Update

Paging the New York Mets Front Office…Grady Sizemore is still available.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has reported that Grady Sizemore could be ready as soon as opening day (most likely mid-season), but he is likely to hold off signing until whenever he is fully recovered.

This could be bad news for the Mets fans who hope that Sizemore will once again regain his All-Star form in a New York Mets uniform.

If Sizemore is waiting until he is fully recovered to sign, it is telling the baseball clubs that he is not interested in being low-balled by teams looking to take advantage of his unfortunate situation. He’s trying to tell teams that he is still the player he once was, aside from all the injury issues.

This all but eliminates the Mets, since it sounds as if there is no chance that Sizemore agrees to a minor league deal, and it seems like that is all the Mets are willing to offer players these days.

All kidding aside, the Mets should definitely be keeping a very close eye on Sizemore’s recovery.

Sizemore may be holding off signing to try and build his market price, but the fact is he will still have to sign a team friendly deal and then prove he is still the player he once was. After a full season off, he should come back fully rested and recovered. That makes him a very tantalizing option for the Mets.

Original Post – 10/16/12

This is not breaking news – the Mets are in need of a lead off hitter and outfielders as we move towards the 2013 season. Some people may be ready to close the door on Grady Sizemore’s career, but there is still value there. We are still talking about a player that was on his way to super stardom before some injuries side tracked his career.

After missing the entire 2012 season, Sizemore should be fully healed, rested, and ready to finish what he started a few seasons ago. There isn’t a team in a better position to take a risk on Sizemore than the New York Mets.

Many people will scoff at my last statement and argue that the reward isn’t worth the risk in Sizemore’s case. They will argue he’s too injury prone. Seriously…who cares at this point? Beggars can’t be choosers. With the outlook of the Mets outfield in 2013, adding Sizemore would bring Mets fans a glimmer of hope, and add another player with superstar potential to help David Wright out (pending him re-upping with the team).

The bottom line is the Mets are going to have to take some risks if they want to be able to get competitive again, and fast. The Mets are a Moneyball team now, right? Well, if my memory serves me correctly, one of the main story lines in Moneyball was that they went after a player in Scott Hatteberg, who other teams were avoiding due to injury risk, because they saw value there. Even Billy Beane, lord Moneyball himself, understood that there has to be some sort of risk involved if you are ever going to achieve greatness.

Signing Sizemore on the cheap screams Moneyball.

When you think about it, how much risk is really involved with Sizemore anyway? Sign him to a one year deal for $1.5MM or $2.0MM, and there isn’t much risk involved. Get creative with incentives and bring him to Flushing. We aren’t talking a long-term investment here until he proves that he is worth a long-term investment. But at this point, it seems logical that the Mets would take a flier on Sizemore. If healthy, he solves two problems for the Mets – a lead off hitter, and a centerfielder. If not healthy, they cut ties with him at a minimal cost to the team.

Signing Sizemore is a no-brainer at this point.

It’s time for the Mets to start taking a some calculated risks. Sizemore may be a risk, but oh the reward the Mets would receive for taking that risk if Sizemore is even 2/3 the player he was in 2008. Cleveland seems ready to finally part ways with Sizemore who is a free-agent this off-season. MLBTradeRumors.com reported in August that two scouts said that Sizemore is worth signing if there isn’t much guaranteed money at stake. Hopefully one of those scouts was from the New York Mets.

Let’s Go Mets…sign Sizemore…play some Moneyball.