After a long and accomplished career, during which he was the definition of class and professional, Michael Cuddyer has decided to retire with one year left on his contract with the New York Mets. Cuddyer played a complementary role during New York’s journey to the World Series last season, and he was likely to have only a part-time role with the Mets in 2016. But news of his retirement will alter what the Mets plan to do for the remainder of the offseason.
Cuddyer was slated for a backup role in 2016, but he was going to be counted on to be a backup at multiple positions, including first base. Without Cuddyer, the Mets have no clear backup for Lucas Duda at first base, and they may need to acquire someone via free agency or trade who can fill that role; unless they plan on carrying Eric Campbell on the roster or believe Wilmer Flores is capable of learning the position enough to back up Duda, neither of which is a likely scenario.
The Mets will preferably want a right-handed batter for this role, as it’s possible Duda will need a platoon partner at first base. Ideally, New York would find a player who can play both first and third base, as there is no obvious backup for David Wright, unless the Mets believe Flores can be both a short- and long-term replacement for Wright, whose health is a great concern for New York due to a chronic back condition.
Cuddyer was also lined up to be a backup for both Michael Conforto in left field and Curtis Granderson in right field. Conforto will be given a chance to play every day, but he’s yet to prove he can hit left-handed pitching in the big leagues consistently, and it would have been possible for Cuddyer to platoon with him if he struggled. Cuddyer also had a wonderful influence on Conforto last season, and that mentorship continuing in 2016 would have been advantageous for both Conforto and the Mets.
The Mets have been looking at outfielders all offseason, but now with Cuddyer no longer in the picture, it’s a virtual certainty that New York will acquire an outfielder this winter. With no obvious backup at any of the outfield spots, outside of fringe players like Kirk Nieuwenhuis, it could open the door for the Mets to pursue an everyday center fielder like Denard Span, with Juan Lagares becoming the primary backup at all three outfield spots. This would allow him to receive a substantial amount of playing time and take most of his at-bats against left-handed pitching, putting him in a great position to succeed.
Cuddyer was set to make $12.5 million in 2016, which is now money the Mets have taken off their payroll for next season, minus any money New York gave to Cuddyer as part of a suspected buyout. The extra money should give the Mets far more financial flexibility and freedom for the remainder of the offseason, as there is still more to do, even after shoring up their middle infield with the additions of Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera.
Cuddyer’s sudden retirement has given the Mets more to accomplish this offseason, as they must add another outfielder, as well as a backup corner infielder at some point this offseason. Of course, the money freed up from Cuddyer’s retirement will help the Mets make the moves necessary to fill out their roster, potentially turning a loss into a gain.
Bryan Zarpentine is a featured writer at www.RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google.