Cubs sign Hairston to 2 year deal

[BradHolt4CYoung]

https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/st...83721765433344

I view this as a good thing.

1. I would only want Hairston back on a 1 year deal
2. Now with Hairston gone, the Mets are still forced to find another OFer weather by trade or FA. Im happy this player will be a fresh face and probably someone younger than Scott.

[numbers-king]

I agree.. Why have Hairston taking PT away from younger guys who might be able to contribute in the future.
A 2 year deal would have been silly.

[rpagz3]

This is good news. A good time to happen, maybe this will force SA hand to make a deal via trade.. Hopefully to outbid the Braves for Upton

[jomota]

Great news. The topic is finally closed and we can move on. I didn't care if we resigned him or not but I could not believe how much attention he was getting.

Good luck in Chicago.

[Sick Of It All]

He should of been traded last year when the Mets could of gotten a decent prospect for him period. Glad they kept him around and resigned him.

[numbers-king]

He should of been traded last year when the Mets could of gotten a decent prospect for him period. Glad they kept him around and resigned him.

I suppose a D-level career minor league filler would have been better than nothing. You really weren't going to get anything of value for him

[Sick Of It All]

That is what some people like to think, but reality is that there are plenty of guys like Becerra around baseball that have some potential and teams would be willing to deal to get a player that could help them win now.

Nobody is thinking they could of gotten a top 100 prospect for Hairston or even a top 200 or 300, but again there are many prospets around who are in the low levels of the different minor league teams that have good potential and one of the could of been had for Hairston.

The Idea that all they could of gotten was a guy who was a career minor leaguer is pretty silly and just a cop out for not making such a move.

In the end to compound the problem was that in keeping him they probably added a win or 2 and that allowed them to not be in the top 10 protected picks. They kept him to win a couple of extra games, when they tried to trade him another team claimed him to block another team that wanted him.

[Oldmantrash]

I suppose a D-level career minor league filler would have been better than nothing. You really weren't going to get anything of value for him

Teams get desparate during the season and overpay for specialist like Hairston.
I agree with sick, they should have traded him.

[Sick Of It All]

Teams get desparate during the season and overpay for specialist like Hairston.
I agree with sick, they should have traded him.

Even if teams were unwilling to deal a guy in their top 20-25 prospects lists, there are always guys who have some value who are in the lower levels. A power arm like a Matz who really has not done much but haspotential, a young 3rd baseman like Marte who has some potential, but has not done much as a pro, but was highly touted when signed,or even a guy like Becerra who the Mets got as a 3rd piece in the Dickey deal a guy who has very good potential. These kinds of prospects are out there for the getting for a guy like Hairston who would help their team in a playoff push.

[Harry777]

BAD NEWS. I wanted him. We have nothing resembling a solid OFer and Hairston was the closest we had, and we STILL have nothing.

[YoungStuna]

Yes!!! I can't wait to hear McFly complain about this.

Now we get to see Andrew Brown and Collin Cowgill.

[DisgruntledGoat]

Never liked him, glad he's gone, good luck to him....

[fanofclendennon]

Interesting. Not one of the above posts mentions that fact that he was the best hitting outfielder on a team that was renown for its horrible outfield.

In other words, our ridiculously bad outfield just got worse. I didn't think that was possible.

[fanofclendennon]

This is good news. A good time to happen, maybe this will force SA hand to make a deal via trade.. Hopefully to outbid the Braves for Upton

This won't force Sandy's hand to do anything. He'll just replace Scott with some APH who can't hit major league pitching.

The good news is that he'll be cheap! YAY!!!!!

Oh, and for what it's worth:" Signing SH would have broke the bank at 2 years, $6 million.

Pathetic.

[YoungStuna]

Interesting. Not one of the above posts mentions that fact that he was the best hitting outfielder on a team that was renown for its horrible outfield.

In other words, our ridiculously bad outfield just got worse. I didn't think that was possible.

The Mets outfield in 2012 combined for 4.1 WAR. They will not be worse than that in 2013.

Hairston: 2.0 WAR
Torres: 1.7 WAR
Baxter: 1.2 WAR
Nieuwenhuis: 0.9 WAR
Rottino: 0.2 WAR
Valdespin: 0.2 WAR
Duda: -1.1 WAR
Bay: -0.9 WAR
Lewis: -0.3 WAR

Nieuwenhuis has more upside with the bat than Torres(who is gone) and can provide average defense in CF. Cowgill will platoon likely.

Bay is gone and Duda will replace him in LF. It sucks that Duda will still play, but I think he will be better playing in LF and his hitting should be better too.

Hairston had a career year that he wasn't likely to replicate, and will be replaced by Baxter and Brown in all likelihood. We have some effective platoons out there that aren't sexy, but should be productive.