With Michael Bourn Officially Out of the Picture. Meet Your Met Outfield

The last big time free agent on the market, Michael Bourn, finally signed last night and as expected it wasn't with the Mets.

Sandy and the front office weren't willing to give up their 11th overall pick in next years draft, so Michael took the 4 year, 48 million dollar deal from the Cleveland Indians. In my opinion, Bourn was one of my top free agents. I valued him higher than BJ Upton.

Guy is a legit leadoff hitter, something you can't find out there easily. Really could've fit well in centerfield and been a nice igniter at the top of the lineup. But, it is what it is.

We already lost Scott Hairston, so an already untalented outfield is even less talented. I honestly can't even go position by position with you in the outfield, because I have absolutely no clue where any of these guys are going to play in the outfield, so I'm just going to throw the names on you.

The Probable Opening Day Outfield -

1. Lucas Duda - 2012 Stats: .239 AVG, 15 HRs, 57 RBIs, .329 OBP, .389 SLG



Guys and Gals... It's not good, at all, if Lucas Duda is you're best offensive option in the outfield. His 2012 had a promising start until he hit an absolute wall and was eventually sent down. The Mets love the guy, I want to also, but I haven't consistently seen it. Lets not even get into his defense. He will most likely be the everyday right fielder

2. Mike Baxter - 2012 Stats: 89 Games, .263 AVG, 3 HRs, 17 RBIs, .365 OBP, 14 Doubles



This one is extremely simple. Mike Baxter is a bench player, yes he made one of the most iconic catches in Mets history to save Johan's no-hitter, but he is a bench player. His offensive numbers in 89 games scream bench player. He is the exact same player as Eric Valent, Endy Chavez and Damian Easley. There is no excuse for this guy to be the second best option in the outfield. However, look for him in left field on opening day.

3. Jordany Valdespin - 2012 Stats: 94 Games, .241 AVG, 8 HRs, 23 RBIs, 10 SBs



Here is one glimmer of hope. I think Valdespin is going to be the center fielder on opening day. The guy is like a rabid pitbull, a huge ball of energy who doesn't know when to quit. He had a shit ton of big home runs and hits last season. But was that all smoke and mirrors? Can he do it consistently? Also can he fully convert to center field since he came up as an infielder?

The Bench

1. Collin Cowgill - 2012 Combined Major/Minor Stats: .259 AVG, 5 HRs, 46 RBIs



I liked this under the radar pickup by Sandy. I want to like Collin, he was a pretty high thought of prospect with the D-Backs, he was in the Trevor Cahill deal in 2011. Problem for Collin though was since he couldn't crack the Oakland outfield last year, there was definitely no shot of him doing it this year. However, I just don't see the numbers and it's not like he's 20-22 years old. This guy is 26, he's Mike Baxter at best.

2. Kirk Nieuwenhuis - 2012 Stats: .252 AVG, 7 HRs, 28 RBIs



Nieuwen-jew as I like to call him is the wild card. This guy has to become the player people think he can be. He's a very solid defender and he can be a good leadoff hitter, he reminds me of Nate McClouth. The problem here is consistency, it's the same story, he started off well and completely fell off until the injury ended his year. Also, notice how the only stats I put up were his average, HRs, and RBIs. That's because his other numbers were extremely unimpressive. He strikes out too much, he doesn't walk enough and he doesn't steal bases. He has some tools though and they need to blossom fast.

The Longshots

1. Marlon Byrd - 2012 Stats: Wasted Year



Marlon Byrd simply is a guy who has not recovered from getting drilled in the head. He was a very solid player for many years and since Dice-K drilled him he hasn't been the same. Mets people say he should bounce back but what else do you really expect them say? He's worth keeping an eye on in the spring.

2. Andrew Brown - 2012 Minors Stats: 100 Games, .308 AVG, 24 HRs, 98 RBIs, 81 Runs



Another Cowgill type of under the radar move here was Andrew Brown from the Rockies. If we're going solely by numbers, Brown is the best option anywhere. Problem is, it was minor league stats and I honestly never heard anything about this guy being a top Rockies prospect in the past. Again worth keeping an eye on, maybe can break in with the club if he hits well.

3. Matt den Dekker - 2012 Minors Stats: .274 AVG, 17 HRs, 76 RBIs, 21 SBs

I loved this kid from before the Mets ever drafted him. Watched a lot of him at the University of Florida and this can absolutely go get it, just watch the videos. There's a video from the College World Series in 2010 that for some reason I can't get on here, but this was the catch that put him on my map. This guy is the future in center field for the Mets, but the question is will it be at some point this season or more likely next season?