Should Mets pursue Burrell?

Dec/15/08 09:31 PM Filed in: Pat Burrell
PatBurrell
What do you think of the Mets pursuing Pat Burrell? They need a veteran left fielder, Burrell has power and walks a lot. And he always has killed the Mets.
-- Paul F., Arlington, Va.

I've always regarded Burrell as a guy who "could be pitched to," even though the Mets seldom found an effective way to do that. They already have a left fielder, albeit two-headed, in Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis. That tandem probably won't produce at a level consistent with the premier left fielders in the game, not as much as the Phillies' new left fielder, Raul Ibanez. But I like platoons if for no other reason than they tend to keep two players fresh.

At this point, the Mets have no void in left field but conspicuous vacancies in their rotation and bullpen. The need to address those is greater than the need to import a 32-year-old outfielder given to uneven but ultimately pretty decent run production. Burrell has averaged about 92 RBIs per season the past three seasons, playing his home games in that bandbox at Citizens Bank Park and benefiting from opponents' dependence on left-handed pitching to counter the left-handed swings of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.

We don't know how Citi Field is going to play, but chances are it will be more like Shea Stadium was, a "fair" ballpark. So perhaps some of Burrell's production would be negated by Citi.

Moreover, the Mets might see a tad more right-handed pitching than the Phillies did, and that too would have a negative effect on Burrell. And that he "always has killed the Mets" isn't much of a factor unless you're planning to wager on the intrasquad games in March.

So, the short answer is I'd pass on Burrell and get some left-handed relief pitching to throw at Utley, Howard and Ibanez.

(mlb.com)