The Mets made the signing of right-handed hitter John Mayberry Jr., official today and to make room on the 40-man roster they designated for assignment reliever Gonzalez Germen.
Personally, as the San Francisco Giants proved three times over the past five years, bullpen depth is critical for a team’s success, so I would rather have had them keep Germen. To me, a 27-year-old hard-throwing reliever with a fastball in the mid-90s has a greater upside than a 30-year-old with a lifetime .241 batting average and career .305 on-base percentage.
I don’t know what will become of Germen, but Mayberry has proven he’s about as good as he’s going to be. Yes, the Mets need right-handed hitting, but if they won’t spend to get it, then they would stand to have numerous opportunities later.
Speaking of lost opportunities, Houston signed Jed Lowrie to a three-year, $23-million contract. Considering the Mets weren’t willing to go that high in years or dollars, it wasn’t that much of a lost chance.
What this does is only reinforce what I’ve been alluding to for the past month, which is the shortstop’s job belongs to Wilmer Flores.
