How Does Michael Bourn Play Into The Mets Endgame?

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• The real cactus January 28, 2013 at 10:34 am

  You have spent too much time in california.

  No way bourn gets 5.
  No way bourn gets 75.
  • TX January 28, 2013 at 10:39 am

    Agree. I think he maxes at 4 years, 52 mil, give or take.
    • XtreemIcon January 28, 2013 at 10:59 am

      That’s a fair bet and one I’d take. At 5/$75, he doesn’t help. There’s rumors that if he doesn’t get his huge deal, he’ll take a one-year deal and try again next off season. In that case, he doesn’t help either. I’d prefer a three-year, $45 mil deal and an option, but I’d go with four years guaranteed if its necessary.
      • TX January 28, 2013 at 11:02 am

        Yeah, I’d prefer 3 as well, but 4 wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me. And a 1 year deal does nothing for the Mets.
        • J January 28, 2013 at 2:00 pm

          What a one-year deal would do is recoup the Mets’ first round draft pick. They’d lose it to sign Bourn, then get one from the team that signs him next year after he declines a qualifying offer. Essentially they’d trade having a player the quality of Bourn for one year for having no 1st round picks this year and two next year (or one to give up to sign a big free agent).

          This assumes that Bourn performs as well as he did the past 4 years. As great players have come to flushing in the past and forgotten how to play baseball, I can see there might be some hesitation there.
          • TX January 28, 2013 at 6:38 pm

            yeah, I hesitate with that for sure. I do see the point, but if you are just rolling with Bourn to get his pick when he supposedly bolts, you are most likely getting a later round pick or possibly 2nd round pick. So you are really trading the 11th pick this year for a possible late 1st to 2nd round pick the following year and the production Bourn gives you this year in the OF. I think I’d rather have Bourn for 3-4 years or not at all.
            • Metsie January 28, 2013 at 6:45 pm

              The whole trade a pick, get a pick thing is really not worth it when you consider the fact your trading a real Top 15 Pick for what at best will be a Sandwich pick between the 1st and 2nd round when he leaves….

              If you do it you do it to trade him at the deadline for kids but you wouldn’t wait for the Comp picks….Not worth it.
              • TX January 28, 2013 at 6:47 pm

                agreed.
  • vinnie papandrea January 29, 2013 at 11:49 am

    Agreed there is no market for this guy and Mets will not give up #1 pick to get him
• Matt M January 28, 2013 at 10:38 am

  You are 100% right.
• jessep January 28, 2013 at 10:38 am

  See, I actually think Upton to Atlanta may have cost Bourn $… because I think Atlanta was in the mix with Bourn so essentially he lost a suitor.

  I won’t re-hash what I just posted but I think Bourn and Houston are a solid match for both parties… I think teams like KC, CWS and Min are also possibilities
• taskmaster4450 January 28, 2013 at 10:39 am

  Reading the comments posted the last few days, I am not sure anyone on here is stating to give Bourne 5 years at $15M a year. Overpaying is what got the Mets into this mess. However, $12M-$15M a year for 3 years isnt outrageous. Even if his skills do diminish, he most likely wont go to nothing in 3 years.

  The bottom line is it is a gamble either way. Signing him might be the best move the Mets made in the last 5 years…or it might not. Kirk or Den Dekker might be every bit the player Bourne is…or they might not. Toss a coin.

  One thing that is known, if the Mets do give Bourne a large contract, those are resources which will not be available elsewhere in the future. Will that matter? Only time will tell.

  Regardless, I dont think the Mets get him. Boras isnt in the business of giving discounts and with the Mariners, Os, and possibly Rangers still out there, it is likely he gets one of them to bite. One thing about Alderson, he isnt going to be drawn into overpaying.
  • TX January 28, 2013 at 10:41 am

    I could see Seattle making a splash for Bourn.
    • Russell's Mets January 28, 2013 at 11:14 am

      Looking at Seattle’s bid’s this year for every player they lost out, one thing is constant, they never made an offer to anyone that can be considered over pay. Their best offer for Hamilton was 4 years 95 million. I can see them offering 4 years 48 mil, maximum for Bourn.

