1. Robinson Cano: The reality is, Cano will be 31 and may not stick at second for the remainder of his career.  The reality ALSO is that he’ll cost a lot of money and the Mets seem to have the position reasonably covered with Daniel Murphy, Wilmer Flores, Wilfredo Tovar, Danny Muno, Phillip Evans and Gavin Cecchini.  The reality ALSO ALSO is that Robinson Cano is one of the league’s best hitters and that he would be an asset wherever he went.

I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that Cano is not destined for the Mets.  I mean… I love the guy as a player but can anyone see the Yankees letting him go to the OTHER team in New York unless something was wrong with him?

  1. Adam Wainwright: Wainwright is interesting.  He’s a quality player and he’s a pitcher.  Now… the Mets will have Jonathon Niese, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Dillon Gee entering 2014 with the likes of Rafael Montero, Cory Mazzoni, Michael Fulmer, Jacob DeGrom, Luis Mateo and Noah Syndergaard following behind but I kinda like the idea of bringing in an established “impact” arm to anchor the staff.

Wainwright isn’t old and we’ll have all season to establish if he is, in fact, recovered from his surgery and merrily plugging along.  Would the Mets take a stab at a big budget pitcher after suffering with the contract of Santana?  I don’t know.

  1. Josh Johnson: Johnson is now in the AL East.  For better or worse he’s gone from Miami and will need to succeed with bigger bats and DH’s.  I’m not sure it’ll be a success for Johnson but I do not think he’s doomed to have a dismal run of it in Toronto either.

Frankly, if Johnson doesn’t come off gloriously in Toronto it might lead more directly to the Mets signing him.  His talent is assured and Citi Field and the NL East will be a welcome respite from the big boppin bats of New York, Boston and Tampa, so Alderson might offer Johnson an opportunity to come to Queens on a lower contract if he DOES struggle.  If he doesn’t… he could well be a more expensive option than Wainwright.

  1. Jacoby Ellsbury: 2013 is an important year for Ellsbury and my gut says that he’ll play well (though perhaps less well than he was) and that Boston will re-sign him.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that he’d fit the Mets who are both bereft of a solid starting CF, a leadoff hitter and star power.

Ellsbury will be an option, but only if he plays well… at which point he’s an expensive option.

  1. Roy Halladay: On the one hand, Halladay’s numbers are in decline and he’s only getting older.  On the other hand we’d be taking one of the pitchers that supports our hated rivals in Philly and he might not cost us a long deal.

Let us imagine Halladay puts out his numbers from 2012 in 2013.  The Phillies will look to move on from his contract before the wheels come off.  Now let us imagine that the Mets pick him up for 2-3 years.  Citi Field is a little bigger than Citizen’s Bank and might be a welcome change for the pitcher.

  1. Shin-Soo Choo: I happen to like Choo a lot.  He’s one of those solid contributors who does a bit of everything.  My issue… I don’t think that he has 20 HR power in the big-old park in Flushing.  Is a 15/15 OF worth a hefty free agent contract?

I can’t see the Mets moving on Choo who, while he does everything, doesn’t do enough of anything to guarantee a big contract.

  1. Brian McCann: Hoss!  While I’d love to grab someone from Atlanta or Philadelphia it’s not the player or position we need right now.
  2. Tim Lincecum: Lincecum is scary but like Johnson has the potential for a lower risk and higher return.

Unlike Johnson, Lincecum is also used to pitching in a big park, has bad mechanics and already diminishing “Stuff” so I’m probably gonna vote to pass.

  1. Matt Garza: Garza will make a lot of sense ESPECIALLY without a qualifying offer but I don’t want the Mets to commit more than 4 years to any free agent pitcher.

I see Garza being traded and re-signed by a contender in 2013 so I think the point is moot.

  1. Hunter Pence: Pence is a good option for the Mets although I don’t love his power in a big park.  I think we’ll see full-well how he would fair in Citi Field by how he does in San Fancisco’s big park in 2013.

Unlike Choo, I think that on the right deal Pence is a solid enough hitter for a corner role.  Now people might think I’m crazy to say anyone isn’t worth it given the Mets outfielders at present, but I’m saying that Choo is likely not worth a bloat free agent pay-day.  It’s different.

