In the same respect in which I think the Mets should make a play at Joe Musgrove, Jared Porter and the Mets should look at the Tampa Bay Rays.

With the Tampa Bay Rays just trading away Blake Snell to the San Diego Padres, the Mets could take advantage as their roster could potentially be dismantled. A name to look at would be the teams centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier.

While Kiermaier leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to his offensive numbers, his defensive skill-sets are second to none.

The Steamer projections featured on Rotochamp have Kiermaier hitting .232/.302/.396/.698 with 15 home runs, 55 RBI’s, as well as 16 stolen bases. Again, there’s a lot to be desired in that slash line, but he does have pop as well as the ability to swipe some bags along the way.

During the 2020 season, Kiermaier had a OAA of +5 but in 2019, it was an out of this world and outstanding +17. So while this would give the Mets a bottom of the lineup speedster with some pop, it could also give them the best defensive centerfielder in baseball.

The centerfielder will be 31 in 2021 and will earn a shade over $11M, then $12M in 2022, with a $13M team option for the 2023 campaign.

The Rays would be able to get away from the minimum of $25M that’s owed to Kiermaier (Includes 2023 $2.5M buyout) while taking on Familia’s $10M which expires at the end of the season.

The Rays would also get their hands on Shervyen Newton, the Mets 14th prospect. While the Netherlands native went unselected in the Rule 5 draft, which is somewhat a surprise, he does have a high ceiling as a switch-hitting middle infielder.

If the Rays decide they don’t want to pay for Familia at all, the Mets can either take on another $5M from his contract or add a higher ranked prospect like Junior Santos.

Santos would be ready for the Rays by 2022, potentially even during the 2021 campaign if they decide to rush him out. However either way, the Rays tend to be just as smart as the best of them when it comes to pitcher development, so it would be a great match.

Photo from Tampa Bay Times