The New York Mets might be interested in negotiating a deal with the Seattle Mariners for young slugger Nick Franklin to fill in their need at the shortstop position, a veteran baseball pundit stated in his latest article.

The Mets, who have been courting free-agent shortstop Stephen Drew since the start of the free agency period, could take on an alternate plan, with the Mariners reportedly making Franklin available on the trading front.

Franklin batted .225 with 12 homers and 45 RBIs last season with the Marines. However, the presence of Brad Miller has made the young slugger dispensable and likely trade bait before the start of the 2014 regular season.

"Seattle has two capable shortstops on its roster in Franklin and Brad Miller. Adam Rubin of ESPN New York speculated that Franklin is more likely to be dealt prior to Opening Day. One of their sources confirmed the team's interest," Bleacher Report's Matthew Musico reported.

Plan B for the Mets?

The Mets have been chasing Drew ever since the shortstop turned down qualifying offer from the Boston Red Sox, a move that allowed him to test the free-agency market this offseason. However, the franchise has been unsuccessful so far in getting on the same page with Drew, who reportedly demands an opt-out option in his contract after the first year.

According to Musico, the Mets could easily fix the problem at the shortstop position if they are going to be bold enough to make a deal for the 22-year-old Franklin. The Mets could send some of their young crops of pitchers— such as Jacob deGrom, Jenrry Mejia, Jeurys Familia or Dillon Gee—to satisfy the Mariners' need.

"Acquiring Franklin from the Mariners would fix the immediate issue, but also provide stability and upside into the future. If New York was truly confident in moving forward with Tejada or another internal candidate at shortstop, it wouldn't be monitoring the trade and free-agent markets.

"Instead of tying up anywhere between $20 and $25 million over the next two seasons for Drew, the Mets could possibly get similar production from Franklin, at a fraction of the cost. Entering his age-23 season, there is potential for him to progress and actually outproduce Drew."