The MLBPA compiled a full list of players who filed for free agency this offseason. Out of those, there are several possibilities that stood out to me as players I would consider signing if I were the GM of the Mets (assuming I had a moderate amount of money to spend). Mind you, I’m not saying the Mets should sign ALL of these players – that would be impossible. But this would be the pool of players from which I would choose.

We’ll break them down by position. In the last post, I looked at shortstops. In this post, I’ll take a look at…

First Basemen

The Mets enter the offseason with the thought that they can start next year with an in-house option (or options) at first base. While they don’t have a great first baseman under their control right now, if they improve at other positions, they can live with a guy like Lucas Duda or a Duda/Josh Satin or Wilmer Flores platoon. Before you laugh, they’ll at least give you a .350 or so OBP, and Duda is good for 15-20 homers if he stays healthy. They could even take a chance on a comeback season from Ike Davis, but rumor has it they’re trying to trade him.

If they fail to upgrade in the outfield or shortstop, they may look to upgrade at first base. If they do, here are few possibilities.

With the final road trip in the books (as it were), the Mets 2013 road record finishes at 41-40. This is significantly better than their home record, which stands at 32-45 with 4 games to play.

One obvious reason for this disparity would be park factor. While the Mets decided to shrink the dimensions of Citi Field prior to the 2012 season, it’s still not a band box. In fact, you can fit almost the entire field at Citizen’s Bank Park inside the fences of Citi Field:

Ike Davis is making another late-season surge.

Since his recall from Triple-A Las Vegas on July 5th, Davis is hitting .300 with a .467 on base percentage, but he still hasn’t hit for much power. He only has one home run in that span. His slugging percentage is on the rise, however, thanks to the 6 doubles he’s hit in his last 10 games.

Mets 8 Padres 4

Mets remain undefeated and remain at the top of the NL East standings.

In addition to a great ballgame, the Mets honored the heroes of Superstorm Sandy.

It’s too bad championships aren’t won on Opening Day, because the Mets would be a dynasty.  New York is now 34-18 all-time to start the season, and 34-10 since losing their first 8 Opening days.

The Mets started off the 2013 season with an 11-2 victory over the Padres.  Yes, there are 161 games to go, but with all the negativity surrounding this franchise, an energetic win such as this can only help a beleaguered fan base.  Heck, some people are already thinking Wild Card.

Of course, this Opening Day worked out much better than the one in 1994, which was a real Tuffy for Dwight Gooden.

Also opening up the season is the newly minted Triple-A affiliate for the Mets, the Las Vegas 51s.  Here’s the Opening Day roster.  Stay off the strip, boys.

The Mets much-maligned outfield looked good on day 1, with Collin Cowgill, Marlon Byrd, and Lucas Duda all contributing.  For all the competition this Spring, isn’t it odd that there are no platoons?

In another Opening Day subplot, 14-year minor league veteran Scott Rice made his major league debut in the ninth inning for the Mets, and retired the Padres in order.  14 years in the minors…the lefty is either extremely persistent or completely insane.  But he’s easy to root for.

Finally, another Mets LHP you might have heard of, Johan Santana, had successful shoulder surgery.  So, it’s back on the mound, right?  Of course, Johan has another long road of rehab ahead of him.  And we Mets fans are left with wistful memories of his time in New York.

Coming up…game 2!  Matt Harvey will make his season debut.  Make sure you come back to Mets Today for opinions and reactions.

Mets 3 Braves 1

After all that Larry Jones did to the Mets in his 19-year career, the least the Mets could do in return was spoil his special day in Atlanta.

Mets 7 Brewers 3

A little time away from home is all some need to get themselves feeling good again.

Braves 11 Mets 3

The ship keeps sinking, but it’s still above the Fish.