2012 MLB Free Agents: “Half Dozen Teams” Interested in Jack Wilson
By Editorial Staff
According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Mets, Dodgers and Braves are among a half dozen teams to have shown interest in free agent middle infielder Jack Wilson. Though Wilson doesn’t have much to offer teams at the plate, Heyman still considers him to be “a defensive whiz”.
Originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals, Wilson spent most of his career as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Making his major league debut in 2001, Wilson was the Pirates starting shortstop until the club traded him to the Seattle Mariners in the summer of 2009.
Though he hadn’t ever been that impressive at the plate, Wilson’s numbers dropped off even further during his time in Seattle. Over his two seasons with the Mariners, Wilson mustered a line of .243/.278/.304 while appearing in only 154 games.
This summer, Wilson was again on the move. Seattle shipped the 33-year-old to Atlanta for a player to be named later. Atlanta was looking to bolster their middle infield depth for a possible playoff run.
Over his 11 seasons in the bigs, Wilson has held a career line of .266/.307/.368. As Heyman said, Wilson is still known to have a solid glove, and any team that acquires him this winter will be bringing him in for that reason.
While the Mets and Braves are known to be searching for shortstops, Wilson is no longer an everyday guy. Whichever team ends up with him will probably be using him similarly to how Atlanta did this summer.
You can check out all of the available free agents by position below.