Scott Hairston, Mets, Far, Far Apart

Talk about a player and a team disagreeing over that player’s worth — Scott Hairston apparently thinks he is deserving of  far more money than the Mets think he is.

The New York Post reiterated Wednesday earlier reports that Hairston asked the Mets for two years, $8 million. What did the Mets reportedly counter with? — one year, $2 million. That’s a tremendous difference, yet neither side is wrong with their offers.

Scott Hairston hit 20 home runs last season. Cody Ross, who hit 22 home runs last year and is arguably better than Hairston, but not by much, signed a three-year, $26 million deal last month with the Diamondbacks.  That’s more than $8 million per year, twice what Hairston wants. So Hairston’s request is reasonable based on the marketplace.

However, the Mets are not wrong to offer just $2 million. Based on what they have seen over the past two seasons, the Mets correctly view Hairston as a fourth outfielder. And $4 million is a hefty price to pay for a platoon player given the Mets financial restrictions.

The Mets are also wary of giving a multi-year deal to a player who will likely not figure into their long-term future. Again, this is reasonable thinking.

Scott Hairston will probably find a two-year deal out there — the Cubs are said to be interested — so it looks like his days as a Met are over.