As Opening Day is just around the corner, it is no surprise that the vast majority of the top free agents are off the board, having been signed, sealed, and delivered to their teams. There is, however, one very notable exception – former New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto.
But, just in case, anyone forgot that Conforto is available, his representatives made certain to send out a reminder via Jon Morosi. Scott Boras is claiming that “a number of teams” have been in contact about signing the free agent outfielder and that Conforto is ramping up his baseball activities.
Interest may be picking up in former New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto
To be fair to Boras, that number could be zero. And he did not state where those teams were located. Conforto would certainly be welcome in Mexico or Japan as an upgrade to those rosters. His market may be picking up after all!
On a serious note, there are reasons why Conforto is still a free agent. He had reportedly injured his shoulder in January after diving for a ball in defensive drills which caused teams to shy away from him. He is also coming off of a down year, producing a .232/.344/.384 batting line with 14 homers and 20 doubles in his 479 plate appearances in 2021.
However, Conforto does have a track record of production. He had an excellent .265/.369/.495 batting line in his 1959 plate appearances between 2017 and 2020, hitting 97 homers and 86 doubles. He could certainly be an upgrade for several teams.
Conforto may also be a bargain at this point. Given how late in the offseason it is, his disappointing 2021 campaign, and his shoulder injury, he may well be looking for a one year ‘make good’ deal at this point. He may well be worth the loss of a draft pick, even on a one year deal, for a team with playoff aspirations.
Former New York Mets outfielder is still available in free agency. His agent, Scott Boras, is just sending out a reminder in case teams forgot.