With Marte and Canha, Mets Instantly Boost Outfield

Happy Thanksgiving, Mets fans.

In one of the best 24 hours for the Mets in recent memory, new general manager Billy Eppler made a trio of signings on Black Friday that set the tone in his first month on the job, essentially saying , “we’re here to contend.”

Hours after the Mets inked versatile defender Mark Canha to a two-year deal worth $26.5 million, they added former Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star Starling Marte to a four-year, $78 million deal. They represent significant additions to an outfield that largely struggled in 2021.

This news comes on the same day the Mets signed infielder Eduardo Escobar to a two-year contract as well.

The Mets are making noise. And for the first time in a while, it’s positive news.

After both Michael Conforto and Dominic Smith posted sub-par seasons this year, the future of the team’s outfield was a large question mark, especially given Conforto’s free agent status. But bringing in two veteran bats with defensive flexibility and years of experience in the major leagues, on relatively inexpensive deals, still allows the Mets to make a big splash later this offseason. Re-signing Javier Báez and bringing on another major piece, such as former Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, remains a possibility.

For now though, the Mets are looking at an outfield of Marte, Nimmo, and Canha. That gives you three truly professional hitters manning the outfield grass, and don’t sleep on their defense as well. While Marte is the signature move of the two, Canha has posted four consecutive seasons with an OPS above 110. He’s been a constant in the Oakland A’s lineup, never with extraordinary eye-popping numbers, yet always a player who can do a little bit of everything at the plate. He’s coming off a 2021 season in which he played through injury, yet still hit 17 home runs, 22 doubles and stole 12 bases.

Off the field, the Mets are getting a player in Canha who excels well beyond baseball.

While Major League Baseball was amidst its 2020 shutdown during the pandemic, Canha took a public health course at UC Berkeley to broaden his world view. He also owns runs a super impressive, tasty food account on Instagram, sharing his recipes and food photos under the username “bigleaguefoodie”.

As for Marte, he’s a dynamic base-stealing threat who’s coming off a 2021 campaign in which he hit .310 over 120 games between the Marlins and Athletics. His 47 stolen bases in 2021 led the league by far, seven more swipes than anyone else. Between him and Brandon Nimmo, the Mets now boast two of the league’s premier table-setters, both of whom likely will slot at the top of the Mets everyday lineup.

Back in his days with the Pirates, Marte was one of the anchors for a Pittsburgh team that made three consecutive playoff berths between 2013 and 2015. In the Steel City, Marte also won two Gold Glove awards.

With a possible lockdown imminent, this was a much-needed roster boost for a team that would have faced serious questions had they entered into this roster freeze with no new signings. Instead, we’re looking at a roster that drastically improved, literally overnight.

Black Friday is all about deals, and it’s safe to say the Mets got a few good ones yesterday.

The post With Marte and Canha, Mets Instantly Boost Outfield first appeared on Metsmerized Online.