The New York Mets are currently on a tear. They have won six in a row, closing the Phillies’ division lead to 1.5 games, and have finally started to look like the team everyone thought they would be at the start of the season. They are 4 games over .500, tied for their season high since being 10-6 on April 19. The pitching has started to really come around, and the hitting has started to really produce. However, this team is not built to get to win in October, and maybe not even to get there. They have one big move left to make.
Sign Barry Bonds.
I know, Mets fans. You’re saying I’m crazy and have no credibility left. But let me explain to you why he is not only a good fit but also the best move the Mets can make.
If you have spoken to me about the Barry Bonds situation in recent years, you know that I am no fan of Bonds. I think he is a cheater and I hate that he played a big part in baseball’s darkest days.
However, I am also a realist and I know a flawed team when I see one. Just yesterday, it was revealed that Moises Alou has a torn hamstring and is likely out for the year, if not for the rest of his career. That leaves a spot open in left field. Yes, I know some of you will say, “Well, that’s why we have Endy Chavez, the super sub who makes incredible catches.” Yes, but he is exactly that: a super sub, not a true starter.
Just to add on to the problem in the outfield, Ryan Church is on the DL again. When healthy, Church has been arguably the Mets most consistent hitter. But two concussions have severely hindered his productivity, and he just hasn’t been the same since his collision in Atlanta. Now, if Endy is in left, who will play right? Let’s review the options the Mets have for right field if Endy is in left: Fernando Tatis, Nick Evans, Marlon Anderson, Chris Aguila, Damion Easley, and maybe some other minor league players.
They can all fill a void and be a body in the corner outfield, but they don’t fulfill the other need the Mets have. They need a power hitter in the middle of that lineup. Carlos Delgado is too inconsistent and Carlos Beltran is not a true cleanup hitter. He is a better #3 or #5, and seeing that David Wright has the #3 spot locked up, Beltran best fits in the 5-hole.
Bonds would fit perfectly here; a corner outfielder with a ton of power and gets on base a lot. Consider Barry Bonds’ stats from 2007: 126 games, 340 at-bats, .276 average, 28 home runs and 66 RBI on a team that didn’t have anyone else in the lineup, 132 walks, .480 on base percentage, 1.045 OPS.
He gives the Mets the power numbers they need, and would make the Mets lineup one of the best in the league. Consider this starting nine with Bonds in left and Chavez in right:
Jose Reyes
Endy Chavez
David Wright
Barry Bonds
Carlos Beltran
Carlos Delgado
Damion Easley/Luis Castillo
Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro
That would be an intimidating lineup that few in the league could match. Mets fans: forget the possible steroid use, forget the public relations nightmare that the move could be. Answer this question, because it is the only one that matters: does this move make the Mets a better team?
The answer is a resounding yes. Bonds would make the Mets the best team in the East and probably the best team in the NL. The best part? You don’t have to trade for him, don’t lose any prospects to get him, you don’t have to enter a bidding war like you would with Roger Clemens. He has received no offers, and his agent says he can be ready in ten days. So heck, why not offer him a one year, $1 million contract?
When you have a chance to add a premier player like Bonds, sometimes it’s just best to swallow your pride and make your team as good as it can be.
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