Mets to Cut Chris Young?

The Mets flatly denied a report on Monday that they will release the disappointing Chris Young when Juan Lagares is ready to come back from the disabled list later this week.

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports that a team insider told him Young’s “days are numbered” as a Met. It is easy to see why — after signing for $7.25 million, Young has delivered just four home runs and a .201 batting average.

However, Mike Puma from the New York Post tweeted that a “Mets official answered a blunt ‘no’ when I asked if dumping Chris Young was a possibility.”

So which unnamed team official to believe? I would go with the latter, since the Mets hate to eat money and Sandy Alderson is loath to admit that he made a mistake, which Chris Young certainly is.

There was absolutely no reason to sign Chris Young for the money they gave him. It’s not like anyone was beating down the door for the fading slugger. Alderson also rushed to sign him early in the off-season which was also a mistake. Alderson probably could have signed him in January for a couple of million of dollars, and if he did not work out, then it would have been a low-cost gamble. But now Young is taking up nearly 10% of the payroll, and that is unacceptable.

Chris Young definitely deserves to be released, but it would be a surprise if it happens. Once again, Sandy Alderson’s lack of player evaluation skills has come back to bite the Mets in the, um, upper thigh area.