New York Mets Free Agency: 3 Reasons Manny Ramirez Makes Sense

The New York Mets are entering spring training with a few question marks. One, how will they compensate for the loss of Jose Reyes in the offseason? Two, how can they bring fans to the ballpark? Three, how can they do these things at a low cost?

There are several other issues, but there is one option to help answer these three questions. His name is Manny Ramirez.

First, the Mets need to boost their offense in the wake of losing Jose Reyes. The Mets were in the market for a lefty bat for the outfield as part of this process. While Ramirez does bat right-handed, he is a solid contact hitter against either type of pitcher.

He holds a .305 career AVG against righties and a .335 career AVG versus lefties. He also has a career 555 home runs with 1,831 RBI. We know he can hit for power and drive in runners.

He would bring protection to the lineup for players like David Wright and Ike Davis. The mere appearance of him in the lineup would make this offense a bit more scary to any opposing pitcher.

With him in the outfield, they would have to slide Jason Bay over to center field and have Daniel Murphy or Ruben Tejada lead off. There was mention of Terry Collins trying Murphy at that spot anyway, so this is not a far stretch to think this scenario being possible.

With Murphy at the top getting on base, the middle of the order would have more of a chance to drive in runs as opposed to an unproven Tejada or Andres Torres.

Secondly, Ramirez would come cheap. He is entering a season where he will face suspension for violating MLB's drug policy last year. He will miss the first 50 games. That right there makes many teams back off.

Last season, he was signed by the Tampa Bay Rays for just a little over $2 million for one season. He retired as opposed to taking the suspension last season.

In the offseason, he unretired and is now eligible to miss his first 50 games. Facing a suspension, his value would plummet even further. He could easily be acquired for $1 million or less. For a team as cash-strapped as the Mets, that is very important.

Finally, he would draw a crowd. Even if he ends up playing just a little over 100 games, he would make an impact on the Mets ticket sales. He's a local product that Mets fans would embrace.

This is a fanbase that is known for bonding with local players. He would generate excitement in a season where many fans have already thrown in the towel. The Mets could use that enthusiasm to generate ticket sales and merchandise revenue.

The buzz created from this signing alone would cause a stir in the MLB that would help put this team back on the map and take a step in the direction of being legitimate as opposed to baseball's equivalent of the multi-million dollar joke.

In closing, even though Mets GM Sandy Alderson has stated the roster is "pretty much there," I still believe this is an option they can't afford to not weigh.

For these reasons and a few others, it is certain that Manny Ramirez would be a major boost of an acquisition of the Mets had the guts to pull the trigger.