According to multiple sources, the Mets have signed former Athletics' infielder Jed Lowrie to a two-year, $20 million dollar deal.
Lowrie, 34, hit .267 with 23 home runs and 99 RBI's last year for Oakland, is a good deal for the Mets as he adds to their infield depth since he can play all of the positions in the infield. To add to these stats, last year Lowrie had a .448 SLG. 120 OPS+, .347 wOBA. The year before that, he had the exact same numbers.
The one question this leads to is someone on the move for the Mets? The reason being the Mets currently have a log jam in their infield. As it stands, Todd Frazier, Amed Rosario, and Robinson Cano are penciled into their current positions.
The only question mark is first base. Peter Alonso will be the everyday first basemen sooner rather than later, but the thought is that he will be left in Triple-A for the first weeks of the season to gain an extra year of control. Dominic Smith makes the most sense for that role, but that isn't a guarantee, and you can't forget about guys like Jeff McNeil, who will also need playing time.
You also can’t forget guys like JD Davis, who the Mets recently acquired, as well as T.J. Rivera, who is coming off of rehab from Tommy John Surgery. There is also fringe guys like Gavin Cecchini, as well as Dilson Herrera, who the Mets signed earlier in the winter. What this does allow is for the Mets to trade from a position of strength, which is their infield depth, to address an area of weakness, which is their outfield and bullpen.
It will be interesting to see how the situation sorts itself out, but Lowrie is definitely a nice grab for the Mets.