Terry Collins Wants Mets To Land Middle-Of-Lineup Bat
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Terry Collins says the Mets' priority this offseason should be finding a power hitter to form a one-two punch with captain David Wright.
"No. 1, we've got to find a bat in the middle of the lineup that produces runs," the manager said Thursday from the 11th annual Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation Gala, according to the New York Post.
New York has been linked this offseason to outfielders Nelson Cruz, Curtis Granderson and shortstop Jhonny Peralta. Meanwhile, embattled first baseman Ike Davis is reportedly on the trading block.
"We certainly hoped Ike could do it and he had a rough year," Collins said. "He's certainly not done by any means. He's still a young guy, but for us to compete, we've got to make sure we have a guy who can produce some runs. We've got to protect David."
The Mets went 74-88 in 2013. They finished 23rd in runs scored (619), 25th in home runs (130) and 23rd in RBIs (593).
Wright told Newsday this week that he'd prefer the Mets use their funds on a few solid players rather than spending most of it on a big splash. General manager Sandy Alderson, who has indicated he doesn't expect to make any offers in the neighborhood of $100 million, said "progress" was made at this week's GM meetings in Orlando.
"We're looking to improve the team," Alderson said Thursday, according to the club's official website. "There are a number of holes, a variety of combinations that might work for us. Given that factor, there will be lots of free agents we would consider in the right combination."
Mets fans are getting antsy after years of watching the payroll shrink and then shrink some more. Chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon has said there will be cash to splash this offseason -- if the right players come along.
"I knew when I got hired here that there were some things that had to get done to clear some money," Collins said. "It's taken some time, but I think now we've got some freedom and money to spend and we'll see what it buys."
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