It's been a busy start to Brodie Van Wagenen's tenure as Mets GM, one that continued Tuesday morning when he introduced his newest acquisiton, All-Star catcher Wilson Ramos, in a press conference.
But Van Wagenen said he isn't done adding pieces to the puzzle.
"We still have a lot of time to play and get creative and still have some real money to spend to potentially add on to it," he told SNY's Steve Gelbs.
"I'm not gonna stop," added Van Wagenen.
.@GMBVW says the Mets "still have some real money to spend" pic.twitter.com/xTMGxvlIeM
- SNY (@SNYtv) December 18, 2018
So where will the winter take him? Here's what's next for the Mets after the Ramos signing:
ANOTHER BAT IN OF?
The Mets are still in the market for an everyday center fielder and remain interested in free agent A.J. Pollock.
But Van Wagenen said he's not limiting his search for another bat to just outfielders, and would like to find a piece with the hopes of bolstering highly valued prospect Peter Alonso.
"I think we would like to add another bat or two, whether it's an outfielder or an infielder," he said. "I think we're not as concerned about lefthanded or righthanded now, we just want to have complementary pieces. Obviously we have Peter Alonso, who we're expecting a lot from this year as a rookie, and if he develops the way we've hoped he can, that is another huge righthanded power bat.
"But we'd like to not put too much pressure on him, as I know he already puts a lot of pressure on himself. If we can give him a little bit of support so that he doesn't have to feel like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, then we'll do that as well."
THREE'S A CROWD AT CATCHER?
The Mets now have a top catcher in Wilson Ramos, so the future is less certain for Travis d'Arnaud and now-third stringer Kevin Plawecki. But Van Wagenen said he can use that depth in ways that doesn't necessarily include a trade.
"We don't need to look to move one of those guys," he said. "There's been a lot of interest from other teams both before this signing and certainly after that give us an indication that teams value our players highly, which makes us feel good about them. Travis' versatility -- to be able to play first, his willingness to explore third base and left field -- gives us the thought that we could carry three catchers, given the fact that Travis can be an offensive-minded player that can fit around the diamond. As we're looking to build 25 guys, he can be a really interesting guy for us."
SNY's Andy Martino has reported that Plawecki is on the trade market -- perhaps in exchange for the lefty reliever the Mets need -- and that the Mets' plan is to go with Ramos/d'Arnaud behind the plate.