Mets sign veteran first baseman Matt Adams to a minor-league deal
Washington Nationals' Matt Adams walks off the field after an at-bat against the New York Mets on Sept. 3, 2019, in Washington. Credit: AP/Patrick Semansky
Big City is coming to the big city.
The Mets signed first baseman Matt Adams to a minor-league contract with an invitation to major-league spring training on Friday, another layer of depth at perhaps the club’s deepest position behind Pete Alonso, Dominic Smith, Jed Lowrie and J.D. Davis.
Nicknamed “Big City” by his Cardinals teammates in 2013 for his 6-3, 245-pound frame, the lefthanded-hitting Adams spent last season with the World Series champion Nationals. He hit .226 with a .276 OBP and .465 slugging percentage in 111 games, all below his career averages, as he dealt with left shoulder issues. He had only four plate appearances in the postseason.
With the Mets, Adams is penciled in as the first baseman for Triple-A Syracuse. Smith has been the subject of trade rumors this offseason — largely because his primary position of first base is locked down by Alonso and he re-established his trade value with a strong 2019 — but remains with the team at least for now.
If Smith gets dealt, Adams could slide into his role of lefty bench bat/backup first baseman/occasional corner outfielder. Across eight seasons in the majors, Adams has played 35 games in the outfield, 34 in left and one in right.
However, no trade of Smith is close, a source said, and although teams have been interested in the 24-year-old former top prospect, the Mets have not felt compelled to move him.
Adams, 31, leads all active major-leaguers with 11 pinch-hit home runs and 49 pinch-hit RBIs. He is one of 18 National League players to hit at least 20 homers in each of the past three seasons.
After being a Cardinals mainstay from 2013-17, Adams has bounced around in recent years from the Braves to the Nationals, back to the Cardinals, back to the Nationals, and now to the Mets.
