Jose Siri
At the trade deadline, the New York Mets acquired Cedric Mullins from the Baltimore Orioles. While widely praised, it was a move that did not really improve the Mets.
The Cedric Mullins of 2021-2022 was a star who left an impression. Truth is, he was only at that level for two years. The subsequent two years he went to serviceable to a bench level player this year.
The player the Mets acquired has a 0.1 WAR, 101 wRC+, and a 2 OAA. This is the player the Mets acquired due to the season ending injury to Jose Siri and the struggles of Tyrone Taylor.
With respect to Taylor, he has a 0.6 WAR, 55 wRC+, and a 4 OAA. As we saw, it was diminishing returns at the plate for Taylor. He is much better suited as a defensive replacement and platoon bat against left-handed pitchers.
Seeing that, the Mets moved Jeff McNeil to CF. The results have been quite positive. In limited duty in center, he has a 0 OAA. He’s already made some highlight plays.
Offensively, he has a 123 wRC+. He gives the most value at the plate for a Mets offense that seemingly can’t get out of their own way.
McNeil was holding his own in center and improving. That said, he was obviously better defensively at second where he has a 3 OAA. He’s excellent there, and moving him off the position creates a problem.
The Mets solution was Brett Baty. Baty has a -1 OAA at second, and he has a 96 wRC+. This right here is the problem.
With Taylor’s struggles, the Mets have overplayed Baty. With consistent playing time, Baty has shown himself to be a below average bat and below average defender at second base.
The bigger issue with Baty is he’s slipping defensively as evidenced by his 10th inning costly error against the Cleveland Guardians. He was once at a 4 OAA, and he’s slipped to a 2 OAA.
Like Taylor, the Mets needed to find a way to get Baty out of the everyday lineup. The answer could have been Ronny Mauricio, but the Mets didn’t fully go that route.
Mauricio has been superior to Baty with a 104 wRC+ and a 6 OAA at third. With his slow foot speed, he’s actually worse at second than Baty.
Mark Vientos has started hitting again, and he is one of the few bats in this lineup that can carry the offense. He’s been hitting well since July 10, and he’s had a number of clutch hits.
Given his defensive limitations, he should be the primary DH with occasional spells at third. That should leave third for Mauricio.
That is what the Mullins trade afforded the Mets. They can put their best team on the field. It’s now up to David Stearns and Carlos Mendoza to do it.
McNeil is the everyday second baseman. That improves the lineup and defense. With Mauricio at third and Mullins in center, Baty moves to the bench.
That defense with Vientos at DH is the Mets optimal lineup. Against left-handed pitchers, they can pivot by getting Taylor into the lineup, and even with Mauricio being a switch hitter, they can play Vientos at third with Starling Marte as the DH.
But make no mistake, the Mets are a better team with Baty as a quality bench player. He can provide late inning defense or a pinch hitting opportunity when needed. That’s when he is at his best.
This is what the Mullins trade afforded the Mets. They can now optimally use their roster. It’s now just time the Mets started doing that.
Looking at the New York Mets, their biggest issue is center field. Tyrone Taylor is struggling mightily at the plate, and who knows when Jose Siri can ever return.
Jeff McNeil has made spot starts in center, but he’s not a long or even short term solution. McNeil no longer has the speed or arm strength.
Surveying the trade market, it’s hard to see a viable option. Right now, the market appears to be Cedric Mullins and the injured Luis Robert Jr. Mullins and Robert are struggling at the plate more than Taylor.
Given the current state of the center field market, the Mets need to focus on moving Luisangel Acuña. This can kill two birds with one stone as the Mets have struggled to find regular playing time for Acuña at the Major League level.
Fortunately, he’s in Syracuse, and he’s actually played some center. Looking at the metrics, he could succeed there.
Acuña has a sprint speed of 29.4 ft/sec. That compares favorably with some of the top defensive center fielders in the game. Put another way, he can cover ground.
Comparing him to Taylor, an excellent defensive center fielders, Acuña runs a hair faster. Acuña has a weaker arm, and he doesn’t have the experience.
We have seen Acuña be a difference maker in the Mets lineup. When going well, he provides dynamic speed and base running.
For the plan to succeed, he needs to focus on center. Of his 11 games in center, he’s only started eight in center. He needs more work there, and the Mets can’t let Drew Gilbert stand in the way.
That doesn’t mean forget about Gilbert. He still needs to play everyday and play a lot of center. It’s a delicate balancing act, but the focus needs to be Acuña in center now.
Ultimately, Acuña can be the center field solution for the Mets. They can use his speed and base running. It’s time to focus on getting him playing time there to get the most out of him and to make the Mets the best possible team they can be.
Well, it looks like Harrison Bader will not be returning to the New York Mets because the Mets obtained Jose Siri from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Eric Orze.
Siri, 29, is a year younger than Bader and essentially does the same exact thing Bader did last year.
In 2024, Siri had a 16 OAA to Bader’s 10. Over the past three years, Siri leads in OAA 16 to 14.
Siri is one of the fastest players in baseball with a sprint speed of 29.9 ft/sec. Bader was also quick, but he was at a 28.2. It’s one of the reasons Bader was a -1 Runner Run last year to Siri’s 2.
Where Bader is better is hitting. Last year, Bader was an 85 wRC+ and has a 90 wRC+ for his career. Siri had a 70 wRC+ and an 89 for his career.
Against left-handed pitchers, Bader had a 70 wRC+ against lefties and for his career it’s a 109. Siri had a 92 wRC+ against lefties last year and has a 76 for his career.
Siri rarely walks and strikes out far too often. He does have a good barrel rate, but his exit velocities are low. If you get the right hitting coach, maybe you could unlock something, but it’s highly unlikely.
In reality, Siri is nothing more than a defensive specialist. That’s all the Mets need from their fifth outfielder making him a much better fit for the role than Bader would be.
That’s no slight on Bader who was a great fit for the Mets last year. It’s just that Siri will be a better fit for a team looking to sign Juan Soto while also having Jett Williams and Ryan Clifford on the horizon.
Siri was just the better fit for a defensive replacement and specialist. Bader is probably better, but Siri fits the role better. Getting him for a reliever the Mets won’t use just makes this a smart move.