Well its official! Michael Cuddyer to become a New York Met!
The deal is worth $21 million over two years for the former silver slugging 35 year old. Coming off of back-to-back seasons over .300 with a solid glove and presence in the clubhouse, this deal is a huge bargain/steal for the up and coming Mets. When I use the phrase “up and coming” I mean a team that could be the real deal in the very near future. The main area that has gotten much praise this offseason so far is their young pitching dominance, but now with the 2014 season in the books and the signing of the former batting champ; the outfield now could be very well in the ranks with superior outfields such as the American League champs (yes! I am talking about the men at the K). Lets take a look at this fairly new outfield: Curtis Granderson (LF), Juan Lagares (CF), and Michael Cuddyer (RF). Pretty good looking, huh? This outfield from a hitting perspective brings guys with average (Cuddyer), power and speed (Grandy), and a bit of everything (Lagares). From a defensive standpoint, again a bit of everything includes a 25-year-old gold glove. Ok! Lets stop drooling!
What Michael brings to Citi Field is a good veteran bat, great presence in the clubhouse (according to multiple sources), a good glove with a descent arm, and clutch hitting (.338 in postseason). The only down side to this signing is his health. Cuddyer the past 4 seasons is averaging around 107 games/season. Injuries for him have not been on the same body part every time, which could be a good thing considering its not one injury that keeps coming back that could force him into retirement.
Overall I rate this signing an A- considering the small market for outfielders and the need for a veteran presence in the locker room. For all the Mets fans out there, just hope the 2006-2010 Cuddyer (health wise) shows up in 2015.
