When the Mets signed free agent outfielder Alejandro De Aza to a one-year, $5.75 million deal in mid-December they did so thinking he’d be a regular, but re-signing Yoenis Cespedes changed those plans and now De Aza may not be long for New York.
General manager Sandy Alderson told Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal that De Aza’s role is “a little less clear” than it was at the time of the signing, adding that trading him is “conceivable.”
There’s nothing wrong with having outfield depth and $5.75 million, while a lot for a part-time player, isn’t a crazy salary. Certainly the Mets will be able to find, say, 250 at-bats for De Aza somewhere, although they also have one-time starting center fielder Juan Lagares slated for a part-time role.
As a left-handed hitter De Aza is a poor fit on a team that starts a pair of left-handed hitters, Curtis Granderson, and Michael Conforto, in the outfield corners, and Lagares will get the call first if/when a center fielder is needed.