Updated Post 3:00 PM
Initially it was first reported that Scott Hairston was signed to a minor league contract. We have now learned that it is indeed a Major League contract. Coupled with the signing of Chris Young which was also announced today, the Mets must clear two spots from the 40 Man Roster, not one.
Most likely candidates include Jason Pridie, Mike Nickeas and Luis Hernandez.
This of course means that there is only one spot up for grabs in the outfield at Spring Training, and barring an injury or disastrous performance it probably goes to Willie Harris.
Original Post 1/18 2:00 PM
As first reported by SNY’s Ted Berg via Twitter, the Mets have signed outfielder Scott Hairston to a minor league deal. An organization source confirmed the signing to ESPN New York as well.
Hairston played 110 games for the Padres last season and in 295 at-bats he batted .210 with a .296 on-base percentage. He hit ten homeruns and drove in 36 runs while scoring 34 of them.
Hairston bats right-handed, can play all three outfield positions, and is a solid defender. He also has a lifetime .245 batting average and .305 on-base percentage in 1,688 at-bats which doesn’t exactly add any punch to the bench.
Coupled with the addition of Willie Harris late last week, this pretty much locks up the 4th and 5th outfield spots for the Mets, and unless things go terribly wrong for either of them, Lucas Duda will be starting the season in Triple-A Buffalo, and most likely so will Nick Evans.
Given the choices and numbers of Harris and Hairston, I would have rather taken my chances with Evans and Duda, but that’s just me.
