Last night, Sandy Alderson said he intends to address the team's needs in the outfield before the start of Spring Training. Here's the latest on the outfield market:
- The Dodgers are considering trading Andre Ethier (NY Daily News), and if they do, they could look to sign Michael Bourn (FOX Sports).
- The Indians met with Nick Swisher in Cleveland today, and while he has a standing offer with them, he will be visiting with other teams (MLB.com).
- Executives from around the game believe the Diamondbacks will eventually trade Justin Upton, even though GM Kevin Towers said it was unlikely a deal would be reached (FOX Sports).
- The Marlins are interested in Mark Trumbo, although it's unlikely the Angels will move him (ESPN).
- The Marlins are not interested in acquiring Peter Bourjos (Miami Herald).
- The Phillies are showing interest in signing Cody Ross and trading for Vernon Wells (CBS Sports).
Michael Baron, MetsBlog.com:
A lot of people have asked me on Twitter if there is any chance the Mets will sign Bourn. Even on a short-term deal, it's very unlikely the Mets go down this road.Ideally, yes, Bourn is a fit and he would give the Mets outfield some instant credibility. He does strike out a lot, but he's become an excellent top of the order catalyst as an outstanding base stealer with triples speed. The Mets don't have much of that, and it's something they have desperately needed since both Jose Reyes and Angel Pagan departed after 2011. But, a) he's left-handed and the Mets need right-handed outfielders, b) they need power in the outfield, c) he's a Scott Boras client, and there's no doubt he will try and get someone to overpay for Bourn, and d) he received a qualifying offer from the Braves, and so the team Bourn signs with will have to surrender their first round pick in the 2013 draft. On top of that, Bourn depends on his legs to be successful, and it remains to be seen how quickly those skills diminish in the coming seasons.
