Poetic Justice! Carlos Gomez is back in a Mets uniform.
The Mets signed Carlos Gomez way back in 2002 and as he was coming up through the system, he was lauded for his speed and his ability to possibly beat Jose Reyes in a foot race. It was an exciting time for thinking about Mets prospects. There was the speed Carlos Gomez, the hitting machine Fernando Martinez and David Wright / Jose Reyes were becoming stars in Citi Field.
The Mets traded Gomez in 2008 for Johan Santana in a critical trade that changed the Mets history. Gomez was traded with Deolis Guerra, Phillip Humber and Kevin Mulvey, but only Gomez would eventually become a star.
But not for the Twins. The following year he was traded to the Brewers for J.J. Hardy. Gomez would become a fan favorite over the next 6 years in Milwaukee.
Until the trade deadline 2015. The Mets traded for a Gomez homecoming for Wilmer Flores. Flores showed his heart. The trade fell apart, Flores would then hit walk-off later in the week, starting a massive month long rally. The Mets would acquire Cespedes and go to the World Series.
The Gomez side of the story was different. He was traded to Astros where he struggled and was released at the end of the year before they became the Astros powerhouse. Gomez would sign with the Rangers in 2016 and then later with the Rays on a March contract from the 2018 season. And now he’s a Met!
Over his career he has hit .253/.313/.412 and if he makes it to the team this year we should expect anything like, we should expect something like he did for the Rays last year hitting .208/.298/.336 over 408 PA’s. What Gomez gives the Mets is outfield depth. Originally, the Mets were going to start with McNeil/Nimmo/Conforto until Cespedes got back. Injuries to Frazier and Lowrie and forcing McNeil back into the infield which means Lagares/Broxton step up as the next outfielder. They’re fine but after them the Mets have Liriano/Rajai Davis/ Gregor Blanco. Carlos Gomez is a better option than all three of them.
This article was written on Sunday 3/17. As of this morning, Gomez has yet to appear in a Spring Training game but it should happen soon. His arrival in camp was delayed by a visa issue and he is now getting back into the swing of things. The injuries on this squad right now are giving him an opportunity to rejoin this team, so lets get ready to open our arms and welcome an old friend back.
