28
2012
Mets Fear Hairston Will Be Too Pricey To Bring Back In 2013
An article by 
Updated 7/28 3:15 PM
Buster Olney of ESPN tweets that the Texas Rangers also have interest in acquiring Scott Hairston, but so far there’s nothing happening and nothing to report.
In 83 games Hairston is batting .259 with 12 home runs and 39 RBI in 220 at-bats with most of his damage coming against left-handed pitching.
According to beat writer Andy McCullough,the Mets would like to bring Hairston back for 2013, but there’s some worry he may have priced himself out of Flushing with his fine play this year.
Too pricey? Hairston?
Brace yourselves for another ice cold Hot Stove season…
Updated 7/27 5:00 PM
Adam Rubin of ESPN New York is reporting that the Tigers spoke with the Mets today. However, he adds that it does not sound like a trade will materialize.
Jon Morosi of Fox Sports earlier reported that the Tigers are interested in Scott Hairston.
Well if you read my post earlier, you know this is good news as far as I’m concerned. Trading Hairston is the last thing I want to do right now.
It’s funny that two weeks ago we were the ones looking for a right-handed bat. Weird…
Original Post 7/27 12:30 PM
This morning I posted something for all my fellow Mets fans who want to fight on because they, like Tug McGraw before them, believe and want to fight to the bitter end ala Gary Carter. For those of you waving the white flags I offer up this little nugget.
Okay, so like it or not we are not buyers (God, I hate saying that after that amazing first half.) we are sellers.
The front office is running their Sherman tanks over what’s left of the 2012 season and the troops are not too far behind as they march toward the year 2015, 2011-2014 be damned.
We are on a five year plan, and no early surprises will detract us from the master design of fielding an all homegrown team that will bring a World Series Trophy to Flushing half way through this decade, much like the Oakland A’s, Kansas City Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates have. Oh wait…
So far all those Omar Minaya chips are being cashed in one by one and if a terrible GM like him can produce and develop a diamond like Matt Harvey, just imagine what miracles a three-headed monster like we have now can do. “I will show you great wonders, such as the world has never seen.” – Book of Revelations.
The other day I read something, somewhere, that the Mets were considering trading Scott Hairston or Tim Byrdak. They could give the Lefty a swift kick in the ass right now for all I care, but as for that bald dude with the hairy name, I think I’d rather hang onto him.
Last night, Scott Hairston went 3-for-5 and doubled in two of the Mets’ three runs in Thursday’s historic win as top prospect Matt Harvey wowed Mets fans with a memorable major league debut. If not for Hairston the Mets probably would have lost the game, something that could be said for many a win this season.
Jason Bay was supposed to be our right-handed power source in left field this season, but instead it’s been Hairston doing most of the heavy lifting. To think the Mets would simply jerk him out of a lineup that already struggles to score runs is mind boggling to me. Do we ever do anything in the name of winning anymore?
Hairston has been a one-man wrecking crew this season swatting 12 round trippers and driving in 39 runs in just 220 at-bats for the Mets. You students of saber may even enjoy the fact he has a 121 OPS+ in that span. I know stuff like that arousess you. 
Even more remarkable than what he’s done overall, are his numbers against left-handed pitching. How does a .308/.341/.617 slash grab ya to go with a .958 OPS. Pretty nifty, huh?
You would think Hairston has been around for ages, but he’s only 32. That’s three years younger than Andres Torres who was brought here to be the everyday center fielder for the Mets this season. Torres of course was supposed to be the upgrade to Angel Pagan, the leadoff hitter and catalyst for the first place San Francisco Giants. (Ouch!)
I don’t usually make a big stink of utility players like Scott Hairston being un-tradeable, but he’s kind of grown on me and I’d hate to think how much worse this team can get without having him in the lineup to give us some credibility whenever there’s a southpaw on the mound.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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As I said months ago, if we ever get into post-season, Hairston is exactly the kind of player we will want to have. The man can come up big!
Sellers? I’ll believe that when I see some actual signs of selling here in these next 5 days.
With the disaster that is this OF right now, I’ll be surprised if they ‘sell’ Hairston. If they do trade him, it will probably be for a piece that has some value going forward, not just through the end of this season.
If I had to guess I’d say Hairston will be here at least through August unless he is part of a trade for something to help the team this year or the next as I believe has been reported.
