Maybe the “GrandyMan” Can in Flushing
After a few weeks of posturing, the Mets have signed veteran center fielder Curtis Granderson. This article is going to be pretty subjective due to my Mets fandom. Just to get it out of the way, I do like the signing. I wish it were a three year deal because he’s already 32 and I can’t imagine what a 36-37 year old Granderson making over $15 million a year will do. Curtis, the three time All-Star, is coming off of an injury that caused him to miss 101 games last season. While I’m happy to have him on the team, anyone can see why a Mets fan would be apprehensive to see this guy in blue and orange. He’s a lifetime .261 hitter and Citifield is a much bigger park to hit out of than Yankee Stadium is so it would be expected that his power numbers will dip.
What I really like about this deal is that the Mets outfield looks solid with new addition Chris Young and second year player Juan Lagares. The Mets needed to make a move like this because they needed more production from their outfielders. In 2013, Mets left fielders hit .243 and .701 OPS and the center fielders hit .222 and .615 OPS. With Granderson on the team, the Mets can move Eric Young Jr to second base and trade Daniel Murphy. Also, the Mets won’t have to give a first round pick to sign Granderson because top ten picks are protected. Overall, I like the deal because it shows that Sandy Alderson and the Mets brass are trying to spend money and improve the team. Make no mistake about it, this is no way makes the Mets a great team and they still have a long way to go before they can be considered contenders in the NL East, but this is a step in the right direction.