      Even when it comes to King Felix instead of offering the 26 year old a 6 year extension that he wants, reportedly they only offered a 4 year with less money. They also low balled Swisher.
      • XtreemIcon January 28, 2013 at 11:19 am

        Where would Seattle play him, though? They’d have to move either Gutierrez or Saunders, and both could be considered Bourn-lite, especially Gutierrez who has always been a tremendous CF. Saunders is a very solid RF, too, and I question their plan if they intend to spend that money on Bourn, which would amount to nothing more than a marginal increase offensively.
        • TRS86 January 28, 2013 at 11:23 am

          I guess that could be good for the Mets in that FG most likely is a better fit anyway?
          • XtreemIcon January 28, 2013 at 11:33 am

            Well, I think Bourn is a better overall player than Gutierrez, and Gutierrez isn’t exactly cheap ($7 mil this season, option for $7.5 mil next season for 500k buyout), but for what Gutierrez provides at a minimum of $7.5 mil, I’d take Kirk every day. Maybe not quite the defender, but clearly a solid one. It’s tough to picture a GM on the hot seat doubling his commitment in both length and AAV to a marginally better player re: replacing FG with Bourn.

            I don’t see them trading Saunders, who’s not a FA till 2017 and is finally developing some power to go with his solid defense and speed. He hit 19 home runs (before they moved the fences in) and stole 21 of 25 bases, plus power, team control. Get his BA and OBP up a bit and they really have a burgeoning superstar in Saunders.
      • TX January 28, 2013 at 11:20 am

        Fair enough, but it should be warranted that not too many teams wanted to go long with Hamilton either. Swisher is a product of the Yanks stadium, which doesn’t translate well at all for Safeco Field. Considering the size of that outfield, the fact that the GM is on the hotseat and they need something and have a protected pick, I can see them doing this move.

        As for the King Felix extension, that I think is just the early beginnings of something they’ll end up hammering out. Prob. will need 6 years, but in my mind, they offer lower years, higher salary and work backwards from there to come to a 6 year, 138 mil deal, or something along those lines.
• doug January 28, 2013 at 10:43 am

  You know I have to say that although most of us all love the Dickey- d’Arnaud trade somewhere in the deal the Mets should have gotten Raj Davis. Now, I realize that Davis is somewhat of a poor man’s Michael Bourn, but honestly it would cost the Mets so much less and they would still have a somewhat respectable outfielder for a team rebuilding and additionally have added speed and a leadoff hitter.
  • jessep January 28, 2013 at 10:45 am

    I would have liked Rajai as well. But I wonder if they are concerned about which Melky they will get so perhaps Rajai is their safety net? Plus Rasmus isn’t exactly a sure thing either.
• srt January 28, 2013 at 10:48 am

  We’re spending an awful lot of time talking about Bourn coming to the Mets when the reality is there’s probably a < 10% chance of that happening, IMO.
  • TX January 28, 2013 at 10:49 am

    We could talk about not re-signing Reyes or trading Wright.

    14 days to pitchers and catchers. Can’t wait.
    • srt January 28, 2013 at 11:09 am

      Ha!
      Yeah, I can’t wait either.
  • Met Maniac January 28, 2013 at 10:49 am

    So is Sandy Alderson. Tell him to shut up already.
• steve January 28, 2013 at 10:51 am

  I agree with you. Let Kirk run with it in Centre,if he fails,it will atleast it gives DenDekker a couple of months in Vegas to see if he can retain how he was hitting last year in Binghamton. So save the money and draft pick,for a player worth it. I dont think signing a 30 yearold singles hitter is a good idea
  • Russell's Mets January 28, 2013 at 11:07 am

    Yea who cares about a guy getting on base and turning a single in to a double 40-50 times a year via stolen base. And those 9 HR’s and 10 Triples are also worthless leading off, and the Gold glove center field play? who needs that when we have Duda to help out in the outfield.
• taskmaster4450 January 28, 2013 at 10:58 am

  In news about a guy who is actually on the Mets, it seems Tejada finally made it to Long Island to work out with Reyes. Reyes tweeted a photo of the two of them.

  http://instagram.com/p/U6kzJSTVRY/
  • Russell's Mets January 28, 2013 at 11:03 am

    can he learn speed from Reyes work outs in LI?
    • ifthevansrockin January 28, 2013 at 11:59 am

      If he can, they definitly need to send Duda and Flores over too!
• Metsie January 28, 2013 at 2:21 pm

  Anyone who mentions Boras as his agent is ignoring the fact that the GREAT BORAS NULLIFIER is going to be in play…..