14 comments on “2014’s Top 10 FAs: Cano, Ellsbury and other future potential Mets

  • Name

    Is the order you listed them the same as your ranking? Because they all have a 1 listed before them…

    • David Groveman

      The one’s are an issue between the blog and Word. It displays right on my Word Doc.

  • Metsense

    I don’t see the sense in signing any of the 10 if the are offered a qualifying offer. It isn’t the draft pick loss that scares me but the loss of draft money that goes with it. Spring Training 2013 and you have to buy into Alderson’s methods because he is one stubborn SOB.I kick and scream but it’s going to be Sandy’s way, no matter how wrong at times I think he is. Next winter the Mets should know who their five young starters will be and which remaining ones will be traded to fill the outfield holes. 2014 is not for high priced, second generation free agents, it is for solid trades to fill the needs.

    • Brian

      What moves or non-moves of Alderson’s are so wrong?

      • Metsense

        Philosophically I believe you keep your strengths and improve your weaknesses. The Mets strength was their starting pitching and their weakness is their defense. I didn’t like the Dickey trade but fully understand why it was done. All winter there were three teams with excess outfielders, Oakland, Colorado and Arizona. If the price was too high for a star then there were lesser options that would have fit well, all of which are better than the starting three as it stands. Hairston should have been signed. That was just plain cheap.Duda is not an outfielder and Murphy is a below average defensive second baseman but there were no rumors to indicate that these problems were being acknowledged let alone addressed. I believe strong pitching with good defense can make a team competitive. The actions this winter did not make the 2013 Mets competitive.

        • Pete

          To Metsense. Couldn’t have said it better myself. Sandy wasn’t about to spend the money the team doesn’t have anyway. Mets payroll as of today sits at 71 million. I seem to recall him saying that the 2013 payroll would be about the same or maybe a little more than 2012. What happened? That was all a smoke screen to appease the fan base. Sandy’s frugal approach is based on the kids maturing and the Mets becoming the A’s of the east That was how they did it in Oakland because of their small market and playing in an outdated stadium. Gee none of the scenarios compare other than having Sandy be involved as a delivery boy- general manager.

    • David Groveman

      Probably not, but a number of those players will not get a qualifying offer.

  • Brian

    I agree with Metsense in that it won’t be a free agent signing for an outfielder, but a trade for a young cost controlled player. I can see a package built agound Flores and 1-2 of our young pitchers not names Wheeler, Harvey, Syndergaard, Niese.

    • David Groveman

      If the Mets can find a good fit that WOULD make sense.

  • Hector Villalobos

    Carlos Gonmez?

    • David Groveman

      He wasn’t on the top 10 list but he’s certainly on Alderson’s radar.

  • Pete

    So Brian before our eyes Halladay continues his downward trend and you want the Mets to sign him for 2-3 years? Why? Pitchers on downward spirals don’t recover.Still looking for that silver lining? God help us. Halladay can always look to the other New York team and get a significantly better offer. As for Cano. I do like him as a player and as a person but whoever signs him is going to be investing 125-150 million dollars and that’s not the bad part.Guess who is agent is? You got it! Scott Boras. Next up is that the Yankees and Red Sox’s payroll for 2014 sit at about 80-85 million and you can be damn sure that both teams will be looking to sign free agents with that kind of spending room that they have. My preference would Of been Ellsbury in centerfield and leading off but guess who his agent is.Finally if these free gents are tendered qualifying offers I don’t see Sandy opening up his checkbook any time soon.

    • David Groveman

      Hey Pete,

      I don’t know if Halladay is spiraling out of control or simply in decline. If the Mets signed him for two seasons for what a “Past Their Prime” pitcher is worth, he’d bridge the gap between arms in development and the future rotation.

  • Chris F

    The only person on that list Id entertain in real seriousness is Ellsbury, and that would come at an expense that SA will not pay for. I would have rather had Bourn than Ellsbury. I cant see committing big bucks to pitchers we dont need or highly overpriced aging position players. I am curiously interigued by Choo as a corner OF, but the plain fact is the ’14 FA pool is really lousy, and mostly old. I suspect action will come from trades. Unfortunately, we could have used Span or Revere, which could have come without losing the best of our pitchers, and SA failed to make something like that happen.

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