Mets to Sign Omar Quintanilla
By Aaron Somers
Veteran infielder Omar Quintanilla is reportedly set to sign a minor league contract with the New York Mets, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The 31 year old will come to Spring Training with the team with the hopes of landing a bench role, though he’ll likely face some tough competition from the younger Brandon Hicks, whom the team acquired back in November from Oakland for cash considerations.
Quintanilla began the 2012 season in New York, hitting .257/.350/.371 in 80 plate appearances. Despite seeing limited playing time, the team was reportedly fond of him but were concerned about losing him via waivers in mid-July when they were forced to designate him for assignment in order to make room for a returning Jason Bay. Quintanilla was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for cash considerations. He’d make 110 more plate appearances on the year, hitting .232/.284/.354 with the Orioles the rest of the way.
With experience at three infield positions, Quintanilla has long been a decent bench option during his seven year career but he’s always been limited offensively. In 772 career plate appearances he’s just a .220/.279/.302 career hitter, with just 6 HR and 50 RBI.