The veteran shortstop has swapped places with youngster Wilmer Flores.
Shortstop Omar Quintanilla has cleared waivers, and the Mets have outrighted him to their Triple-A Las Vegas 51s. The 32-year-old made 31 plate appearances with the Mets this year with a .230 wOBA before he was waived in favor of 22-year-old Wilmer Flores, who is now trying to prove himself a capable defender at shortstop.
Last year, Quintanilla made 359 plate appearances for the Mets and hit .222/.258/.241 with a .262 wOBA. Between him and Ruben Tejada, the Mets have had some of the worst offense at shortstop in Major League Baseball over the last couple of years.
Of course, Stephen Drew—a fully capable major league shortstop—remains a free agent. At this point, he figures to sign after the first day of baseball's amateur draft, at which point he would not cost the team that signs a draft pick. Drew declined a qualifying offer from the Boston Red Sox after last season, and, if signed by another team before the first day of the draft, the Red Sox would also gain a compensatory pick after the regular portion of the first round.