The New York Mets kicked off the offseason by taking a gut punch. They lost their franchiseâs all-time home run leader when first baseman Pete Alonso took a five-year, $155 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles.
The Mets reportedly never even made an offer to Alonso to keep him at Citi Field, and so far have attempted to replace the 264-home run hitterâs production only with former Seattle Mariners infielder Jorge Polanco, who has needed four more seasons to notch 110 fewer home runs than Alonso.
Polancoâs career bWAR stands at 20.7, where Alonso has amassed 23.3.
The Mets made another move on Monday, according to a New York Post report, to add another infielder who was once a first-round draft pick of the San Francisco Giants, who quickly became that organizationâs No. 1 prospect.
But this move flew well under the radar, and is mainly aimed at providing depth for the hole left in the lineup by Alonsoâs departure.
Mets Pick Up Former Red Sox All-Around Infielder
Christian Arroyo is a 30-year-old veteran of seven major league seasons, who has spent the last two years playing at the Triple-A level â in 2024 for the Nashville Sounds in the Milwaukee Brewersâ farm system, and then last year with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.
His minor league contract with the Mets comes with an invitation to big league spring training, which gets underway next month.
His 2025 season showed a resurgence for Arroyo, whose career has been repeatedly derailed by injuries almost from the start. Last season, another series of injuries limited the former MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospect to just 45 games.
But in his playing time, he posted an .869 OPS, the highest of his career at any level where he has played at least 45 games â since his professional debut in the rookie leagues for the Giants when he played 45 games in 2013 with an .898 OPS mark.
But the high point of Arroyoâs career came in his four years as a utility infielder for the Boston Red Sox, when he played all four infield positions and even 17 games in right field.
Arroyo Reached Postseason With Boston
Even through another barrage of injuries, including strains to his calf, his oblique, his forearm, hamstring, and groin, according to a report by The Athletic, Arroyo enjoyed his most productive period with the Red Sox.
In his four seasons, starting the pandemic-truncated 2020 campaign, Arroyo compiled 2.2 bWAR and a .716 OPS, both higher than he managed with any other team in his career. He belted 18 home runs in 689 at-bats.
The infielder also played a key role in the Red Soxâs unexpected playoff run in 2021, when the team won 92 games â still Bostonâs highest total since winning 108 in 2018 â and took a 2-1 lead over the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series before dropping the next three games to miss out on a trip to the World Series.
The highlight for Arroyo came in the AL Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, won by the Red Sox 3-1. Arroyo starred in that series with five hits in 16 at-bats including a double while striking out only twice.
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