Seattle's surplus could be the answer to the Mets shortstop situation.
The Mets have repeatedly denied having serious interest in free agent shortstop Stephen Drew, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're satisfied with what they have at the moment.
The Mariners are likely to trade one of their young shortstops before Opening Day, according to ESPN's Adam Rubin. Nick Franklin and Brad Miller have both appeared at short for the Mariners in the past, and if either is shopped by Seattle, the Mets could be one of the interested clubs.
Franklin, 22, is mentioned as the more likely trade candidate. He appeared in 103 games for the M's at short and second base, hitting .225/.303/.382 with 12 home runs and six stolen bases. He's been named to several top prospects lists and owns a career .287/.360/.459 minor league batting line.
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Miller, a second-round pick out of Clemson in 2011, dominated four levels of the Mariners minor league system, hitting .334/.409/.516 in 999 plate appearances. Last year, he was called up shortly after Franklin, and managed a .265/.318/.418 batting line in 76 games.
Franklin has only appeared at shortstop in 20 innings as a major leaguer. The team preferred Miller there, using him for over 500 innings, most of which came with Franklin on the other side of second.
The Mets are set to feature Ruben Tejada, a career .259/.323/.319 hitter, at shortstop in 2014, so the potential to add a prospect-type to the mix could be too much for the team to pass on. Of course, it depends on what the Mariners want in return, but New York doesn't have much in the minors at the position. Wilmer Flores is still one of the team's top prospects, but he isn't likely to be relied upon at shorts to in the majors. General manager Sandy Alderson said his team is going to get Flores reps at his old position this spring, however, the maneuver is considered more of a contingency plan than a blueprint for the future.