The New York Mets and free agent outfielder Kevin Pillar are on a one-year contract pending tweets from physical, well-known SNY journalist Andy Martino. It is expected to be a Major League dealadds Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Veteran ‘Superman’ Pillar would be the second notable outfield addition in the past week for the Mets, who previously had former Cubs Albert Almora Jr.
Like Almora, Pillar will provide outfield depth for the Mets who will start, at least for now, left-wing Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto and Dominic Smith in 2021.
Of course, that could be subject to change if the Mets make another major acquisition – say Jackie Bradley Jr., the top-ranked midfielder in free agency, or a trade for Cub’s third baseman / outfielder Kris. Bryant. Mets fans would probably prefer such a high profile move, but the team might just start the year with the cast it has and a cheaper pick like Pillar.
The now 32-year-old Pillar is best known for his career in Toronto in 2013-19 in which he established himself as a world-class defender in midfield. Pillar spent most of 2019 as the Giants after taking him over from the Blue Jays, splitting between the Red Sox and Rockies last season.
Statistically, Pillar’s defense isn’t in his best shape (he combined minus-6 defensive runs saved and a 2.0 Ultimate Zone Rating from 2019-20), but he has experience in all three outfield positions.
Pillar has never really been an offensive threat, but one team could certainly fare worse than him as a backup option. He is a .262 / .299 / .408 career hitter with 82 home runs and 88 stolen bases in 3,486 at bats.
Kevin Andrew Pillar (his full name), 1.83 meters tall and 90 pounds, set his personal best of 106 wRC + last season when he dropped .288 / .336 / .462, hit six home runs and stole five bases in 223 on bats.