Jon Heyman reports that Scott Hairston has been claimed on trade waivers. Speculates that it could be Giants or Dodgers to block them.
Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the claim put in on Hairston was designed to block him from another team, and is unlikely to be traded.
The Mets could try and work out a trade with the team. pull him back from waivers. or simply give him to the claiming team.
Original Post 1:00 PM
The Mets have placed both Andres Torres and Scott Hairston on waivers before the weekend, and while there’s no surprise there, if they were going to do it anyway, why wait until the finals days in August?
Teams like the Dodgers may have had big interest in Hairston and we could have netted a considerable return, not sure we’ll get that much for him at this point although there is a rumor going around that he may have been claimed. By whom I have no idea.
But last week I asked some of our writers the following question about the hairless Hairston…
Scott Hairston is probably going to command at least a $3 million dollar deal on the open market, That’s a lot of dough for a 4th outfielder or even a right-handed part of a platoon. Should the Mets bring him back?
Clare Lafferty – Hairston has been a solid hitter and is fine in the outfield. Since the Mets put him on waivers recently, they are obviously trying to see what the market may bring. So, I think, while they have appreciated Scott’s play, they are certainly open to trading him or letting him go.
Mike Barrett – Based on the moves that Alderson has made in the past, its almost a sure thing that Hairston will be back. I don’t think he will command that much money and he knows NY is probably one of the few places he can get regular playing time.
Dan Valis – It really depends on what Sandy is able to do with the outfield situation. If he is able to secure two solid starters then I would say no. But if he has difficulty getting quality players to come in then he needs to consider it. Hairston has been really solid for us, but he is shinning mostly because nobody else is hitting on this team, especially in the outfield.
Joe Spector – At this point, who are the Mets going to put out there that isn’t either a washed up has been or a totally green minor leaguer? His value was at its highest a few weeks ago but he wasn’t traded. When you factor in the non-factor that is Jason Bay, there really isn’t any good answers unless if ownership is willing to eat Bay’s contract.
Jessep – It’s a question with so many variables attached to it. Is Jason Bay 100% on the Opening Day Roster? Do they go out and get any other OF help? I’ll put it like this – he can’t be their best outfielder. The roster needs to be re-tooled to the point where Hairston is an actual 4th outfielder. If somebody pays him $3million, they probably are offering him a bigger role than I would hope the Mets do.
Satish Ram – At least $3 million is right. He could probably ask for more and even play with the idea of starting somewhere. He is a complementary piece. He works with the right pieces around him. Unless the front office actually plans to contend next year, the money would sadly be better spent elsewhere. There’s a plethora of players that will be coming off injuries or bad seasons and looking for low-cost ways to prove themselves again. It is going to suck to go bargain bin hunting, but it seems like that’s the ideology this FO is going with for now. I really wish I had faith in their desire to contend, because to be honest, I would love Hairston back.
Robert Patterson – I suppose it depends what the team has to spend. Hairston is an asset, but not if retaining him comes at the expense of acquiring starting caliber talent elsewhere. An overhaul of the outfield is necessary for this team o move forward. Hairston isn’t a part of the long term solution, therefore his presence here is a luxury the Mets may not be able to afford.
XtreemIcon – Yes. As part of a platoon with Duda and/or Kirk, 3.5 million for a very capable duo is a great find. The issue I see is some teams offering him a full time job. He’s not a full-time player, so if he’s offered a full time job, even at the same $3, he won’t come back. And I don’t think he’s worth overpaying just to come back in a part-time role. But if $3 gets him here, then do it.
Nick Campione – I would re-sign Hairston to the best of my ability but let him know he will only platoon and that means Jason Bay must be cut too. I understand why some fans wanted to trade and still would look to do so by end of August especially with how bad Mets have played. I would only give him $3m if its over 2 years with $1.5m per.
