Mets agree to deal with Alejandro De Aza

According to Jon Heyman, the Mets have agreed on a deal with free agent outfielder Alejandro De Aza. Ken Rosenthal first reported that the Mets were close to a deal with the 31-year-old left-handed outfielder. De Aza's name first appeared yesterday in connection with the team. De Aza, who plays all three outfield positions, split last season between the Orioles, Red Sox, and Giants, and hit .266/.333/.422 with seven home runs, seven triples, and 17 doubles in 365 plate appearances. The terms of the would-be contract are not yet known.

The Mets have been looking for a left-handed bat to platoon with Juan Lagares in center field, and had been rumored to be looking at players like Denard Span, Will Venable, and Gerardo Parra.

What makes the move a little surprising is that De Aza only had one appearance in center field last season, and was not a particularly well-regarded outfielder before that. He has -3.1 defensive WAR over his career, and has been just about league average based on Defensive Runs Saved in center field.

De Aza's presence may be bad news for someone like Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who is already on the cusp of missing the roster cut.