How is trading a backup bench player being a seller? If we do trade him is for stocking minor league players.. we are just nothing.. With this FO in place as long as excuses are invented, they’d get a pass somehow//
They should cash in on Hairston now. They said earlier this month that Hairston would be the most in-demand player on the Mets during this time should they be sellers. As long as they can get some effective relief help in return and would fit their need of people who can help them next year, go for it.
Last year we could have sold Capuanno. He liked us. We liked him. So we held on to him and he walked when we could not afford him after the season. SELL HAIRSTON NOW!
Hmmm I guess my idea to trade Young all of a sudden looks good to you too?
Just as much as my suggestion of Valdespin starting every day looking good to you. You do realize that every time we’ve had that argument, he’s just proven me right over and over again?
Ahh but my position about Valde was in regards to replacing Murphy with him, not Bay!
I have been saying for a season and a half now just say no to anymore Bay starts!
I’ve been saying no to Bay starts since his second season. So, are WE in agreement about not only Valdespin getting his well-deserved starting time, but Murph also being trade bait for what we need? (A REAL defensive catcher, RH OF and RP)
For the record, I never had a problem with Young being bait, as Young was to be bait to begin with before his inevitable breakdown.
Nope I woud not trade Murphy…He is a big part of the fight this team showed us and is needed. You can’t rely on Wright alone he needs another guy who can help rally them and shake them up when needed.
There is no defensive catcher out there worth trading for.
You want to get one of those we had better draft one.
As for Young breakdown or no, he was a prime candidate to trade for Bullpen arms we needed before the rest of the rotation got hurt.
So if you’re gonna block Valdespin from playing 2nd base, where are you gonna stick him in the OF? He seems to handle all 3 OF positions fairly well.
“There is no defensive catcher out there worth trading for.”
There are a few you can trade little for, like Kurt Suzuki in Oakland. The rest are available this winter like Yorvit Torrealba, Kelly Shoppach, and Jose Molina.
Hairston? Too pricey? Come come now, Mets.
RF!
Duda when he gets sorted goes to LF where his speed is less of a factor due to the shorter throw to third.
Kirk in CF.
As for Suzuki, he hits .213!
I would rather have Thole making an error now and then and hitting .271 than to make the same mistake we made with Pagan and trading the good bat for a glove who people think is better but when it comes down to it not more than 1 or two plays a year better!
If Hairston is too Pricey for Sandy then the problem is bigger that what any player around here might cost!
It’s a GM who thinks prices shouldn’t be higher than they were in 1992!
I knew you would point out Suzuki hitting .213, but here’s the thing. It may sound taboo to you, but when it comes to the catcher, it’s the only position where I don’t look at offense and value defense a lot more. Think about it. The catcher is the most important, most vital position player out there. They have to make all the play calling, work with umps (having calls in your favor is a huge plus. Why you think we always see those horrible calls that most of the time don’t go our way? We don’t have that pull), have a prolific work ethic with pitchers, be very good defensively themselves, smart and overall, possess LEADERSHIP, something Thole will NEVER be. How many times the last couple of years we have heard Thole having problems with the pitchers? Beato? Gee? Byrdak? Meanwhile, Suzuki is an underrated catcher who’s always been praised for his defense and throws out runners at a high rate (currently leads the AL among catchers in CS%).
You can go defense for bad hitting if bad hitting is .250 or .260….but if they are below .230 most of thier career then they don’t belong in the Major leagues at all!
I don’t care how good you can catch a baseball!
What you think your saving on the 5 or 6 errors over the course of the year your losing in the 500 PAs the guy is going to get!
“You can go defense for bad hitting if bad hitting is .250 or .260….but if they are below .230 most of thier career then they don’t belong in the Major leagues at all!”
Tell that to the team across town with a catcher who hasn’t hit for shit in what, 4 years? Catchers nowadays are hard to come by that can do both (hitting/catching) that are available. One guy I missed that the Mets let go was Henry Blanco. Could never hit, but you can’t tell me you didn’t like how he called games for us (you can credit him for Pelf’s success in 2010). I’d take him back for one year in the winter. However, if you’re into a catcher that’s capable of both and look into inquiring, there’s David Ross in Atlanta (Atlanta wants Hairston) and there’s Ryan Hanigan from Cincinnati.
The fact they haven’t made a move to get someone better tells you what about the options available to fix it?
