The Mets want Kaz Matsui . . . and why not? Just about everyone with a respected baseball opinion in New York is raving that the Japanese shortstop is the real deal.
The Mets continue to pursue Matsui as their middle-infield solution, believing that a Matsui-Jose Reyes keystone combination would be a double-play duo for the ages.
Al Leiter, the Mets’ veteran lefthander who often has ownership’s ear, even said yesterday that if the only way to acquire Matsui is to move Reyes to second base, he’d endorse the switch.
“Of course,” Leiter said. “If we’re bringing in a guy who’s a 10-time All-Star in the equivalent of [the Japanese] major leagues over there and is a superstar, I think Jose either can wait or make the adjustment easily.”
Leiter’s remarks were telling because several weeks ago, he spoke out against moving Reyes to second, praising the 20-year-old’s cannon arm and calling him a “future Hall of Famer.”
Mets GM Jim Duquette and COO Jeff Wilpon were en route to the Dominican Republic yesterday, and while the organization is mixed on moving Reyes to second, it’s very possible that the two plan to speak with Reyes about the idea.
The 28-year-old Matsui is reputed to be more talented than Hideki Matsui (no relation) and faster than Ichiro Suzuki. With the Pacific League’s Seibu Lions in 2003, “Little Matsui” hit .305 with 33 homers and 13 steals. Already, Japanese media outlets are reporting that he will command an offer larger than Hideki Matsui’s three-year, $21-million deal. Former Met manager and new Chiba Lotte manager Bobby Valentine said in a radio interview yesterday that Kaz Matsui is as good as Ichiro and Hideki Matsui.
“When he was a kid, I tried to trade for him. I loved him when he was 19. I told my general manager that he was the best prospect I had seen in my career,” Valentine said.
“He developed into a wonderful player. Watching him on film and listening to the people who I trusted from Japan, he’s going to be every bit as good as these other guys.
“One thing he can do that neither Matsui nor Ichiro can do is he can hit the ball with power to the opposite field.”
Leiter, who received the March of Dimes’ Sportsman of the Year Award yesterday, faced Matsui in an All-Star Game in Japan in 1998. He compared him to Craig Biggio.
