Sports

Mets found better, cheaper CF option in Lagares after slight catch nixed free agent

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The Mets are fortunate the Pirates failed to sign Mark Appel after taking him with the eighth overall pick in the 2012 draft.

This is going to take some explaining.

Because they did not reach agreement with Appel, the Pirates, by rule, were awarded the ninth pick in this June’s draft. That knocked the Mets from picking 10th overall to 11th. Only teams with top 10 selections can sign a tendered free agent without losing their first-round pick.

The Mets wanted to sign Michael Bourn, who had been tendered by the Braves. The Mets felt they were not at a point in their rebuilding where they could afford to give up the 11th overall pick in the draft. They considered fighting that possibility on the grounds the spirit of the rule was being violated — they had the 10th-worst record, after all, and only a technicality was keeping them from picking 10th.

Nevertheless, they decided not to fight. The most cynical and dubious observers of the Mets believed it was because ownership still, post-Madoff, was not in the mood to pay the four years at $48 million necessary to land Bourn, who took that amount from the Indians instead (plus a $12 million vesting option for a fifth year).

Whatever the reason, this looks as if it falls into the “best moves are the ones you don’t make” category for the Mets.

Without Bourn — and with players such as Collin Cowgill, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Rick Ankiel and Jordany Valdespin having played themselves off the roster — the Mets turned to Juan Lagares. And by just about any objective view, Lagares has played as well or perhaps even better than Bourn in 2013 while making the minimum wage. Which suggests Lagares will be way more valuable dollar for dollar — if not outright — moving forward while giving the Mets additional funds they would have spent on Bourn to use elsewhere, namely on a leadoff hitter and a middle-of-the-order bat.

For example, if not investing in Bourn in collaboration with the contracts of Johan Santana and Jason Bay vanishing from the books allows the Mets to sign on-base machine Shin-Soo Choo and trade for David Wright’s pal Michael Cuddyer to serve as outfield bookends around Lagares in center while still having enough dough left to address shortstop, bullpen depth and the bench, then Appel not signing with the Pirates really will be a blessing for the Mets.

OK, this is a moment for the Giancarlo Stanton aside. I know Mets fans want him. I also know Mets fans would like to give up Lucas Duda and Scott Rice to get him. Besides the fact the Marlins might not make their slugger available this offseason, Mets fans should remember this: In exchange for a 38-year-old knuckleballer (R.A. Dickey) with one year to go before free agency, the Mets acquired Noah Syndergaard and Travis d’Arnaud plus a Rookie-ball outfielder with an interesting ceiling, Wuilmer Becerra.

So why exactly would the Marlins surrender a 23-year-old, who does not even become arbitration-eligible until this offseason, can’t be a free agent until after the 2016 season and provides the hardest commodity to find in today’s game (elite righty power) for less than d’Arnaud, Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler? Right, you don’t want to trade that, the Marlins don’t want to accept less to move Stanton (particularly in their own division) and, well, you see what the problem will be.

Now back to Lagares: Like any youngster, we will have to see whether he can translate some early promise into sustained success. Much of that has to do with controlling the strike zone better. His 3.4 walks per 100 plate appearances ranked 255th out of 262 players with at least 250 plate appearances entering the weekend.

But Bourn’s 6.3 ranked 193rd. Bourn’s .316 on-base percentage ranked 19th out of 20 players with at least 300 plate appearances at leadoff (Choo at .423 was first and Eric Young Jr. ranked just ahead of Bourn at .320).

Lagares’ .687 OPS was better than Bourn’s .670. And Lagares’ Wins Above Replacement, which attempts to encompass a player’s total contribution in one stat, outclasses Bourn’s, 2.8 to 1.5. The 2.8 ranked 10th among all center fielders, which reflects Lagares’ strong defense, an asset that had made Bourn so attractive.

But at 30, Bourn could be losing a step. His 65 percent success rate on stolen bases (17 out of 26) was by far the worst of any of his full seasons, and speed is not a skill that ages well.

One personnel head said, “Lagares has really impressed me, and our scouts and I think he’s a much better value — and very likely a better player — than Bourn for 2013-2016. He isn’t as polished right now, but he may be the best defensive center fielder in the NL right now with apologies to Andrew McCutchen. He’s a young, cheap, high-upside piece for the future. I would rather have Lagares through 2016 than Bourn independent of the money because the former has more upside and is younger and will continue to improve.”

One reason the Mets believe he will continue to improve is Lagares hit .338 or better in extended looks at High-A, Double-A and Triple-A, and the Mets believe the former shortstop is smart, which bodes well for learning and getting better.

“That’s a foundation for future major league success,” said Paul DePodesta, the Mets’ vice president of player development/scouting.

But even if he plateaus, Lagares brings defense, some speed and has displayed a bit of pop against lefty pitching. Meanwhile, lefty-swinging Matt den Dekker, whom the Mets think might be even a better defender than Lagares, has an .880 OPS against righties at Triple-A (albeit for Las Vegas, where the home park can skew offensive results).

The Mets think the duo could form a low-cost platoon as early as next season with a chance one could take off and grab the job full-time.

As one Mets official said, “At the least, it gives us options and some flexibility, both on the roster and with our money.”

joel.sherman@nypost.com