Are The Mets Going To Sign Michael Bourn? Only If Our Luck Doesn’t Change

Man, I gotta go play for the METS??? Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets are going to stink this year. We all know this.

After losing Scott Hairston on a two-year deal with the Cubs last night, the Mets outfield, as of right now, looks something like this:

Lucas Duda in LF, Kirk Nieuwenhuis in CF and Mike Baxter in RF.

Kinda makes a Ruf/Revere/Young outfield combination look like the ’95 Indians by comparison, huh?

Yes, the Mets are in trouble. I mean, they could be really bad this year. Stinky bad.

The only players in the lineup that really scare you are David Wright and Ike Davis. Johan Santana is the only starting pitcher that gives anyone a second of hesitation.

As their rosters look now, the Mets are going to battle the Marlins to reach the 75-win plateau this year.

Of course, that leads to speculation that New York may be seriously kicking the tires on free agent outfielder Michael Bourn. Bourn is still without a home, still presumably looking for that five-year, $15 million a season contract from someone, anyone, that is willing to pay it.

That’s right, even the Mets.

Of course, with the way this off-season has been going for the Phillies, New York is almost a lock to sign him at this point, right?

Maybe not, according to Fox’s Ken Rosenthal…

But perhaps Bourn’s asking price has come down. Perhaps he’s no longer looking for a five-year deal. Maybe Bourn would take a three or four-year deal.

Or, maybe he’d even sign a one-year contract so that he can re-enter the market next year when there are fewer free agent center fielders available and more teams in need of one.

If that’s the case, shouldn’t the Phillies come calling?

My suspicion is with Justin Upton looking more and more like an Atlanta Brave as each hour passes, the Mets are certain to land Bourn, continuing the collective purple nurple the baseball angels have been giving every Phillies fan for the last year and a half.

Listen, the Phils are going to need all the easy wins they can get in 2013. The last thing they need is for an All-Star player that has been a thorn in their side over the years to stay within the division, causing even more of a headache, even on a team as potentially bad as the Mets.

Of course, maybe it won’t happen. Maybe New York will do the right thing and continue to be a cheap also-ran in the NL East.

That would be better for us.

That would be better for everybody.

Maybe the Mets won’t sign Michael Bourn.

I know, I know… we’re not that lucky.