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MLB Trade Rumors: Mets serious about Curtis Granderson?

The Mets announced they were focusing on improving their offense this offseason, and one of their targets could be ex-Yankee Curtis Granderson.

By Ray Guilfoyle
Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sport

The Mets have a plethora of young pitchers in their system, from Matt Harvey to Zack Wheeler to Noah Syndergaard to Rafael Montero. So, it is not surprising that the team is looking to bolster their offense this offseason. They have been linked to former Reds outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, Nelson Cruz, Chris Young, and now former Yankee Curtis Granderson. All would provide a boost to the Mets lineup that ranked 23rd in runs scored and 25th in home runs in 2013.

Earlier today, we learned from Andy Martino from the New York Daily News, that the Mets might actually be targeting Granderson:

Granderson in a Mets uniform makes a lot of sense, as he could play left field, with Juan Lagares manning center field and providing gold glove defense there. With the Mets planning on moving Eric Young Jr. to second base in 2014, it appears left field is a spot the Mets will look to fill this offseason.

But for fantasy owners, would he still hit for power in Citi Field, as it is known as one of the better pitchers parks in baseball? Let's take a look, using Hit Tracker Online.

Here is a plot chart via Hit Tracker Online of all of Granderson's home runs from 2011, showing how many would have left Citi Field:

Scatter Plot of Home Runs for Granderson, Curtis

Overlay Ballpark:

The plot chart shows that all but four of his home runs would have been home runs at Citi Field. This shows that he probably won't see a dramatic drop in home runs playing half of his games at Citi Field.

Here is the plot chart for the home runs he hit in 2012:

Scatter Plot of Home Runs for Granderson, Curtis
Overlay Ballpark:

Like the chart for 2011, this 2012 chart shows that all but eight of his home runs would have left Citi Field as well. It is safe to say that when Granderson goes deep, they would probably leave most ball parks in baseball.

The chart also shows that Granderson has become, or has been, a pull-happy hitter. Granderson has two 40+ home run seasons under his belt, but at the same time, his strikeout rate has increased, approaching 30%. He walks more than 10% of his at bats, so he has become the definition of the three true outcome hitter.

Granderson's fantasy value may remain static should he sign with the Mets. The power he has shown is not the result of playing half of his games at Yankee Stadium, as the charts above show that his power is real. But, with that comes plenty of strikeouts and a low batting average.

Should the Mets sign Granderson this offseason?

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