For Once I Actually Agree with Sandy Alderson!

Yes, I am shocked at the headline as well. I almost never agree with Sandy Alderson’s moves or statements, but when it comes to Wilmer Flores and the shortstop position, we are in line.

“I know there are fans out there that don’t want to hear it, but if we had to go into the season with Flores as our shortstop, I’m certainly not in a panic mode at that point,” Alderson said this week. “Wilmer at shortstop is one of those guys that doesn’t pass the eye test. But if you start to look at his metrics a little bit, you realize there’s maybe a little more there than we give him credit. And, offensively, there’s as much potential with him as probably anybody that’s available.”

The last part of the statement is key. There are plenty of shortstops out there to be had. But are guys like Didi Gregorius, Chris Owings, Brad Miller or Alexei Ramirez really any better than Flores, especially when you would have to trade a good starting pitcher for any of them? I don’t think so. Flores proved that he can hit at the big league level and field decently enough that he can offer just as much as any of those players.

Now certainly Troy Tulowitzki and Starlin Castro are better than Flores, but the cost of Noah Syndergaard or Zack Wheeler or whomever the Rockies and Cubs would ask for might be too much for Alderson (not to mention the $100 million or so due to Tulowitzki).

It seems as though we have been waiting for Wilmer Flores forever. And now he is here and it is time to give him a chance. He is just as good as anyone else the Mets have a realistic opportunity to acquire. Why give up a valuable trade chip for a Wilmer Flores clone when the Mets already have the original?