The Mets failed to offer a 2019 contract to Wilmer Flores, allowing the infielder to become a free agent.
Flores hit .267 with 11 homers and 51 RBI in 126 games this year, when he made $3.4 million. He endeared himself to Mets fans when he got emotional during a game against San Diego on July 29, 2015, believing media reports he had been traded to Milwaukee. The proposed swap for Carlos Gomez fell through, and two days later Flores hit a game-ending 12th-inning homer to beat Washington.
New York did offer a contract to catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who was limited to four early season games this year by a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow that required Tommy John surgery. D’Arnaud, on the disabled list for the fifth straight season, had a $3,475,000 salary.
Does making an offer to d’Arnaud mean that the Mets aren’t going to be pursuing a new starting catcher? d’Arnaud can’t throw and he’s injury-prone. But the guess here is that keeping him around as a back-up would be more beneficial than letting him go because he can hit with a little power and knows the Mets pitching staff so well. As for Wilmer, of course he’s fan favorite, being home grown and coming up with big hits for the Amazin’s time and time again. But if he can’t come back here because of playing time or whatever, hopefully he gets a starting job somewhere else with an opportunity to make much more money, which he deserves.