The Mets have enough to juggle this winter without ignoring the edges of the roster, but one of their quieter needs may be the one that pays off most cleanly: a right-handed hitting outfielder.
New York’s offseason board is already crowded with bigger items. David Stearns has to sort out a frontline starter, a new first baseman, and help for the back end of the bullpen.
Still, the final bench spot matters, especially if the Mets move on from Mark Vientos as many fans expect. In that setup, the bench would be Brett Baty, Jared Young, and Luis Torrens.
That group gives the Mets some depth, but it also leaves a very obvious problem. None of those bats are strong against left-handed pitching, and that was already a team-wide issue. Last season, the Mets finished in the bottom 10 in OPS against lefties at .688.
That’s why the fourth outfielder spot looms larger than it might at first glance.
Among the free-agent options, Tyrone Taylor fits the bill as neatly as anyone. He checks the right boxes for a reserve outfielder: defense, speed, and production against left-handed pitching. In 110 at-bats against lefties last season, Taylor hit .318 with 10 doubles, six home runs, and a .921 OPS.
He also already showed what he could do for the Mets in that split before being traded. New York’s next-best performer against left-handed pitching was Carson Benge, who hit .279 with six of his 20 home runs coming against southpaws. After that, the list thinned out quickly, and that lack of answers showed up in the team’s overall numbers.
Taylor would solve that issue while also removing the uncertainty that comes with leaning on a less proven option.
Nick Morabito is the most logical internal fallback if the Mets decide not to add another outfielder. But there are real concerns there.
In his brief major league look, he hit .195 with a .527 OPS in 41 at-bats. That’s a tiny sample, and his minor league numbers were much better - a .254 average with 14 doubles, 13 home runs, and 42 stolen bases - but the inexperience still matters.
The bigger issue is role fit. Morabito is still developing, and asking a 23-year-old to step into a limited bench job without regular at-bats is a tough ask for a team trying to tighten up its roster now.
Taylor’s background makes him a safer bet in that role. He’s used to coming off the bench and producing without steady playing time. In 22 plate appearances as a pinch hitter last season, he had six hits, a .286 average, and a home run.
That kind of reliability would help Andy Green in his first full season as manager.
Morabito does bring tools of his own, though. His speed and defense give him value, and his 29.7 feet-per-second sprint speed ranks in the 97th percentile according to Baseball Savant.
Taylor isn’t far behind in that area at 29.2 feet-per-second, which also ranks above the 90th percentile. He’s also proven himself defensively, posting a +1 OAA in 2026.
So if the Mets are weighing the two, the defensive and baserunning gap isn’t the separator. The edge goes to Taylor because he’s already been there, done that in a reserve role.
He also shouldn’t cost much, with a one- or two-year deal likely enough to get it done. That would leave the Mets freer to pour resources into bigger priorities, including the starting rotation.
And there’s value in the simple fact that Taylor has already shown he can handle New York. It may not be the splashiest move on the market, but a reunion could end up being one of the most useful ones the Mets make this offseason.
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