The NY Mets are still in the market for a shortstop and if Chris Owings wins the Diamondbacks job over Didi Gregorius, he could be a target along with Mariners SS prospects Brad Miller and Nick Franklin over signing Stephen Drew as a free agent and New York could potentially use Ike Davis, Travis d'Arnaud, Reuben Tejada or Lucas Duda as trading chips for a deal.
The Mets have been mentioned as a landing spot for Drew for what feels like months and they have also been in the mix for Franklin, who reportedly is being targeted by a number of teams that need a shortstop or second baseman, including the NY Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays and now the Detroit Tigers as well. According to ESPN.com, the Tigers could be in the mix for all of these names at shortstop, as they now have to scramble for another starter with Joe Iglesias possibly out for the season or the majority of it after dealing with shin injuries.
Gregorius now looks like he will be the top trade option from the Diamondbacks, as Chris Owings has the inside edge to start this season at shortstop. According to ESPN.com, Owings is ahead of Gregorius writes Jim Bowden and after reports from Hardball Talk said Kevin Towers would look to trade one of those names, Gregorius looks to be the target. Owings is putting up better offensive numbers this spring and that could end up being the different between the two.
The Mets have been looking for a better option at shortstop all offseason over Rueben Tejada, who hit a whopping .202 last season with just 10 RBIs and while Sandy Alderson has said the team is okay with him as their SS for Opening Day, New York would greatly like to upgrade. Adding Franklin is a solid option and now the Tigers are in the mix for him as well, while the Mariners could also shop Brad Miller, but he appears to have the edge to start for Seattle since he is playing well this spring.
Tejada did nothing last season to make Alderson happy about him starting and this spring he has struggled in the field and he has made multiple errors and while the Mets have avoided signing Drew because of money and because of the draft pick attached to bringing him in, they may not have any better choice if they don't pull off a trade for Gregorius or Franklin. Jimmy Rollins is out of the running since he has a dull no -trade clause and if he says no to the Tigers, he definitely will not be going to the Mets.
The Mets ranked 29th in batting average last season and with Ike Davis playing pretty terribly, he could be an option to get moved after various rumors this offseason. The Orioles and Rays could still be in the mix for Franklin and if the Mets don't pull a move soon, the D-Backs and the Mariners could look elsewhere for a deal and that would leave the Mets with Tejada as their everyday shortstop for the 2014 season and Alderson is hoping to avoid that.
