I’ll bet you a blueberry cheesecake from Juniors that someone will read the title, jump straight to the comments and start hammering me for knocking the Mets. Who wants to take that bet?
It will take some getting used to for you newcomers to understand that post titles are to me what Playstation 4 is to my nephew. It’s my one opportunity to play around and have some fun.
Now, onto more important things…
Beat reporters did a fine job of summarizing how the team is looking at the shortstop position here at Mets spring training camp in Port St. Lucie.
Due to a lack of options, Ruben Tejada is currently penciled in as the everyday shortstop. So far nothing has changed on that front.
“At this moment Ruben Tejada is the shortstop here,” Terry Collins said today. “We’ve got to be patient with him. We’re going to get him a number of at-bats this spring. He’s been told that. And we’ll see how he plays. You don’t have a lot of options so he’s our main guy right now.”
However…
A team official told Adam Rubin that Wilmer Flores will get “a legitimate look at shortstop” and “not a passing glance.”
I love the sound of that.
Rubin says that while the previous stance was that Flores didn’t have the first-step quickness you look for in a shortstop, the Mets intend to revisit the matter and have themselves a closer look.
Bravo…
With Tejada as your primary option, it doesn’t hurt to give Flores every chance possible at shortstop. If we can get passable defense from him, his bat will make the shortstop position a strength for the Mets rather than the weakness it has been since Jose Reyes took off for South Beach.
Of course another popular option is what we’ve been covering extensively for the last four days, and that is a potential trade for Seattle’s Nick Franklin.
While the Mets acknowledge some interest and intend to scout him, nobody believes that they would give up Rafael Montero, who seems to be the one Met that fits the bill as far as the comparable pitching prospect Seattle wants in return.
Alderson would not comment on him, preferring not to discuss players that were another team’s property.He’s such a stickler for rules…
Then there’s Stephen Drew. You heard of him I take it? Alderson did not offer any indication there was anything close with the free-agent when he spoke to reporters today.
So in summing up the Mets’ options, Alderson offered this nugget:
“I’m not suggesting that we’re going to do something but right now I think we have reasonable options and option no. 1 is Ruben Tejada.”
Asked if there was a “strong possibility” the Opening Day shortstop was not currently with the organization, he responded: “I wouldn’t say that. No.”
That’s Legalese for Drew is still too expensive.
So there you have it… Straight from the well…
(Photo by Anthony J. Causi)
