Buzz: Mets Intrigued by David Eckstein
…there is increased buzz around new york if late suggesting the Mets may have more interest in David Eckstein than has been reported…in fact, from what i can gather, there may be a little blue-and-orange wining and dining in his future, if it hasn’t happened already…
…for what it’s worth, i have heard from different people that eckstein had recently been seen around the tri-state with the wilpons, doing their standard meet-new york, live-in-ct tour…
…as i have written before, my sense all along has been that if the Mets are unable to sign free-agent Luis Castillo, they’ll set their aim on eckstein, who is rumored to be seeking a lesser deal than castillo, who could drag out negotiations longer than the Mets are willing to wait…remember, omar hates to wait, so the sooner he can wrap up his infield the better…in fact, my hunch is that second base will be taken care of before the winter meetings, where he’d rather spend all of his time focused on pitching…
Yesterday, in the New York Post, Ben Shpigel wrote that Castillo could command a four-year deal.
…however, i sense he’ll be hard-pressed to get a deal worth more than three years, from any team - let alone the Mets…
Last week, at FOXSports.com, Ken Rosenthal wrote that the Mets, Astros, Indians, Padres and Dodgers may all show interest in Castillo, while the White Sox, Tigers and Mets are among the teams that could be interested in Eckstein.
According to Rosenthal, ‘Eckstein would figure to be open-minded if the Mets or another club wanted him to move to second base.’
In 117 games for St. Louis this past season, Eckstein hit .309, with a .356 OBP, while putting the ball in play roughly 85 percent of his plate appearances.
…i’ll be honest, i have always been intrigued by eckstein, who a) began his career as a second baseman, b) is a winner, and c) would fit the exact type of hard-nosed, hard-working, disciplined, fundamentals-type player this team seems to be in need of…
