One of the more versatile free agents is off of the market. Wilmer Flores, formerly of the New York Mets, has reportedly signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the deal on Wednesday afternoon.
Free agent infielder Wilmer Flores is in agreement with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a one-year deal with a club option, pending physical, league sources tell ESPN. My man @pedrogomezESPN said Flores was nearing a deal with an NL West club.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 16, 2019
Flores had spent his entire career with the New York Mets. He’s perhaps best known for an incident that took place just prior to the 2015 trade deadline. With fans reacting to rumors swirling that Flores was going to be traded, Flores began crying while he was in the field. Ultimately, the rumored trade did not happen.
In 2018, Flores hit .267/.319/.417 with 11 home runs for the Mets. His best season came in 2017, when he hit .271/.307/.488 with a career high 18 home runs in only 110 games.
Defensively, Flores’ versatility is an asset. In his career, he’s played 162 games at shortstop, 143 at third base, 139 at first, and 101 at second. In Arizona, we’d expect to see Flores play either first or third, with Jake Lamb manning the other corner position.