Mets Acquire CF Jake Marisnick

The Mets on Thursday made their apparent upgrade in center field, acquiring Jake Marisnick from the Astros. It signals that the Wilpons, despite a new multi-billionaire owner waiting in the wings, are still very much in charge,

Marisnick is said to be a defensive whiz, but the 28-year-old can’t hit worth a lick. He hit .233 last season with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs in 318 at bats. He had similar numbers in 2018, except he batted .211. He also hardly ever walks and strikes out far too often for a player with little power.

But he should make around $3 million next season. Compare that to the $11.5 million Starling Marte will earn next year, or the $5.8 million Kevin Pillar made last year and the raise he will surely get, leading the Giants to non-tender him and make him a free agent. So the Mets definitely cheaped out. Again.

On the other hand, the two prospects they gave up are apparently nothing special. And they badly needed a defensive upgrade in center. But Marisnick is not a starter, which means for at least seven innings a game, we will get a corner outfielder masquerading as a center fielder. We’ve already seen how that plays out. It looks like we will be seeing more of the same in 2020.