Your not solving anything by putting a crappy hitter in your lineup especially to get what will amount to 10 plays a season of improvement.
You can teach defense but it’s hard (even Impossible) to make a bad hitter a good one!
“The fact they haven’t made a move to get someone better tells you what about the options available to fix it?”
Fact is, they realize there are better options out there among catchers but for some reason, they choose not to pursue.
“Your not solving anything by putting a crappy hitter in your lineup especially to get what will amount to 10 plays a season of improvement.”
…and what makes that so different to what we currently have in Thole, a guy who will do so much but nothing more significant as a hitter? As long as you cover your bases and possess an above-average 1-7 lineup, you can hide a weak hitting #8 hitter among the trees and STILL be contenders. Look around the league and see contending teams with weak hitting C’s.
LOL you realize how backwards that sounded?
There are options there but they decided not to go after it?
The reason they chose not to pursue it is because there isn’t anything worth paying for that little change you asking them to get!
As for Thole whats the difference?
Oh about .060 Points in BA!
Thats almost a hit more every two games! So 82 more hits that can drive in runs vs a gain of about 10 errors a season!
Not worth it!
*sigh* You are STILL not getting it! Forget about the offensive prowess! Thole does not and will never have the defensive tools to be the leader the pitching staff needs. Period. If he cannot bring out the best in the pitcher, we’ll be constantly in deep shit on the offensive front like we have been since the walkoff against Papelbon.
“LOL you realize how backwards that sounded?
There are options there but they decided not to go after it?”
Again….*sigh*
Hasn’t that been something you have complained about? How the Mets have a need but does virtually nothing but exacerbate the issue, like say, bullpen help?
Because there is NOTHING to get!
There is nothing to be gained by a defensive catcher who can’t hit a lick!
Hell Suzuki isn’t even better defensively!
The guy is three years older Hits .254 in his career, compared to Thole’s .274
and you want to give up a boatload of BA to get .001 better fielding!
Cause you obviosuly didn’t look and see Thole’s FP is .993 and the NO-Hitting Suzuki is at .994!
You do realize in order to have a point you have to suggest.
So the guy you picked sucks defensivly just as much as Thole and can’t hit MLB pitching to save his life!
“There is nothing to be gained by a defensive catcher who can’t hit a lick!”
And there’s something to be gained by a catcher who can’t handle pitches in front of him. 25 PBs in the last 2 years being the starting catcher? Yikes. Suzuki sucks defensively as much as Thole? Suzuki hasn’t had more than 7 balls get away from him since he became the starting catcher in his 2nd season. About that “boatload of BA” Thole has, it’s hollow. In 70 games, Thole has hit .271 but managed to get only 13 RBIs. That’s pathetic any way you want to put it. Suzuki may not be capable of hitting for average, but has the pop to drive in more runs (although that hasn’t been seen this season). Thole’s a one tool player.
How many Knuckeballers does Suzuki catch in that same amount of time?
Lets see 12 passed Balls per year from a guy who catches a Knuckleballer every 5 days compared to a guy who has 3.5 per year without having to catch any knuckleballers?
Hell not only will we lose the bat Suziki is likely to have 24 Passed balls per year!
Hi Metsie,
Always contended the least of the Mets financial problems had to do with the roster payroll. It’s the financial problems of the owners that are killing them. Though they hope to keep it in the family, another reason they might not be selling the team at this time is because the value has gone down further than Jason Bay’s batting average.
Joey heir financial problems are way over blown…
The Wilpons haven’t lost a cent yet other than the two seasons where people didn’t show and thats not THIER money it’s the team’s money!
They made money off Madoff and while they have loans out for the stadium they got plenty of time to pay them and even if they don’t all they lose is the stadium which is no big deal because they are still going to make the majority of money made in it anyway since they are the only team in it!
They might have credit issues and thats about it!
Hi Metsie,
They might have credit problems but they certainly do have credibility problems.
I know everyone wants to blame the lpons or everything but here is the thing…
They blame Owners who have never been cheap of being cheap.
They spent plenty in the 80′s even came in a bought Foster and Kingman to play while they built, Spent plenty in the 90′s both early and then again late to get the 99-2001 team, Then spent even MORE in 2006-2010!
Bottomline here is before they took over we had only two playoff seasons to our name in 17 Years and since they took over we have been in Two WS plus Three NLCS’ and there should have been Two More playoff seasons (Three if you count missing by one game) we didn’t get by no fault of the Wilpons and thier spending/meddling!
