Jesse Winker Landing Spots: 3 potential destinations for All-Star outfielder after stint with New York Mets

Jesse Winker heads into free agency after putting up decent numbers this past season. With the outfielder's market stacked this year, the 2021 All-Star will be scouted for a possible deal by several teams in need of a left-handed outfielder.

Winker started the year with the Washington Nationals, where he hit .257 and 11 home runs. That was enough to get teams interested to trade for him as the New York Mets swooped in ahead of the deadline. Even though he hit just .243 in regular season games, he had a better postseason, hitting .318 and a home run.

Let's look at the top three teams likely to sign Jesse Winker.

#3, New York Yankees

The Yankees had two left-handed outfielders in their regular starting lineup — Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo. Soto had a stellar offensive season while Verdugo disappointed with a .233 average. Both will hit free agency and are expected to be let go of by the Yanks to free up space.

Winker's addition to the Yankees could boost the lower half of the lineup, which was one of the major weaknesses of the team.

#2, Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays seemed to have come off on the worse side of the deal with outfielder George Springer. He earned $24 million in 2024 and hit just .220 with 56 RBIs all season. In all likeliness, Toronto will pursue big-name free agents and will let go of his contract to free up the $50 million he is expected to earn in the next two years.

The Blue Jays could settle for a much cheaper contract with Winker. He will bolster their outfield depth that will look extremely shallow without Springer.

#1, New York Mets

The most realistic scenario for Winker would be to re-sign with the Mets. It's no secret that Steve Cohen's team will go all out to sign Juan Soto this offseason. However, if the deal doesn't work out and Soto signs elsewhere, then that amount of money can be used by the Mets to retain their outgoing free agents like Pete Alonso and Winker.

Winker has wowed the Queens crowd with some strong performances and his leadership. His experience can be counted upon by the team as they continue to be title contenders.