The New York Mets have been the biggest losers of the entire offseason to this point. They lost Edwin Diaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pete Alonso to the Baltimore Orioles in a matter of days.
Now the Mets need to find a slugger to replace Alonso, and it’s going to be nearly impossible to do this in one move. Still, the Mets need to add a star on a huge deal.
Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly predicted on Friday that the Mets would sign international free agent Munetaka Murakami to a solid five-year, $95 million deal this offseason.
“The Baltimore Orioles stole Pete Alonso from the New York Mets, and the Mets need to respond by signing a different slugger,” Kelly wrote. “The Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels could make sense for Murakami, but probably only if they believe he can play third base at least on a part-time basis. In any event, with the posting clock ticking for Murakami, he could be one of the next free agents whose market starts to crystalize.”
Murakami’s power is a very intriguing trait for the Mets to chase this winter. It doesn’t match Alonso’s ability, but his contract is bound to be a bit cheaper than Alonso’s.
There are question marks around Murakami’s bat-to-ball skills, but the Mets need to make the risky decision to chase him on a big contract. He’s one of the only sluggers in free agency who could replace Alonso in New York’s lineup.
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