Scott Boras has been talking with the New York Mets in the hopes of persuading the team to take a look at two of his clients, Kendrys Morales and Stephen Drew, reports Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.
Mets rumors: Scott Boras trying to interest team in Stephen Drew, Kendrys Morales
The Mets have shown an interest in Stephen Drew while Boras may be getting desperate to find a taker for Morales.
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Thus far, Boras has had little luck in finding potential suitors for either player. However, with Shin-Soo Choo -- another of his clients -- signing Saturday with the Rangers, he can now focus his efforts on new contracts for Drew and Morales.
Morales could very well be one of the last players to sign in free agency. While he is still a good hitter, most teams see him as a DH-only candidate who comes with an injury history. Furthermore, and the big reason no team will take a chance on him with a big contract, Morales turned down a qualifying offer from the Mariners. That means that another team who signs him would be required to forfeit a draft pick. One attractive option about the Mets for Boras is that they would only have to give up their second rounder due to being in the top-10 of the draft order and thus having their first-round pick protected.
Thus, Morales has been stuck on the market with nobody even close to signing him, similar to Kyle Lohse last year. Lohse had to wait until spring training was already underway before coming to terms on a deal with the Brewers that was much smaller than originally intended.
The Mets do not seem like a particularly viable team for Morales, though. He would have to play first base for New York, but the team has already stated a willingness to start either Ike Davis or Lucas Duda at the position while trading the other. The Mets also might not have the money remaining to sign Morales after dishing out $87.5 million on Curtis Granderson, Bartolo Colon and Chris Young.
Drew, on the other hand, seems like a more viable option for the Mets. The issue of cost may come into play, and Drew also comes with the need for draft pick compensation. However, New York would love an upgrade at shortstop having admitted that Ruben Tejada is likely not the long-term starter they were hoping he was. The Mets had shown an interest in Drew earlier in the offseason, but his asking price was too much at the time.
In 2013, Drew hit .253/.333/.443 with 13 homers while playing in 124 games for the Red Sox. Morales hit .277/.336/.449 with 23 home runs in 156 games for the Mariners.
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