The NY Mets have been in rumors all season regarding the shortstop position and that was mainly about signing free agent Stephen Drew and now reports have come out that the Seattle Mariners could be looking to trade one of their young SS in Nick Franklin or Brad Miller and New York could be a fit heading into the season.
The Mariners played both Franklin and Miller last season as rookies and Franklin was put at second base while Miller held down shortstop, but both players are SS as their original position and that could get the Mets interested. The Mainers clearly do not need another second baseman, as they signed Robinson Cano for $240 million in the offseason and now one of those two players could get moved before the season starts.
According to the Seattle Times and Hardball Talk, one of either Franklin or Miller is nearly guaranteed to get traded and this comes after both were the influx of young players to the team last season. The team was very high on Franklin, but after his offense plummeted at the end of the season and they signed Cano, he looked to be expendable. The flexibility for the Mariners is that both Miller and Franklin are natural shortstops, meaning whichever one they trade they could use the other as the starter.
The Mets have long been considered an option for Drew since knowing they would start the season with Rueben Tejada at short and that is not the best thing going for the team. Both players would likely be upgrades and they are coming off of solid seasons as rookies, as Franklin hit .225 with 12 homers, 45 RBIs and six steals and he played in 96 games as second base and three at shortstop, while Miller went for .265, 8 home runs, 36 RBIs in 306 at-bats and now one could be moving. Franklin played most of his minor league career at shortstop, so that wouldn't be an issue and now the Mets have to decide if that's a move they want to make.
The ESPN report says that one of the two players is going to get moved and while the Mets have not engaged in talks, it's something that many think makes sense. The team could go after Drew as well and they have been linked to him for some time and while reports had them close to a deal earlier in the offseason, the Mets balked at the number of years and now he could come in on a one year contract instead. The Boston Red Sox and Yankees could also be options for Drew, who is likely to sign before Opening Day.
Sandy Alderson has said he wanted to upgrade at the position after the season Tejada had last year and with Drew putting up decent numbers for the Red Sox and staying healthy, he could be a much more consistent option. Drew had a qualifying offer attached to him and that is why he is not signed yet, but the Mets have a protected pick and could use that to their advantage.
