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The Mets and Phillies have expressed interest in signing free-agent infielder Nick Punto, reports the Star-Tribune.
Punto, 31, hit .284 with a .344 OBP in 99 games for the Twins last season, while playing second base, third base, shortstop and center field.
However, he hit just .210 in 2007, but .290 in 2006, during which he averaged roughly 460 at bats per season.
According to the report, Punto has remained in contact with the Twins, who plan to meet with his agent at the Winter Meetings.
…punto would make for an interesting bench player for the Mets, but i can’t imagine he is any sort of priority…
can he play 2b
yes
i would opt for jon malo (binghamton mets) instead. he is a quasi-utley clone.
yeah, except he’s not…this guy Malo has a .243 career average in the minor leagues. no thanks.
He would be our new Easley.
Over the past two seasons he’s had 53 RBI over 913 plate appearances.
YUCK!!
good replacement for Easley……next
nice role player … could be a good pickup
not the “sexy” signing everyone is anxious for, but the type of move that goes under the radar and can make the difference next year. Not that Punto is neccesarily great of course!
He fits in perfectly when Castillo’s comes out hobbling after attempting to beat out an infield ground on June 6th.
I have April 10th in my office pool.
Hmmm………..the odds might be in your favor.
I actually liked Easley. I wouldn’t mind bringing him back for one year. He’s got some pop and can play decent defense. He’s also very hungry to win too, so he’ll be a good role player
unfortunately Easley cant play SS well enough to be considered. There isnt any logical way to keep Easley and bring in someone who can play SS, unless that player is going to be the (mostly) everyday 2B and backup SS when needed.
Castro
Anderson
Tatis
Chavez
someone like Punto or Grudzy who can play 2B/SS and elsewhere
no way they do with less than 7 in the pen, so keeping Easley, Anderson and someone like Argenis Reyes to be an emergency glove at SS and pinch runner just doesnt fit.
I’d like to have Nick Evans on the bench, but with Tatis around it probably makes more sense for him to be in the minors playing everyday.
great article:
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/12/04/bp.metsgm/index.html?eref=T1
i like him..get him and in case we can rest reyes wright and whoever our second basemen is (praying is not castillo ugh)
I think this is PERFECT signing……..he can back up the IF and he is Switch Hitter off the bench
I would feel alot more comfortable with Castillo at 2B if Punto was around
I really think Castillo will be the 2B whether we like it or not because there are not many 2B options and the Mets want to spend their money on Pitching which I am cool with
The bench would be set with:
If Punto S
c Castro R
of Chavez L
of Tatis R
if/of Anderson……..of course I would replace Anderson with a nother Righty FA bat like Rivera or Baldelli if they could
So Dan Murphy and Nick Evans get traded or go to AAA ?
I’m guessing he has Murphy starting in LF.
Chavez is FA eligible, isn’t he? I can’t see paying 7 figures for a defensive OF, esp. w/Ryan Church & Carlos Beltran, both of whom are strong fielders. A bench of
- Punto (2B, SS and emergency CF/3B) in place of Easley
- backup catcher (Castro for now)
- Tatis (3B, 1B, corner OF)
- 4th OF, who can play some CF
- utility man
sounds more like what we’ll get.
Chavez, Anderson, and Castro were all signed to two year deals last offseason. So all will be here.
and there is also Angel Pagan in the mix somehow somewhere…
He would be a good bench player, I think. All I know is we had better have a good MI on the bench who can play SS. I thought it was a mistake last off-season when we didn’t get anything to back up Reyes.
I don’t know anything about his D, but he’s not much of a hitter. I guess if he has a good glove he’d be a good insurance policy for the middle infield. He can’t really be much worse than Easley.
Could the Mets maybe, maybe just pretend, to think about defense this offseason. A little?
Is there anyone on the bench other than Endy (who likely wont play much with next year anyway) who can play D? ugh!
that said, Punto would be a fine util guy if they plan on using Tatis in a LF platoon, otherwise they are about the same player.
I’d like them to go after Felipe Lopez.
a friend of mine who is a yankee fan told me if I would trade beltran for cano and hughes. I wanst sure what to tell him. I know it wont happen, but will you guys do this trade?
Hypothetically… yes.
You would have Hughes under contract for quite a while, and could flip Cano to the Dodgers for Kemp.
You also save approximately $12-15 million a season which you can then use to help pay for a run at Manny.
Your 2009 roster
Reyes
Church
Wright
Manny
Delgado
Kemp
Castillo
Schneider
P
Santana
Hughes
Pelfrey
Maine
Niese
Not that it really matters, but Punto came up in the Phillies organization. Though, I suspect if the Mets throw enough money his way, that won’t matter.
i say get punto cheap and start him at second he is better ten castillo offencively and deffencively
then
if it doesn’t cost us much, sign him!
Vomit
That the Mets are interested in this rubbish doesn’t surprise me in the least bit. I fully expect the Mets to sign have a real non-threat “backing up” Gimps Hornsby.
I was hoping the Mets might consider doing something a little bolder and sign Eckstein (who can field, and had tons of winning experience) or Grudzielanek (at least HE has an AL gold glove in his recent past and is a grind out, hard work type of player the Mets need more of).
If nothing else, either one of them will push Gimp, hopefully right out the door…. and besides, we’re gonna need someone at 2B when Gimps needs 3 months of rest.
Argenis Reyes. Damion Easley. Nick “Worst Position Player in 2007″ Punto. NOT the answers.
I think he would be one of those scrappy bench players,maybe even the starting second basemen, and you won’t have to pay too much for him. I like’em. I would rather get O-Dog to play second though. What is wrong with Minaya?