The New York Mets are scouting first baseman James Loney in Triple-A EL Paso, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. Loney has an opt out in his deal with the Padres.
Rosenthal adds that the Mets are also looking at other first base options as well. Mets GM Sandy Alderson talked about that today.
“We’re not ruling out anything externally,” Sandy told ESPN.com on Friday. “We’ll continue to monitor what’s available. We haven’t at this point decided that we’re just going to go with what we have.”
Our newest writer David Cassilo wrote a very comprehensive article that considers all of the Mets’ internal and external options at first base, which you can read here.
Original Report – May 24
According to MLB Network insider Joel Sherman, the representatives of Padres minor league first baseman James Loney will be talking to Mets executives to judge interest on a potential deal.
Loney has a clause in his contract that would enable him to opt out of his current minor league contract for an MLB job. However, the Padres have the right of first refusal, according to Buster Olney of ESPN, or they could simply block the deal by adding him to the 25 man roster.
The 32 year old first baseman is currently batting .333 for Triple-A El Paso with two home runs and 23 RBI’s in 39 games. He last played in the majors for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2015, where he slashed .280/.322/.357 in 104 games.
Over the course of his career, Loney has been a consistent player who flirts with a .290 batting average and drives in runs despite limited power potential. His defensive prowess and veteran leadership also provide tangible benefits to any team.
At his best, Loney is a high OBP player who offers solid to plus defense at first base. For a Mets team that has been rumored to be looking at external options to fill the void left by the injured Lucas Duda, he could be an intriguing option to watch.
