SAN DIEGO – The Mets are among the teams talking with free agent Andrew Benintendi, The Post has learned.
The Yankees would like to reunite with Benintendi and he is a much more natural fit with them or the Astros or several other clubs pursuing the lefty swinger.
For the Mets, discussions with Benintendi, 28, are an indicator of the club seriously contemplating life without free agent Brandon Nimmo. To accommodate Benintendi in left field, the Mets would have to shift Starling Marte or Mark Canha into center field if Nimmo leaves. That has never seemed their preference for both defensive purposes and wear and tear, particularly on Marte.
It could open up other possibilities for the Mets. The Mets could perhaps include Canha in a trade or they could still sign a center fielder such as Kevin Kiermaier and have Benintendi, Canha and Marte rotate among the corner outfield spots and DH. That would mean making Darin Ruf and especially Daniel Vogelbach bench pieces or trade candidates. It also could limit the DH potential for Francisco Alvarez, if he shows himself offensively capable as a rookie.
Conversely, it would provide the Mets positional depth. Buck Showalter has demonstrated that he would prefer tough daily decisions over not having alternatives in time of injury.
