The New York Mets will probably not contend in 2012, but if there is even the slightest sliver of a silver lining to this, its that they can afford to take some fliers on players that don’t necessarily HAVE to produce right away. Generally, I’m speaking of players that may carry a low chance of success, but present the possibility of a significant reward if things break right. I can’t recall the specifics of each situation at this very moment, but the Minnesota Twins (Johan Santana), Cincinnati Reds (Josh Hamilton) and Florida Marlins (Dan Uggla) each benefited from the ability take a chance on a talented, but not yet productive player. These situations are the epitome of exceptions to the rule, but I still think that the New York Mets should take a risk of their own and make a run at Andrew Brackman.
The New York Yankees released Brackman, their 2007 first rounder, earlier this week. I do think they are going to make a run at bringing him back at a salary less than the $1.5 million or so that he was due, but maybe the Mets should take a long look. They don’t need to go crazy. After all, Brackman did issue 54 walks compared to 41 strikeouts before being moved to the pen later in the season. While there is little production to get excited about, there is no denying that he has plenty of raw talent.
Outbidding the competition for Brackman’s services might be a foolish maneuver, but at the same time I don’t think it will be a particularly expensive one. It’s not everyday that (relatively) young – Brackman is 26 – front-line prospects (feel free to refer to him as a former front-line prospect if you want) become available. I think the New York Mets should take advantage of this rebuilding period and give the 6’10″ flame-thrower a contract.
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