Andres Torres Signs With The Giants

Former Mets CF Andres Torres has returned to San Francisco, signing a one-year deal for $2 million, according to Jon Heyman.Torres hit .230/.327/.337 in 132 games for the Mets last year, and New York chose to non-tender him rather than go to arbitration. He made $2.7 million as a Met last year and likely would have made around that again in his third year of arbitration eligibility. Torres will serve as a fourth outfielder for the Giants, and his defense is still a bit above-average in center, according to the defensive metrics.

This leaves Kirk Nieuwenhuis as the likely Opening Day center fielder for the Mets, barring any further moves. Nieuwenhuis batted .252/.315/.376 in 91 games for the Mets last year, but his general struggles against lefties and a 4-38 slump in July led to his demotion to AAA where he suffered a season ending bout of plantar faciitis. Outfield help continues to be the biggest area of need for the 2013 Mets as they have just six outfielders on the current 40-man roster, and the only two right-handed options — Cesar Puello and Juan Lagares — are nearly assured to open 2013 in the minors.