Report: New York Mets Weighing Pursuit of Marwin Gonzalez

Now that the mega trade for Robinson Cano is in the books, the New York Mets are looking at what their next steps will be to improve the roster. The Mets are looking for another key contributor to their lineup, preferably one with the ability to bat right handed to balance against lefties like Cano, Michael Conforto, and Brandon Nimmo. While the team has been looking at outfielder A.J. Pollock, FanCred’s Jon Heyman reports that the Mets are also weighing a run at former Houston Astros’ utility man Marwin Gonzalez. Gonzalez, 29, batted .247 with 16 home runs and 68 RBI’s for the Astros in 2018 and is just a year removed from hitting .303 with 23 homers and 90 RBI’s during the Astros’ 2017 championship season.

One of the more appealing aspects of Gonzalez’s game is his defensive versatility. Gonzalez came up from the minors as a shortstop, but he played every position on the diamond (except pitcher and catcher) at least once while showing solid defensive ability everywhere. The Astros had Gonzalez spend a lot of time at short when Carlos Correa was hurt, but he also played 24 games at first base, 32 at second, and 73 in left field. That could make Gonzalez a perfect fit for the Mets, who want to move guys like Jeff McNeil around to create at bats for everyone else. Gonzalez would also give the Mets a backup shortstop since there really isn’t one on the 40 man roster besides light hitting Luis Guillorme, and the fact that Gonzalez can switch hit makes him very appealing.

Those facts also make Gonzalez appealing to nearly every team in baseball, so it remains to be seen how his market will shake out. The only players to really start signing at this point have been starting pitchers, so there isn’t a comparable position player contract to judge what Gonzalez may end up with yet. The Mets would surely love to have Gonzalez on their team, but with needs in the bullpen, catcher, and center field they won’t want to give Gonzalez a crazy contract since he can’t really help in those areas. Time will tell how GM Brodie Van Wagenen fills the Mets’ holes, but Gonzalez would definitely be an intriguing piece to add to the mix.