The Mets should take a shot at Maggs...

Over the past few weeks Jim Leyland and the Tigers have been trying new ways to get Magglio Ordonez into the lineup. He's hit third in the batting order. He's batted fifth. He's alternated between right field and designated hitter. He was finally moved down to the seventh spot. He was "indefinitely" benched (given a break) for four games in mid-June. Then he was put back into the lineup.

All of this was being done without addressing the proverbial pink elephant in the room - that being the $18 million contract option that Ordonez would earn for next year if he started 135 games or reached 540 plate appearances. That was going to be a massive overpayment even if Maggs was close to achieving his numbers over the past three seasons.

With yesterday's announcement that Ordonez will now platoon in right field with Clete Thomas, freshly called up from Triple-A Toledo – the Mets should work out a deal for him. There I said it. It didn’t take long for me to think about or say, and it should take the Mets any longer than it took me.

Think about it, there is no way that Ordonez will be able to reach his numbers if he is platooning, and he will become a cancer in the clubhouse. The Tigers, a contending team can’t afford the distraction. He will be miserable KNOWING that he will not get his contract – I would too, wouldn’t you?

The Mets can work out a deal with him that gives him the opportunity for full time playing status and the opportunity to show that he can still play (he would be playing for a contract) in exchange for him waiving his games played or plate appearances trigger.

If you were Maggs, wouldn’t you want to play every day and prove yourself with the Mets (with the opportunity to get a nice contract from someone next year) or would you rather sit the majority of the time (there are more righty pitchers than lefty, so he would be sitting more than Clete Thomas) then have people wonder whether you can still hit or not and go to spring training next year looking for a job?

The Mets have the money to pay his contract the rest of this year and the Tigers would just assume save the money if he’s not going to play. They are already eating Sheffield’s contract, anyone would agree that it’s a bit much for them to eat both of them without having either of them play.

It shouldn’t take much more than money to get him. His career has been clutch and filled with magic in his bat. They should take a shot and try to rekindle some of that magic.– Gregory Shapiro

Greg is an orthopedic surgeon that has a number of professional athletes including MLB players as patients. He’s an avid MLB fan and rotisserie player with some unique insight into the world of professional athletes.