Just Mets

In November, the Mets relinquished their first round pick (and associated draft pool money) in the 2015 first-year player draft in exchange for signing 35-year-old outfielder Michael Cuddyer to a two-year, $21 million deal.

But Cuddyer’s first season with the Mets has not gone well. His strikeout rate is up, his walk rate is down, and while his line drive rate is up, is overall contact rate is down from prior years.

The result has been a .244 batting average, just a .293 on-base percentage, and a .366 slugging percentage with seven home runs and 29 RBI in 304 plate appearances in 79 games in 2015 while he’s earning $8.5 million. He will earn $12.5 million in 2016.

And now, Cuddyer is dealing with a significant bone bruise in his knee, something he has confirmed will not heal over the course of the season.

While the club was on their west coast trip in early July, Mets GM Sandy Alderson made some strange comments regarding the veteran Cuddyer, suggesting the club didn’t anticipate their key signing from the last off-season to be playing on an everyday basis.

“One of the problems we’ve had, is we have had to overuse a couple of players, I think Michael is a perfect example,” Alderson told Kristie Ackert of the Daily News. “He is someone who has played quite a bit more than we anticipated he would have to because of David’s absence and some other injuries we have had.

“Hopefully that will sort itself out in the second half,” Alderson concluded.

In other words, the Mets gave up their first round draft pick in 2015 and committed $21 million for someone they felt should not be a full-time player to begin with at this point in his career.

So on Friday, Terry Collins potentially began that process towards limiting Cuddyer’s playing time when he decided to start Kirk Nieuwenhuis in left field and hit him sixth in place of the veteran against the Cardinals to begin the second half.

While on the surface that would suggest Cuddyer’s knee had left him unavailable (which could still be the case), Terry Collins said Cuddyer’s knee was not the reason Nieuwenhuis was playing instead of the higher-priced veteran.

Collins said he was rewarding Nieuwenhuis for hitting three home runs last Sunday against the Diamondbacks. He parlayed that reward into a three strikeout night at the plate to lower his average to .135 for the year.

Collins said he intends to have Cuddyer in the lineup on Saturday and Sunday, and claims a platoon in left field is not imminent.

“We’ll see what happens, but we certainly have no plans on platooning at the moment,” Collins explained before Friday night’s loss in St. Louis.

What could happen is the Mets might consider acquiring an outfielder in trade, such as Carlos Gomez or Justin Upton, according to several reports on Friday which could very well convert Cuddyer into a part-time player.

And, if that happens, the now 36-year-old veteran is ok with such a decision.

“I have said it since Day 1: I want to win,” Cuddyer said on Friday. “That is the issue to me. Whatever skip feels is the best lineup out there to help us win, that is what I’m on board for.”

Cuddyer realizes reduced playing time is a real possibility if he doesn’t start producing at the plate.

“I measure my success based on the team’s success,” he explained. “Right now, I think we’re doing real well. We’re in a good position going into the second half and all I can control is the situations, and when I get into those situations be prepared and you hope to come through in those situations.”

Collins believes Cuddyer’s knee problem has only worsened Cuddyer’s ability to produce, and understands if it’s a hinderance going forward, the only way to manage it is to limit the veteran’s playing time.

“I’m realistic to know the knee might be something because he’s got to hit against that knee, that left side,” Collins said. “So if it bothers him enough it might be affecting him, he says it doesn’t, and I certainly trust him on that.”

As it’s been said on this site for a while now, it might be best for the club to transition Cuddyer and Curtis Granderson into a platoon and finding another corner outfielder while they wait for one or both of Michael Conforto and/or Brandon Nimmo to graduate to the big leagues. This scenario protects Granderson’s inability to hit left-handed pitching, and it limits Cuddyer’s exposure, seemingly as the front office envisioned he would be going into this relationship.

It’s an expensive solution – the Mets would be paying one of their corner outfielders $28 million in 2016.

But if it’s about winning, as everyone in the organization claims it to be now, then the most important thing is to maximize production at each position and protect the weaknesses of the roster.

With the way things look right now, this option protects the weaknesses of two (highly priced, mid-30s) veterans and creates an opportunity for a fresh body.