New York Mets release Nori Aoki

The New York Mets have reportedly decided to part ways with Nori Aoki, making him a free agent.

On Monday, it was reported that the New York Mets would not be bringing back outfielder Nori Aoki. The Mets were the last of three teams that Aoki played for in 2017.

Aoki began the year with the Houston Astros, hitting .272/.323/.371 with two homers and 19 RBI through 70 games before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in the Francisco Liriano deal. Once in Toronto, Aoki had a bit of an uncharacteristic power surge, hitting .281/.294/.594 with three homers and eight RBI through only 12 games. Despite a solid showing with the Jays, Aoki was designated for assignment and later given his release. Aoki was then signed by the Mets.

While in New York this past season, Aoki hit .284/.371/.373 through 27 games. Overall in 2017, he hit a combined .277/.335/.393 with five home runs across his three stops. His 98 OPS+ was a tad shy of his career (and above league-average) mark of 102.

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While Aoki performed well with the Mets, it appears that the team has decided that he didn’t fit very well into their plans for 2017.

Aoki, who made $5.5 million this past season, according to Baseball-Reference, would have been arbitration eligible this coming offseason. The Mets already have two star outfielders in Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto, as well as two other very capable outfielders in Juan Lagares and Brandon Nimmo. It appears very likely that the cost would have been a bit high for the amount of playing time that he would have been receiving.

Over a six-year MLB career, which he has spent with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Astros, Blue Jays and Mets, Aoki has been a very dependable player. Despite having not hit more than five home runs in any of the past four seasons, his batting average seems to always fall in or near the .280-range. He also possesses a very steady .350 lifetime on-base percentage.

Aoki is excellent at making contact and owns a microscopic 8.5 percent K rate for his career. Moreover, Aoki also has the ability to play all three outfield positions, which makes him quite handy in the field as well.

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Once the offseason officially arrives, there should be plenty of interest in Aoki from other MLB clubs. Of course, some teams might prefer an outfielder who can hit for a little more power, but at the very least, Aoki should easily be able to land another job as a bench player.