Don't take this Holliday

The Mets should absolutely not sign Matt Holliday this winter. He is the absolute wrong player for them, no matter how right he might seem.

Rumors are already circulating that the Mets favor Holliday over Jason Bay. I'm not in love with either guy, and personally I'd rather see them go after Roy Halladay, Prince Fielder or Adrian Gonzalez via trade. But between Bay and Holliday, I'll take Bay.

All you have to do is look at Holliday's splits. In a career spent almost entirely in hitter-friendly Colorado, Holiday had a 1.052 OPS at home and an .808 OPS on the road. Cavernous Citi Field will not be kind to Mr. Holliday's numbers, not to mention the fact that he has been known to butcher the occasional play in the field.

For once, the Mets must be smart. Fans want the team to spend big to dull the pain of last season and calm any fears about ownership being broke thanks to Bernie Satan Madoff. But signing Holliday to a huge contract would be another shortsighted move by a team notorious for such blunders.

The Mets should try like hell to trade for a star that will thrive with this team. But if they can't, the worst thing they could do is panic and scramble to appease the fans in the short term. If they give Holliday this money it won't be available for someone else, someone the Mets really need, in the future.