How About Lofton?

Jim Baumach at Newsday writes about the possibility of signing Kenny Lofton:

If I were the Mets, I'd go a different direction. Kenny Lofton remains unsigned and the still speedy centerfielder has been productive wherever he has been (except that one year with the Yankees, which we wasn't all his fault).

Last season Lofton batted .303 with a .380 on-base percentage in 84 games as the Texas Rangers starting centerfielder. He had 16 doubles, 3 triples and 7 home runs. After landing in Cleveland as part of a trade-deadline deal, Lofton's numbers suffered a touch. He batted .283 with a .344 on-base percentage in 84 games. After stealing 21 bases in 25 chances with Texas, he had only two in five tries.

Adding Lofton to play left field would be an intriguing move by the Mets. It keeps Endy Chavez (also nursing an injury) as the fourth outfielder, which is where he is best suited, and makes speed even more prevalent in their lineup. With Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo and Lofton in the lineup, the Mets could evoke memories of the mid-1980s St. Louis Cardinals.