May be an image of 3 people and text

As the New York Mets brace themselves for a defining offseason, one of the most pressing questions on their plate is identifying their next go-to designated hitter. During the postseason, the Mets employed a strategic duo at DH, with J.D.

Martinez and Jesse Winker taking turns based on pitcher matchups—Martinez facing left-handers and Winker taking on right-handers. Both players were on one-year deals, setting them up for free agency once the World Series wraps up.

Martinez, at 37, seems poised to explore other options, but the future looks a bit more intriguing when it comes to Winker.

Jesse Winker, now 31, is coming off a season of redemption after a challenging 2023. He posted a .253/.360/.405 slash line, notched 23 doubles, cleared 14 homers, brought home 45 RBIs, and recorded a solid 118 wRC+. Crucially, Winker was a force against right-handed pitchers, gathering 341 at-bats with a .788 OPS, compared to a meager .674 OPS over 89 at-bats against lefties.

When the Mets snagged him from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline, Winker initially found it hard to gain traction, struggling with a .616 OPS and only two extra-base hits in his first 17 games. However, that all changed on August 21, when he delivered a dramatic pinch-hit, walk-off homer against the Baltimore Orioles. From there, Winker surged, pulling off a .735 OPS and 111 wRC+ through the final 27 games of the season.

Winker’s tenure with the Mets might look a bit rough when compared with his time in Washington (.243/.318/.365 in New York versus .257/.374/.419 with the Nationals), but his outstanding postseason turned those numbers around. In 10 playoff appearances with 32 trips to the plate, he boasted an eye-popping .318/.531/.636 line, backed by a 224 wRC+.

He made sure those hits had impact, with three of his seven hits going for extra bases—two triples and a homer. Add to that his impressive seven walks to just four strikeouts, plus scoring seven runs and driving in four, and it’s clear Winker’s bat was integral to the Mets’ postseason success.

Despite his notable playoff contributions, there’s still an elephant in the room: Winker’s noticeable split against right-handed versus left-handed pitching caps his potential as a full-time player. Add to this his lackluster performance during 2022 and 2023, and it raises the query of whether his uptick in 2024 is sustainable.

Yet, we can’t forget Winker’s credentials, highlighted by an All-Star caliber 2021 season with the Cincinnati Reds, where he lit up with a .305/.394/.556 over 110 games. If Winker can harness more of that level of play after his 2024 resurgence, he could become the heavy-hitting asset that any team would covet.

Ultimately, re-signing Winker could be a smart move for the Mets, giving him a chance to prove himself over a full season in the Big Apple. While there’s a gamble involved due to his pitch-split dependency and his previous downturns, the upside is potentially transformative for an already formidable Mets lineup.