The NY Mets have been linked with Stephen Drew all offseason and now it might be finally time to bring the free agent in, as the team has grown frustrated with the lack of conditioning from Reuben Tejada and if that doesn't work out, New York could explore a trade for Nick Franklin with the Seattle Mariners before the season.
The Mets have been connected to Drew this offseason and many felt the two sides could come to an agreement, but the Mets balked at the years Drew was asking for and they also did not want to give up another draft pick. The team now could be back in the mix for Drew, as the NY Post reports that the team has been "frustrated" by the lack of conditioning by Tejada and this comes after the team already was disappointed with him last year with the way he played and they hoped that he would work out more in the offseason to get in shape this year, but he showed up looking about "the same" as one official put it.
The Mets have the money and since their top pick is protected they could sign Drew without losing too much overall and while they have offered him a one-year, $9.5 million deal, that could get another year or two if they can't work out the trade with the Mariners for Franklin. According to ESPN.com, the Mets have spoken with the Mariners about trading for Franklin or Brad Miller, as they have Robinson Cano now and do not need another second baseman. Both players are originally shortstops and Franklin looks likely to move, as Miller was brought up to play short last season while Franklin was at second base.
Drew reportedly could wait until June to sign to get rid of the draft pick compensation on him and heading into the offseason he had interest from the Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and the Oakland Athletics and now the Mets could be back in the mix again. Tejada has never been able to take hold of the starting job and hitting .202 last year did not do any wonders for him either.
According to CBS Sports, Franklin is just 22 years old and could be a very nice option for the Mets after hitting .225 last season as a rookie and he showed some nice power and while he fell off at the end of the year, he has a huge upside compared to Tejada. Miller is another option if the Mariners want to keep Franklin and this comes after he played in the second half of the season and hit .265 and he was slick with his glove while hitting over .260 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs.
Drew right now is the top option for the Mets and the report says that the two teams will look into the trade later next month and heading into the season it could be a wise deal for both sides.
