The Mets’ lack of outfield depth and talent for the upcoming season, starting in a few weeks, has been widely documented. Even GM Sandy Alderson joked about it at the BBWAA (Baseball Writers’ Association of America) Awards dinner back in January and poked fun at the situation by making a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Manti Te’o “fake girlfriend” incident by mentioning the Mets were in “serious discussions with several outfielders I met on the Internet.”
Alderson might have been joking about the New York outfield a few months ago, but now, in the middle of Spring Training, he’s finally starting to do something about the team’s weakness at the position. Making calls around the MLB to a bunch of agents, independent leagues, and even the baseball afterlife, Alderson found his man for left field in The Ghost of Manny Ramirez, the spirit of the former Major Leaguer with the same name who made 12 All-Star teams during his career.
The deal, for 20 years and $20 million dollars, is spread out in yearly annuities in eerie similarity to the infamous Bobby Bonilla contract.
“I think The Ghost of Manny can be a really great addition to our squad this year,” said Alderson. “We knew we needed a fresh body to man the outfield, and when we called the The Ghost’s agent up in Heaven, we got an excited response from an apparition who sounded enthused to join the Mets. And with our other outfield options being the likes of Andrew Brown, Collin Cowgill, and Lucas Duda, picking up someone with The Ghost of Manny’s credentials and merchandise-selling ability is ideal.”
