Should Mets Go All In For 2014?

As posted earlier this morning, it appears more likely that Stephen Drew will be going back to Boston. It seems like the Mets are reluctant to sign him for financial reasons. I would take Stephen Drew, especially for only a 2 year commitment. But the Mets don't have to get Stephen Drew. Before you all jump down my throat and call me a shill, understand this: I like playing devils advocate and looking at other possibilites. I also hate Ruben Tejada and am in no way saying I am happy going into 2014 with him as our everyday shortstop.

You can look at it two ways. If the Mets sign Drew, they are improving the team and re-affirming their commitment to the fans by spending money. Shortstop is a tough spot to fill, so you almost feel obligated to fill it when you have the chance. However, if you sign Drew now, you're not going to sign a free agent shortstop for the 2015 season. Next off-season, there is a little more depth in the shortstop free agent pool. Hanley Ramirez, Asdrubal Cabrera and Jed Lowrie are all available next year. Guys like Yunel Escobar and JJ Hardy will be free agents as well. I'm not saying the Mets will get any of these guys. But it is unreasonable to look down the road and say maybe you should hold off and make a run at Hanley or one of the others? I don't think so.

I am not saying any of these guys are better or worse than Drew. But baseball teams don't get constructed in one offseason. And parts must be placed based on the totality of the whole unit. Some of those guys may not be as good as Drew, but they are still be better than Tejada. So coupled with a few more moves to solidify the team next year, you can live with that.

Let's face it. Stephen Drew is a decent player and an upgrade over who the Mets currently have. But is Stephen Drew going to make the Mets a championship team? No. With Drew, I have the Mets as a .500 baseball team . And a .500 baseball is a lot better than we have been seeing. They may tease us and stay in the race for the Wild Card until late August or so. But this team still has no lead off hitter and a very suspect bullpen. On top of that, you don't know what you're going to get from Travis d'Arnaud, who is very key in determining how good this team is going to be this year and in the future.

So is it smart to put all your eggs in a basket in one off-season? I don't think the Mets are in that position. Not yet. 2015 is the earliest year I think the Mets can be taken seriously anyway. I'd be happy if the Mets signed Drew, but I'm not going to lose my mind if they don't either.

Feel free to call me names on Twitter @GetsThruBuckner