Tulo Hopes Fading As Mets Appear Content To Stick With Flores
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The New York Mets still have a big hole at shortstop, and pitcher Dillon Gee remains on the roster -- for now.
While the baseball landscape changed dramatically at this week's winter meetings, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson made only a pair of small moves in landing utility outfielder John Mayberry Jr. and signing left-hander Scott Rice to a minor league deal.
Most fans expected the team to trade one of its starting pitchers during MLB's annual swap meet. Gee emerged as the hurler most likely to be dealt from the logjam, yet he's still a member of the Mets.
"Nothing materialized," Alderson said Thursday, according to MLB.com. "So we'll see how things develop over the next couple of weeks."
Then there's the shortstop issue. Alderson has insisted New York would be OK heading into next season with Wilmer Flores (.251, six home runs, 29 RBIs in 2013) up the middle. It seems he's sticking to his guns.
"We have to be realistic," he said. "There just aren't a lot of options, or attractive options. So the idea of waiting is nice, but I think you have to be realistic about what we're waiting for. Options are limited. But I go back to our original position, and that is if we go into spring training with what we have, we won't be unhappy with that."
Embattled shortstop Ruben Tejada could be in the mix, too. The Mets have also been linked to Korean infielder Jung-Ho Kang.
And forget about Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. A Mets official told the New York Daily News that a trade for the 30-year-old -- speculated since the summer -- is "(n)ot happening" despite his All-Star resume.
Tulo's injury history and salary -- he's owed $114 million over the next six seasons -- surely played into New York's thinking.
"We'll see what develops over the next few days, couple of weeks," Alderson said. "There's a long time between now and spring training."
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