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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