We’re heading into the time in spring training when players get released, and the Mets should be all over this: Brennan Boesch was released this morning by the Tigers.
He’s an outfielder. He has some power. And, he’s still breathing. What’s not to like? And, he’s coming off a strained oblique muscle, so he should fit right in with the Mets.
Boesch is a lifetime .259 hitter with 42 homers in three years as a role player with the Tigers. He can play both outfield corners, which is an obvious need for New York.
Boesch is to make $2.3 million this year and is arbitration eligible for next winter. At 27, he’s not, well, he’s not Marlon Byrd. Boesch appeared to have a breakthrough season in 2011 when he hit .283 with 16 homers, but he missed the postseason with a thumb injury.
He regressed last year, and his strikeouts spiked to 104. Maybe it was just a bad year or perhaps there were lingering effects from the thumb injury. Whatever, he’s still young enough where he can rebound.
Given the Tigers’ depth, they have the luxury of not waiting for him. The Mets don’t have that luxury.
In 2011, Boesch had a respectable .341 on-base percentage, but after last year’s regression it is at .315 for his career, which could work against him in Sandy Alderson’s system.
Even so, he’s worth a look, because afterall, the Mets aren’t dealing from a position of strength in their outfield.
