Mets Upgrade Anemic Offense With Signing Of Michael Cuddyer

The New York Mets made a significant upgrade to its lineup, as they signed OF Michael Cuddyer to a two-year deal.

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Tired of putting together a lineup that would make even the worst pitchers in the National League smile in glee, the New York Mets made a major step toward solving the issue by signing OF Michael Cuddyer to a two-year deal.

Signing Cuddyer, the 2013 National League batting champion, did come at a price for the Mets, who sacrificed a first round draft pick in order to bring in the 35-year-old, who batted .332 with 10 homers and 31 RBI in 49 games. The deal was done shortly before Monday’s 3 pm Eastern deadline to either move on or accept the Colorado Rockies’ $15.3 million qualifying offer.

While the Rockies will miss Cuddyer’s bat (he hit .306-46-173 in three seasons with Colorado), it also saved the team from a contract that would have crippled their chances to upgrade during the winter. Colorado would have had four players — Cuddyer, Carlos Gonzalez, Justin Morneau and Troy Tulowitzki — making $66 million of the club’s projected $95 million payroll.

Cuddyer gives the Mets a much-needed presence in the outfield, as they had one of the worst offensive units in the majors in 2014. New York hit just 125 homers, with only 1B Lucas Duda, OF Curtis Granderson and C Travis d’Arnaud hitting more than 13 round-trippers. Granderson’s 20 homers constituted 59 percent of the power from the outfield, which managed just 14 between seven other players.

How productive Cuddyer can be will be one of the more interesting questions heading into the 2015 season. He’d better be, or the Mets could rue the moment they bypassed a high first round pick for a older player whose numbers were enhanced by Coors Field.

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