The New York Mets are reportedly interested in adding free agent sluggers Michael Conforto and/or JD Martinez this winter. The Mets are set to go from a pitching standpoint after adding Justin Verlander and Jose Quintana to the starting staff this offseason. Meanwhile, SNY reports that team owner Steve Cohen believes the squad needs more offense for 2023.
Conforto is a homegrown New York Mets product, having played for the team from 2015 to 2021. He rejected New York's $18.4 million qualifying offer ahead of the 2022 season and then sat out the year after suffering an offseason shoulder injury that required surgery.
Martinez is a 12-year MLB veteran who has played for four big-league teams, most recently the Boston Red Sox. Both have had some heavy-hitting seasons as part of their resumes.
New York Mets fans are split as to whether either of the hitters would help boost their team's offense all that much. They are also at odds over which player they would rather have at Citi Field next season.
Conforto's best run with the Mets came between 2017 and 2019 when he socked 88 total home runs. He had 33 homers and 92 RBI in 2019 and is a lifetime .255 hitter.
Martinez came up with the Houston Astros as a heralded rookie in 2011. After three pedestrian seasons with Houston, the Astros released him and he was picked up by the Detroit Tigers.
Something clicked for Martinez in Motown, and he became one of the league's most feared hitters with 38 home runs and 102 RBI in 2015. His offensive exploits continued through a 2017 trade to the Arizona Diamondbacks and his signing with the Red Sox in 2018.
Now 35, Martinez's numbers have trailed off in recent years, but he is still capable of putting a forceful bat on the ball.
If there's one thing Mets fans largely agree upon these days, it's that they love Steve Cohen. Cohen, a hedge fund manager who bought the Mets in 2020, has quickly become one of the biggest spenders in all of baseball.
New York Mets making more headlines than the Yankees
The pendulum has certainly swung in the Big Apple regarding who spends more on free agents. While the New York Yankees have their fans up in arms about their lack of acquisitions this winter, Mets fans are celebrating signing after signing.
But with the Mets' offensive capabilities still somewhat in doubt, will either Conforto or Martinez take that much scoring pressure off Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Francisco Lindor? What do you think?