You know what is even worse about the finances?
They had just eclipsed thier per game attendance of last year and will fall below it now that they have announced to the fans here is no point in coming we don’t have a shot and will not even try!
And when they complain they lose money at the end of the year somehow the same folks will go right on blaming Wilpon for the money issues when we all know the team they built no one wants to pay to see for a whole season and they never will if they see this FO thinks the season ends in July in NY!
They are builders. Not buyers or sellers. So Hairston is not going anywhere unless they get something that makes the mets better in the immediate future.
And if we trade him, who is our 2nd righthanded power bat? AMAZINGLY, we need him at this point to stay afloat.
It is about payroll….
Hairston is paid 1.1 million. His production this year may be worth 6 million. +4.9 mil.
Byrdak is paid 1.0 million. His production this year may be worth 2 million +1.0 mil.
Dickey is paid 4.25 mil His production this year may be worth 20mil. +15.7mil.
Bay is paid 16.0 mil His production this year may be worth 1 mil -15mil.
Trade them as a set to a contender for prospects. Lets get the bad contracts behind us.
Wouldn’t mind seeing Hairston extended if he is not traded. Byrdak should be traded, as he, at his age, is on the brink of retirement. Might as well get something for him.
And agreed, Bay needs to go when Baxter is activated.
Trade him!! The man has no place on a future Mets team.
The irreplaceable Scott Hairston. LOL
Hell lets just face facts here…anyone making above league minimum is too pricey for this FO.
He still thinks his Budget back in 1992 was too pricey by today’s monetary standards!
If Scott Hariston is really too pricey for the Mets than the Wilpons are in much bigger financial trouble than we thought.
Also you guys do realize that the Owners make the budget, not Sandy and the front office.
Hi Greg,
Been making that point for a long time now. If the Wilpons have the money and the general manager has been refusing to use it the past two seasons to the extent that he will even let go of players he deems are valuable to the club….. well that says a lot about both, the owners and the one they hired.
With the move to Citi Field, the Wilpons have stated they they projected the Mets would break even – even with that extremely high salaried payroll – by drawing an average 38,000 per game. For them, the problem was not having the foresight to understand that fans were not going to go along – and in fact resent – those extremely high costing tickets which jumped so much in price from what they were paying at Shea Stadium. Now that the tickets have gone down in price, they will lose money even with a packed house every night and the payroll cut to below $100 million. Am sure their “dynamic pricing” scheme has worked against them as well.
But when considering all their other holdings which offsets the loss (which I believe is on paper only) like SNY, merchandise, etc… well, they must truly be in bad financial shape, as I’ve documented.
The price of tickets on Sub Hub has gone down with our hopes of making the post season.
Afraid he may be too pricey? Are u kididng me? If the Wilpons cannot afford to give a bench guy 3 or 4 million then they should not be allowe to own a baseball team. Selig is a horrible commisoner and is friends with WIpon. Its bs
Thanks sandy for feeding the news to donal that both of your are 100% failures. Keep up the bad work.
Not really surprising. The owners still don’t want to spend anything more than the bare minimum. And Sandy’s MO is no huge free agent contracts. Put that together and you get another quiet winter.
I do not know why anyone spends money to go to Citi Field and support a team with players like Justin Turner, Mike Nickeas, Manny Acosta and Jon Rauch. These guys aren’t even big-league caliber.
Most importantly, they need to decide if they can compete in 2014, because if they don’t believe they can, then they need to look long and hard at trading David Wright after they activate his option. He’s going to be coming off a huge season and he’ll be 31 in 2014. Something to think about.
Another winter of sign or trade Wright…. cant’t wait LOL
I’m fine with them resigning him too – but they will probably want to look at both avenues.
Hairston = Don Clendenon of 1969?
Just living in memories
Scott Hairston is too expensive for the Mets! Incredible. Better to go forward into 2013 with an all lefty lineup with splinters for bats. It’s a mockery that this franchise is in the majors. Thanks Wilpons for hanging onto this team!
If Hairston is too expensive what does that say about Wright?
But I guess the apologist might be owed one win here….
Sandy sure has made the Mets better at developing talent!
Not for us mind you just the rest of the MLB!
Any guy who has been hurt or had bad years can come here and revive his career on our precious dime and then when he does it he immediatly becomes too expensive for us to keep.