Hey Siri, pack your bags, you are the newest New York Met! The Mets completed the first of what is expected to be a flurry of offseason transactions last Tuesday by acquiring CF Jose Siri from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for relief pitcher Eric Orze. Siri will be joining his third team, as he previously played for the Astors and Rays. Siri, similar to former Met and current Free Agent Harrison Bader, is a tremendous defensive center fielder with average to below-average offensive numbers. However, this move is more than meets the eye and could surmount what people think Mets Head of Baseball Operations David Stearns is doing. Why exactly trade for Siri, how much will he be playing, and why is he here?
As I stated before, Siri is similar to Harrison Bader in the sense that he shines with the glove and struggles with the bat, and is most likely a replacement for Bader, who struggled in the second half of last season. However, Siri is somewhat of an upgrade for the Mets. Siri is a much more skilled defender compared to Bader. Siri ranked 8th in OAA (Outs Above Average, which is defined by Major League baseball as “Outs Above Average for outfielders starts with Catch Probability, which takes the distance an outfielder must go, the time he has to get there, and the direction he travels to put a percentage of catch likelihood on each individual batted ball” per MLB.com) with 15 runs prevented. For reference, our old friend Bader ranks 29 in OAA. Siri is up there with some of the best defenders in the league. However, Siri’s abysmal .189 batting average raises many eyebrows among Mets fans. Siri’s overall bWAR was a solid 1.9 opposed to Bader’s 1.0. While Siri strikes out significantly more than the average MLB player, let alone Bader, he is much faster, has way more power, and provides more defensive value for less money than Bader.
Siri’s playing time solely relies on one key factor- who else will the Mets acquire and how their outfield will change. Jesse Winker, a starter in the outfield, is a free agent who has expressed interest in coming back. By far the Met’s biggest target this winter, Juan Soto, is a right fielder, and the team still has Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte, and Tyrone Taylor. If the Mets sign either Winker or Soto (or both), Siri’s playing time will be condensed. However, if neither of these guys come to Queens expect Siri to be playing more of a pivotal role for the Mets next season. Either way-he will be making a good amount of starts for the Orange and Blue.
The Siri trade is another move made by Stearns not just for the sake of acquiring a new OF, but to lure in an even bigger fish. As mentioned earlier, Juan Soto is without a doubt the biggest target for the New York Mets this offseason. Despite being a star on the offensive side, Juan does not shine in the Outfield. He ranks 233 in OAA and has a -3 OAA in plays to his right, meaning he struggles at making plays near or in the gap. The speedy Siri, with an 8 OAA in plays to his left (Right Field Gap), is known for making plays in the gap that many outfielders do not. This move could potentially be David Stearns trying to appeal to Soto, who may feel drawn to the Mets knowing that he may not have to make as many difficult plays. However, this move could backfire when it comes to Juan Soto, as Siri and the Yankees had a beef over Siri’s long and extravagant home run trots last season. (Fun fact, the average Jose Siri home run trot was 29 seconds long)
Personally, I think this move is a great start off to the off-season. Being what is likely a replacement for Bader, the electric personality and mammoth home runs of Jose Siri bring great depth to the Mets roster. However, this is only the beginning of the offseason for the New York Mets, and I guarantee they will make bigger and better acquisitions to improve.
