MLB New York Mets

New York Mets’ Signing Of Michael Cuddyer Is Just The Beginning

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By @mturnerny

Michael Cuddyer New York Mets

Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

With their first significant move of the offseason, the New York Mets signed 35-year-old outfielder Michael Cuddyer to a two-year $21 million contract. While the Mets have a recent history of signing older, perhaps past-their-prime outfielders such as Chris Young, Marlon Byrd and even Scott Hairston, this may be the best move of them all.

While Byrd and Hairston both had relatively successful tenures with the Mets, the Young experiment was a total failure. Cuddyer, however, should prove to be a valuable member of the Mets’ lineup.

Although Cuddyer has primarily played right field for the majority of his career, a spot currently occupied by Curtis Granderson, there likely won’t be any conflict. Granderson has proven to be a strong center fielder but struggled a bit in Citi Field’s cavernous right field. Moving him to left where they can hide his poor throwing arm a little more, and allowing Cuddyer to stay in right where he’s most comfortable, could turn the Mets’ outfield from an afterthought into a strength.

Cuddyer has a lifetime slash line of .279/.347/.466. All of those are significantly higher than Young’s .234/.313/.427. Perhaps the biggest difference between the two outfielders is that, while Young was in decline as a hitter, Cuddyer has had some of his best offensive seasons in recent years. In 2013, Cuddyer hit for a career-best .331, adding 20 home runs and 84 RBIs. While his power numbers were comparable with his previous numbers, his average may have been a bit of an anomaly.

That said, he did hit for a .332 average last season in 49 games while dealing with injuries.

One of the more interesting aspects of the signing is that Cuddyer and Mets captain David Wright are very close friends. They both grew up near each other in Virginia, and when Wright was captain of the 2013 NL Home Run Derby team, he picked his friend to join him.

Wright was among the few established veteran presences on the team last season (in addition to Granderson and Bartolo Colon), and adding another leader and close friend of his should help ease some of the stress he may endure throughout the season.

With the addition of Cuddyer and the return of Matt Harvey, the Mets will be an exciting team to watch in 2015. If they can add a reliable shortstop, they may have what it takes to improve upon 2014’s 79-83 record and make a run at the playoffs. Cuddyer is just the beginning.

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