The Mets' general manager downplayed rumors about the team's pursuit of Stephen Drew.
Although the Mets' offseason has seen a lot of action so far, Sandy Alderson suggested to reporters earlier today that Stephen Drew would not be a part of it. In the past few weeks, there was speculation that the Mets may look to acquire Drew to fill their shortstop need now that they've become one of the more active buyers at the Winter Meetings.
This shouldn't come as a surprise to Mets fans, since Sandy Alderson has said that the Mets' payroll will likely be between $85-87 million, and with the addition of Bartolo Colon, the Mets are already within shouting distance of that budget. However, one way the Mets can improve both payroll flexibility and on-board talent would be through a trade. If the Mets were able to dump the salaries of Ike Davis and Daniel Murphy, they would probably be able to get back in the running for top talent. Alternatively, those two players could prove useful in acquiring a young shortstop or pieces that could be flipped for one.
Earlier in the offseason, Joshua Ryan took a look at Drew, and noted that while he is the second best shortstop in this year's free agent class, he has struggled with lefties and on the road. Nevertheless, he would still be a tremendous upgrade over Ruben Tejada.
