Cody Ross on Alderson’s Radar? Mets Donate Toward Hurricane Sandy Recovery Efforts

It’s no secret; the Mets need some help in the outfield. With every outfielder that is granted free agency, it seems as if analysts and reporters talk about how they would be a great fit in Flushing for 2013 and beyond. Now, Mike Puma of the New York Post is speculating about how Cody Ross would fill multiple needs for the Amazins. While he would be a wonderful fit in New York, it just won’t work if Sandy Alderson sticks to his original plan.

MetsBlogshared yesterday that the Mets had an interest in signing Ross last season to join the squad, but Alderson wasn’t willing to pay him more than $1 million. The outfielder ended up signing with the Boston Red Sox for $3 million, hit .267/.326/.481 with 22 homers and 81 RBI, and is now looking for a substantial raise, along with a multi-year contract. Ross’ camp and Boston have had “plenty of opportunities” to negotiate during their exclusive window, according to the outfielder, and now it only makes sense for him to test the market. He’s been linked to teams out west, but teams like the Phillies, Yankees, and Braves could also be looking into acquiring him, with obvious needs for an outfielder, and deep enough pockets to pay him what he desires.

September 30, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Cody Ross (7) at bat in the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles defeated the Red Sox 6 – 3. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-US PRESSWIRE

Let’s be honest, signing Cody Ross would be exactly what the Mets could use in the outfield. Not only does he bring some much needed power to that part of the lineup, he can play both corner outfield positions, he’s had experience as a starter, and can hit from the right side of the plate. However, Ross is rumored to be looking for deals similar to the ones Josh Willingham (3-years/$21 million) and Michael Cuddyer (3-years/$31.5 million) signed last season, and that’s totally out of the question for Sandy Alderson to do if he wants to stay within the $100 million payroll limit they’ve set for themselves. If they’re going to spend that much money on an outfielder when they shouldn’t be, I’d rather them try to acquire a more established and consistent bat via trade, like Willingham.

With the devastation that Hurricane Sandy brought to the northeast region of the United States early last week, the areas hardest hit by the storm have been working around the clock to get life back to normal, and sources of help and relief have been coming from all areas. Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association donated $1 million to the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and Feeding America. The Mets have also chipped in $100K to the New York Daily News disaster fund to help those victims affected by Sandy.

In addition to donating that money, the Mets have also allowed staging areas and base camps to be set up at Citi Field and in their parking lots for many other organizations that are working around the clock, including Con Ed, FEMA, the Office of Emergency Management, the New York National Guard, and plenty of electric teams that are trying to restore power back to the city’s residents. While these are all nice gestures from the Mets and Major League Baseball, I find it a little ridiculous that professional sport teams and leagues generate so much revenue every year and all the MLB can contribute to the recovery is $1 million. It sounds like a lot of money, but when we see the huge paydays free agents like Josh Hamilton will be commanding this off-season (he’s asking for 7-years/$175 million, reportedly), it just doesn’t seem right.

Also, The 7 Line has designed a shirt titled “Unity” that is available for sale right now, with all the proceeds going to local charities helping people recover from the devastation of Sandy. At around 6pm yesterday evening, the overall donation totaled around $6,700. To order a Unity shirt, which emphasizes the “N” and “Y,” you can order it here.