With Cliff Floyd's injury potentially pushing Endy Chavez off the bench, and with Jose Valentin rooted safely in the starting job at second, the Mets find themselves with an interesting good news/bad news scenario. The good news is that Endy and The Mustache become the 3rd and 4th switch hitters in a day-to-day lineup, joining Reyes and Beltran - a Tremendous luxury and a managers wet dream. The bad news is the closest thing they have to a lefty bat on the bench is Mr. Met.
There is no question in my mind that a move is imminent, the question is will the bat come from outside the organization or within (or both). Omar is no doubt watching the waiver wire with a jeweler's loop in his eye and a his hand on the batphone, but he may also look to Norfolk for the answer.
My first thought would be to bring up Michael Tucker. A lifetime .257 hitter, I remember him as a quick, versatile outfielder and an absolute Met-killer. He is 2nd or 3rd in most offensive categories for the Tides and he has post-season seasoning on his resume.
The next best option from what I can tell is Sandy Martinez. He is a catcher and a lefty. If LoDuca goes down, than it would appear to be a no-brainer but if not, he is probably a Plan B. I don't know enough about Ruben Gotay, a switch hitter, to say if he is a viable Plan C.
The least compelling of the options to me would be promoting Jose Offerman. He is a switch hitter and can play most of the infield positions but its been five years since he's had a solid season in the pros . I am not sure we need a poor-man's Chris Woodward on the bench.
I'd like to see Tucker promoted, a waiver-trade for another bat with some pop and Eli Marrero traded for a large pie with extra-cheese. And a coke.
Last year, The Binghamton Mets had a good option when Willie Randolph needed some lefty firepower, a young buck named Mike Jacobs. This year, the pickings are slim. No major-league ready bats are gonna come from AA this season.
Go get 'em Omar. And remember, if they want Eli, hold out for the LARGE pie.
