The Mets received the disappointing news that their top free agent target, Ben Zobrist, chose to sign with the Chicago Cubs.
Assistant GM John Ricco spoke with reporters and offered his reaction to the news on Tuesday night.
Here’s what he had to say…
- Zobrist reached out directly to him to let him know about his decision to join the Cubs.
- The decision Zobrist made is not believed to be about money – rather, it was believed to have to do with his connection to Cubs manager Joe Maddon, and Chicago’s proximity to his home in Tennessee.
- The club is disappointed, but always knew Zobrist could choose another team, and they’ve been prepared to go in different directions in the event he did that.
- The Mets will explore all options, including the trade market, in an attempt to fill their holes. They are more than willing to allocate the resources they set for Zobrist in other areas.
- The club has been in contact with the agents for Daniel Murphy, and will continue to have dialogue.
- The Mets are comfortable with Dilson Herrera at second base, but they want to continue their pursuit of augmenting the roster.
“It’s disappointing, I’m going to be honest,” Ricco said. “We’ll move on and we’ll be all right,” Ricco said.
Just Mets 
2 responses to “Notes: Mets are ready to move on from Ben Zobrist”
Go get Neil Walker as a one-year rental for his walk year (likely about $10M). This gives time for Herrera and Cecchini to play a full campaign in Las Vegas under the solid tutelage of Wally. Walker is right there offensively and as a switch-hitter, and is a far superior defensive player to Zobrist. And what a savings! The Bucs need starting pitching and there is Niese, Montero, Gilmartin and Verrett, all of whom can scratch that itch. Perhaps a bigger deal can be formulated to include one of the Bucs fine setup arms?
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Just heard about No-brizt. In the words of Charlie Brown,… we “got a rock”,….
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