Look at me, I can be ...

[whippoorwill]

Ever time I see this I think of Sandy Duncan in Peter Pan

[Centerfield]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Giants nontender Kevin Pillar. This guy makes too many outs but is a competent fielder with good hustle powers (he's a white CF, see) with 20-homer power. As a Lagares replacement he'd make some sense and could be a regular if plans A B C and D don't materialize.

I can get behind this. How bad is Nimmo's defense in CF? Getting a full-time CF would be nice, but I wouldn't want to take Conforto or Nimmo out of the lineup. And the only place we can really play Davis is LF. Same with Ces if he comes back.



I'd be cool with Pillar as a spot starter/defensive replacement. Use whatever resources we have for the rotation and pen.

[smg58]

I'd go a year and 4 or 5 million for Pillar. He's at least decent at the plate, and even if he's closer to average than elite in center these days he's still pretty good out there. I wouldn't go nuts for him though.

[Edgy MD]

Figuring out a way to improve the defense while doing the least amount of damage to the offense is the challenge of the offseason for the Mets.



With an expected left-to-right of Céspedes-Nimmo-Conforto, you've got no easy answers. It's unrealistic to expect Céspedes to come back with any more mobility than late-stage Moisés Alou. And even on the days he might sit, Nimmo is your centerfielder.



And even if Yoenis doesn't return in a timely manner, J.D. Davis and Dom Smith are your options. Both have healthy legs and are capable of playing an average left field. But that's sort of an aspirational average.



So you have three choices, at least on the face of it:

2. Resign Lagares or sign someone like him to bump Nimmo over to a corner to replace Céspedes for late inning defense, or on what I expect will be Céspedes' frequent days off.




4. Move Nimmo or Conforto (I presume Céspedes is unmoveable) and try to replace the one they deal off with a strong defensive centerfielder who also hits enough to start.




6. Send Nimmo off to train and train and train with the best outfield coach out there, and hope for the best.

Obviously, none of those are ideal, and it's going to take a lot more ingenuity than finding a replacement for Wheeler (possibly Wheeler) or upgrading in the pen.