the Mets made the decisions they made.  Mostly, the team would rather have Gonzalez making the minimum than having Granderson for $5 million.  They would also rather bet on a 31 year outfielder for three years instead of a 37 year old one for one year.

On the converse, the Mets opted to try to resurrect the career of an injured soon to be 36 year old first baseman rather than have Bruce at first and Granderson in right.

Whether this proves to be the correct decision remains to be seen.  However, we do know one thing – you are always better off having a player and person like Granderson in your clubhouse.  For that, the Blue Jays are better today, and the Mets aren’t.