New York Mets: Jed Lowrie – A good idea gone wrong

In theory, signing Jed Lowrie to a two year deal was a good idea for the New York Mets. However, it has gone wrong in every way imaginable.

Jed Lowrie was never going to be confused with a paragon on health during his major league career. From 2008, when he made his major league debut, through 2016, Lowrie had appeared in over 100 games in a season just twice.

In 2017 and 2018, Lowrie found that magic formula. Back with the A’s, the team he had those two previous seasons where he appeared in over 100 games, he managed to remain healthy once again. Averaging 155 games per season, he produced a .272/.356/.448 batting line, hitting 37 homers and 86 doubles.

Although Lowrie was set to turn 35 years old, he was still a reasonable gamble in free agency. Enter the New York Mets, who signed Lowrie to a two year contract worth $20 million. Although the Mets likely were not expecting Lowrie to appear in 150+ games, he was seen as a valuable option to fill in around the infield, and possibly fill their vacancy at third base.

So much for best laid plans. Lowrie was seemingly injured from the moment he put the pen to the paper and signed his contract. A myriad of injuries held him to just eight unproductive plate appearances over nine games in 2019. Even if last year was a disaster, the hope was that the Mets would get something for that investment in 2020.

Instead, it seems unlikely that they will even get eight plate appearances this year. He had more discomfort in his left knee which was later revealed to be PCL laxity. On Sunday, the Mets placed Lowrie on the 45 day Injured List, all but ending his season before it even began.

Signing a 35 year old with an extensive injury history is a risky proposition. But no one could have imagined that this contract could have been such a disaster. Lowrie was a solid option, a player who had become one of the best hitting infielders in the game. The cost, $20 million, was not unreasonable.

Sometimes gambles do not pay off. That has been the case with Jed Lowrie, who was a good idea at the time for the New York Mets. Instead, that deal has been a disaster.