Mets have interest in Varitek, not Posada or Hudson

If you’re a free agent or player on the trade block and you’re not on the ‘bargain shopping’ New York Mets list of possibilities, you may be in for a long Winter.  Such is likely the case for former Yankee catcher Jorge Posada and current San Diego Padres second basemen Orlando Hudson.

Seeing a potential need at his position and presumably an opportunity to not have to uproot from New York, the 40-year-old Posada reportedly reached out to the Mets, only to be told the team was not interested.

#bbpBox_142233722274582528 a { text-decoration:none; color:#cc0000; }#bbpBox_142233722274582528 a:hover { text-decoration:underline; }Jorge posada inquired w/ #mets about job so he's at least considering playing. Mets looking for defensive backstop tho, so noabout 1 hour ago via Mobile WebReplyRetweetFavorite@SI_JonHeymanJon Heyman

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York confirmed that while the Mets will look to move on from Ronny Paulino, they won’t turn to hip hip…Jorge!

Photo by Michael G. Baron

With dissatisfaction over Ronny Paulino’s adherence to game plans as well as lethargy, the Mets are likely to non-tender Paulino on Dec. 12 and go another direction for a righty-hitting catcher to complement Josh Thole.

It’s certainly possible Mike Nickeas, already in-house, gets the shot. But it will not be Jorge Posada. “

While I have no interest in EVER seeing Posada behind the plate in a Mets uniform, I’m glad this story came about because let’s face it, any reason is a good reason to pull up an old ESPN commercial.  As good as it might feel to dismiss a former Yankee, if all the fuss over Paulino is true, then the team will need to bring in a veteran backup to pair with Josh Thole.  According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, Jason Varitek may fit the bill.

#bbpBox_142249827663753216 a { text-decoration:none; color:#cc0000; }#bbpBox_142249827663753216 a:hover { text-decoration:underline; }While mets determined posada doesn't fit them, they are another team considering varitek. Seek def in catcher. #tek14 minutes ago via Mobile WebReplyRetweetFavorite@SI_JonHeymanJon Heyman

Varitek could bring an anti-Paulino like veteran presence and can certainly handle a young pitching staff, which will be a plus if the Mets decide to be aggressive with some of their prospects towards the end of next season.  The 39-year-old catcher hit 11 homers in only 222 at-bats with Boston last year but hit just .221 on the year.

As for Orlando Hudson, a player who the Mets seemed to be linked to year in and year out, the second basemen is reportedly very available, but not of interest to New York.

#bbpBox_142070776126898176 a { text-decoration:none; color:#0084B4; }#bbpBox_142070776126898176 a:hover { text-decoration:underline; }#Mets' previous administration had interest in Orlando Hudson. #Padres have made him very available this offseason and Mets have no interestabout 12 hours ago via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite@Joelsherman1Joel Sherman

I can’t see the Mets doing anything at second base until they know what the situation will be at shortstop.  If Reyes returns there’s a logjam at second with Murphy, Turner, and Tejada.  Even if Reyes signs elsewhere, expectations are that Murphy will slide over to second with Tejada manning short.  Toss in the fact that some of the team’s better prospects, such as Reese Havens, may get have a shot at making the club out of Spring and bringing in a pricey veteran who is owed $5.5 million in 2012 just doesn’t make sense.