Michael Bourn rumors: Mets meet with free agent

The New York Mets have recently been tied to free agent outfielder Michael Bourn, but the club has been considered a long-shot to sign the Scott Boras client. However, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson and assistant GM John Ricco traveled to Houston last week to have dinner with Bourn and Boras, according to Joel Sherman of The New York Post.

To that end, general manager Sandy Alderson and assistant GM John Ricco travelled to Houston last week to have dinner with free agent center fielder Michael Bourn and his agent, Scott Boras, The Post has learned.

While meetings such as this have signaled pending agreements in the past, Sherman notes that this was "more a getting-to-know-you session than a dollars-and-cents negotiation." Bourn's potential contract continues to be the largest remaining hurdle for the club.

New York has been waiting for Bourn's market to evaporate to the point where he'd basically be forced to consider their offer. New York doesn't want to go over three years guaranteed on Bourn, and they are beginning to question if other clubs are offering the free agent more than $40 million, according to Sherman.

While Bourn and Boras are both looking to cash in on a high-value, long-term contract, Sherman notes that there is a chance they agree to a short-term deal with New York if it would include an opt-out clause that would provide the ability to hit free agency again a year from now. These would be similar to the clause included in Rafael Soriano's contract that allowed him to leave the New York Yankees and sign with the Washington Nationals this winter.

Beyond the opt-out clause, Boras is also trying to convince the Mets that signing Bourn will provide the team with "credibility" when it pursues free agents next offseason, according to Mike Puma of The New York Post.