Soon after the Nationals snatched up left-handed hitting outfielder Rick Ankiel, the Mets pulled the plug on their quest to land a left-handed bat for the team.
Ankiel had been high on their list and some reports even circulated that Sandy Alderson may have offered the one-time pitching phenom a minor league deal. Anyway, that was then and this now, and it’s looking more and more that either Mike Baxter (.213 MLB, .277 minors) or Adam Loewen (.176 MLB, .267 minors) will be the Mets 5th outfielder.
It certainly gives one pause to think about Fernando Martinez one last time…
I can’t deny that Martinez is looking like a bust at this point, but wouldn’t it be a better idea to roll the dice on a young, cost-controlled player who at least has some potential instead of spending more money on an older player who could easily post the same poor numbers?
I think the Mets should have given Martinez at least one more season. There is the slight chance that something finally clicks for Martinez and he ends up being a contributor. In the Miracle Mets world you might have a Nelson Cruz-type. Not necessarily the same level of production, but similar in that Fernandez could emerge as a late-bloomer and become worthy of a starting role. He certainly has the raw talent. In a worst-case scenario, Martinez continues to under perform as a part-time player. So what? What do the Mets have to lose in 2012? Or even 2013 for that matter? ~ Craig Williams, Rant Sports
I really cant argue with that logic. Fair or Foul?
