December 9, 2013

Mets Are Out Of The Major Free Agent Market

I hope you enjoyed the Curtis Granderson signing, because its likely all you'll get this winter in terms of major free agent signings.  Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reported the following last night from the winter meetings:
I'm going to level with you..that sucks.  The Mets still have holes to fill at short stop, starting pitcher and in the bullpen.  Last night Alderson also alluded to the fact that the team may start the year with Ruben Tejada at short and believes that there bullpen issues will mainly be rectified by the development of their good young arms.

If you're reading between the lines, that may mean that the Mets hope to use their trade chips this week to acquire the services of a starting pitcher.  However, I don't see how the team can trade the likes of Davis and or Murphy for even a quality starter and come close to the $85 million dollar threshold Alderson spoke of last night.

Although this is disconcerting news, it doesn't surprise me that Mets won't dabble in the "major" free agent pool again.  No matter what way you slice it, the team cannot afford to add another $12-$15 million dollar player to the payroll and still comes close to addressing all of its areas of concern.  Of the available options who remain, only Stephen Drew fills a hole and he will fall within the range I mention above.

I understand that such a statement bothers you as a fan, and it should.  We want to see the team improve as fast as possible, but with the options that remain available and the budget being discussed, this course of action makes sense.

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