1/18/12

Mets: Rebuilding, Angel Pagan, K-Rod, Joe Smith, Ike Davis



It’s true. Among Frank Francisco ($5.5 million), Jon Rauch ($3.5 million), Ronny Cedeno ($1.15 million) and Scott Hairston ($1.1 million), the Mets handed out $11.25 million in salaries for 2012. The Miami Marlins will pay Reyes $10 million this year. And while one can question both the intelligence and sincerity of a mega-backloaded deal like the one Miami gave Reyes, he will wear a Marlins uniform, not a Mets one, and that alone is damning. Trying to piecemeal together a ballclub like the Mets have done almost never works. Incremental upgrades work for contending teams. They’re wasted money for teams intent on slicing their payroll by one-third as the Mets are. As tough as it would have been to hand the injury-prone Reyes the six years Miami did, the structure of the contract actually made sense for the Mets, who have no money now but, whether under new ownership or a vanity-share-stabilized Fred Wilpon, should a few years down the road  http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-passan_hot_stove_daily_mets_wilpon_011512

The San Francisco Giants and outfielder Angel Pagan agreed to a $4.85 million, one-year contract that avoided arbitration, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because the club hadn't formally announced the deal. Pagan was acquired during last month's winter meetings from the New York Mets for outfielder Andres Torres and reliever Ramon Ramirez. The 30-year-old Pagan, who replaced mentor Carlos Beltran in center field while with New York, is a switch-hitter with speed. He batted .262 with seven home runs and 56 RBIs last season, down from .290 with 11 homers and 69 RBIs in 2010. Beltran moved to right field for the Mets in spring training before he was traded to the Giants in late July. After an injury-plagued stint in the Bay Area that saw the 2010 World Series champions miss the playoffs, Beltran departed to the St. Louis Cardinals on a two-year contract. http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7468903/san-francisco-giants-reportedly-reach-1-year-deal-angel-pagan

Did K-Rod do the right thing by signing with Boras and giving up the option? Hard to say, but probably. Sure, without offering to do away with the option, the teams the Mets could have traded him to would have been limited. But as it turned out, they dealt him to a team that used him in a setup role anyway. My bet is that had it not been the Brewers, the Mets could have and would have traded K-Rod to the Red Sox, Yankees, or another contending team that already had a closer if necessary — so the option was likely never going to vest anyway. By offering to give up the option, K-Rod opened up the trade market and cast a wider net for himself in terms of opportunities. In his perfect world, the Mets would have traded him to a team in need of a closer, and he would have shed the option in return for a two-year extension. Winding up as a setup man in Milwaukee was not the ideal situation at time, but right now, it’s not looking all that bad. Consider this: what might K-Rod have commanded on the open market, considering the lack of interest in closers after Jonathan Papelbon and Heath Bell signed? Many believe that Ryan Madson is a safer and superior choice compared to K-Rod, and all he got was a one-year, $8.5M deal; it could be argued that he’d have received even less if both he and K-Rod were both available. http://www.metstoday.com/7386/11-12-offseason/where-did-k-rod-go-wrong/

Of the five players the Indians re-signed Tuesday, Joe Smith might have the lowest profile—great as he was out of the bullpen this year, the 27-year-old right-hander is a relief pitcher, and not one who sees much action in high-leverage situations. But if for no other reason, that the two sides have agreed to a one-year, $1.75 million deal is noteworthy because it’s a huge bargain. Smith was one of the best relievers in one of the best bullpens in baseball last year, posting a fantastic 2.01 ERA in 71 appearances for the Tribe. Also noteworthy were his 2.1 K/BB ratio and sterling 1.09 WHIP. He may have gotten a little bit lucky—he had a .258 BABIP and a 2 percent HR/FB rate, and his xFIP was 3.57—but he’s beaten his peripherals at least a little bit five years in a row, so perhaps DIPS numbers are not the best way to judge him. http://wahoosonfirst.com/2012/01/18/indians-sign-joe-smith-a-bargain-deal-for-a-solid-arm/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Ike Davis, who hit .302 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs in 36 games before the injury, was able to resume working out in July under the auspices of Brett Fischer, owner of Fischer Sports Physical Therapy and Conditioning and the physical therapist for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals. The real rehab work couldn't start until the correct diagnosis came in. First, the Mets called it a calf strain. Then the ankle sprain and bone bruise surfaced. Then, finally, the cartilage damage was detected.

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