  14 Days until Pitchers and catchers report…..

  He may want a 5 years deal but he doesn’t want to sit out half a season to a year to get it.

  No matter what the price you project here are things you should take into consideration.

  1 – Kirk is going to be in this OF no matter wat you do with Bourn
  2 – You don’t have any Kid coming up save MDD to expect to fill a hole in the next 3 years as Nimmo is still 3 years away
  3 – When you look at the list of poaaible FAs next year, many were passed over this year when they would have been cheaper, One or two will be the guy who costs you a 1st rounder unless we get protected next year, and Bourn is a damn site better than any of them!
  4 – Say what you want about his ability to leadoff, he is still a better leadoff batter than Tejada
  5 – You can trade Bourn later just as guys like Crawford and Reyes got traded for a near ready kid to fill whatever it is we see we need in a year or two.

  And Finally….
  If that first round pick is more important than what happens over the next 4 years then give up on any semblence of competing until 2017 at the earliest and kiss Sandy goodbye because he is on the ropes now and once there it is a year or two of being that that he will be strung up and sent packing if he doesn’t get us to a playoff or at least playing for one in September.
  • ifthevansrockin January 28, 2013 at 4:25 pm

    the new CBA penalties (since he got a qualifying offer) make the cost of signing him to a 1 year deal (the old Boras fall-back position) much higher, especially for the non-protected teams (though even the first 10 take a hit).

    As to guys coming along, vaughn (assuming you think he will ever make it) is closer than Nimmo.

    and IMo the FA pool next year is less of an issue, since the more likely scenario is getting some parts (OF) via trade, using some of the SP that is pushing through, with hopefully some of them having moved ahead enough to really ramp up the trad value.
    • Metsie January 28, 2013 at 4:51 pm

      And no one gives it to him what are his Options Ivan?

      Put a gun to a GMs head to give it to him or sit out a season where his value plummets next year when he tries to be a smarta$$ again?

      Like I said two weeks till pitchers and catchers report….
      Boras will be nullified when that day comes. He can ask for whatever he wants but once ST starts what he wants will change dramatically and getting Bourn on an MLB team will be much more important to him than his cut this year because he will lose money money sitting out than he will taking a one year to a contract someone is willing to pay where he could increase his value for next year’s attempt at robbery.
• Joe January 28, 2013 at 4:10 pm

  Who has an opinion on how Turner will do in the OF during ST?
  I cant determine whether or not hes enough of an “athlete” to make a seamless transition. Wouldnt it be the shit if he went out there and showed great skills?
  Biggio never looked like a speedy, defensive centerfielder when they decided to get him out from behind the plate & throw him out there, and he turned out to be a perennial All-Star !
  • ifthevansrockin January 28, 2013 at 4:20 pm

    Who knows until you see him play. I will predict somewhere between mediocre and below average? of course, he may have spent years playing the OF as a younger guy, so it won’t be comepletely new.

    the bigger issue is, he will still be a lousy hitter out there, and of all the guys on the team, he is about the last one that i want to find more ABs for!
    • Joe January 28, 2013 at 4:58 pm

      Really ????
      He hit .270 with .319 OBP and .392 slugging, and sees more pitches than anyone in the line up. Hes probably our best clutch hitter in clutch spots and at worst will make a pitcher throw 6, 7, 8 pitches in those situations. Im not saying hes a superstar, but he has value & that would increase if he was able to play well defensively in the OF.
    • Joe January 28, 2013 at 5:04 pm

      Michael Bourns numbers:
      .274 .348 OBP .391 SLG

      Justin Turner
      .270 .319 OBP .392 SLG
    • Joe January 28, 2013 at 5:58 pm

      BTW:

      Turners Salary – $491,000
      Bourns Salary – $15,000,000 (projected)
• Paul January 28, 2013 at 4:21 pm

  Mets have to sign Mike Bourne now!! He is a great centerfielder, walked 70 times, had 170 hits, 40 something S.B.’s. 3 year deal maximum worth 14.5 million a year. Jon Rauch was excellent where needed. A must resign. What about Adam Dunn for Ike Davis upgrade in power. 62 diehard fan, Paul
• Joe January 28, 2013 at 4:39 pm

  God I hope we do not sign Bourne.