Jesse Winker, a former Mets villain who endeared himself to the fan base while becoming an integral part of New York’s run to the NLCS last season, discussed his return for 2025 during a Zoom call with reporters on Wednesday.
Winker, who inked a one-year deal for roughly $8 million, said he told the organization at the start of free agency that he wanted to be back.
“After the year ended, I made it pretty clear that I wanted to stay,” Winker explained. “Early on in the offseason, the free agency process — I feel like there’s different phases of it, right? And I’d say after Christmas it started picking up, and the conversations started getting more serious.”
Winker added that his “overall experience was incredible” with the Mets last season. He singled out how they treated his family and the fun he had, noting that the run the Mets went on was “addicting” and that he wants to experience it “again and again.”
The expectation has been that Winker’s role this season will involve serving as a designated hitter and playing the corner outfield at times.
But with the Mets’ corner outfield spots taken up by Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo, playing time there could be hard to come by.
One spot that isn’t currently occupied is first base, with Pete Alonso still on the free agent market and his camp and the Mets at an impasse.
To that end, how comfortable would Winker be playing first base if the Mets asked?
“I’m definitely comfortable. Like I said, whatever is asked of me I’ll be ready,” he said. “I’ll put my best foot forward and give it everything I have. I definitely got more comfortable at first base two years ago. Up until then I hadn’t really played it, but it was definitely a position that I kind of felt like ‘man, maybe I should’ve been playing this a long time ago.’ To at least have at as a tool in the bag per se. So yeah, I’m definitely comfortable there.”
Asked if the Mets had broached the possibility of playing first base with him, Winker said it was discussed a “little bit” last season.
Winker has never played a regular season game at first base, but he did get some time there during a minor league rehab assignment in 2023 while in the Brewers organization.
SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino has reported that if the Mets don’t retain Alonso, the team would likely go internal on the infield.
That could mean shifting Mark Vientos from third base to first base, and having Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and Luisangel Acuña split time at third base.
But it can be argued that Winker emerging as a first base option might be cleaner, since it would allow Vientos to stay at third.
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