Mets unlikely to acquire a first baseman in off-season

According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the Mets are unlikely to pursue a first baseman outside of the organization this winter. 

"The Mets expect to have their first base answer in-house, between Ike Davis, Lucas Duda, and Josh Satin," Heyman writes. "That will leave shortstop and the outfield corners as the main areas for import."

In a recent report, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York also said that the Mets are unlikely to non-tender Ike Davis this winter.

If the Mets decide to keep Ike Davis AND Lucas Duda, that would be a disgrace. There is no way Duda is going back out in the outfield, and I figure he will be the odd man out here. As the season is coming to an end, he has seen his fair share of first base, presumably to get his trade value up for this winter. 

If I had to choose between Davis and Duda, I would easily choose Davis. Despite his struggles in 2013, he still possesses a massive amount of potential, and has incredible raw power. Not to mention he is solid defensively.

If I was the GM, my first focus would be to chase after recently defected first baseman Jose Dariel Abreu. He is said to be better than Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes, and would be a high risk, potential high reward signing. The Mets have money, and they are going to need to excite their fans. Making a big splash like Abreu would definitely draw more fans to the ballpark, and would give the team a solid hitting first baseman.

Granted, Sandy Alderson doesn't seem like the GM that would go too heavily in a bidding war. Since there is a massive amount of interest in Abreu from several teams, I don't know how likely it will be that the Mets land him. So with that in mind, there are some other options out there.

I would entertain a potential Corey Hart signing. Hart, coming off a season ending knee injury, has had great success with the Brewers over his career. He technically can still play outfield, but due to his knee problems, he would likely stick at first base. He would be a great buy low candidate, and if the Mets struggle in 2014, the could ship him off at the deadline.

I also like Justin Morneau, despite his injury history. Morneau has had a resurgent 2013 season with the Twins and Pirates, and probably wouldn't demand a huge contract. Maybe a 2-3 year deal while earning $7-$10 million annually would cut it.

The final, and probably most favorite name of mine is Kendrys Morales. Morales has quietly had a nice season with Seattle, hitting .280 with 21 home runs and 76 RBI. I've always been a fan of him ever since his solid 2009 season with the Angels where he smashed 34 home runs with 43 doubles. Seattle may try to lure him back by offering him a qualifying offer at the season's end, but that wouldn't affect the Mets as they'll likely have their first round pick protected under the new collective bargaining agreement.