With the signing of Alejandro De Aza, the New York Mets accomplished something they set out to do at the start of the offseason: add a left-hand hitting outfielder. To many fans, the signing of De Aza was a bit hurried and ultimately disappointing, as they filled their need in the outfield with players like Denard Span and Gerardo Parra still on the board. However, the signing of De Aza is great news for one player already on New York’s roster — Juan Lagares.
Of all the free agent outfielders still on the market, De Aza is the least threatening to Lagares’ playing time. The Mets wanted a left-handed outfielder who could play center field and platoon with Lagares after his disappointing 2015 season, especially given his struggles against right-handed pitching. A player the caliber of Span or Parra, or even a high-level free agent like Yoenis Cespedes or Justin Upton, could have relegated Lagares to a role of fourth outfielder. However, that is less likely to be the case with the signing of De Aza.
De Aza may prove himself to be a competent platoon player, getting nearly all of his at-bats against right-handed pitchers, but he’s unlikely to play himself into an everyday role, relegating Lagares to the bench full time. Also, with just a one-year contract for De Aza, the Mets have made no commitment to him beyond 2016, so New York won’t hesitate to make Lagares their everyday center fielder. This will allow him to earn back the role he held during his breakout season in 2014.
With a player like Span or Parra, both of whom would have required multi-year contracts, the Mets would not have been as quick to give Lagares his job back and relegate their new signing to a bench role. But with De Aza, a more low-profile signing, the Mets will be unafraid to move him to the bench and promote Lagares to a full-time role. In fact, the Mets may have chosen to sign De Aza hoping that Lagares would eventually be able to overtake him and become the everyday center fielder. Thus, the signing of De Aza may not be best for the Mets, but it’s great news for Lagares.
Bryan Zarpentine is a Featured writer at www.RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google.