MetsCitiBlog

Mets sign Frank Catalanotto to Minor League deal

In a tweet from the Star Ledger's Marc Carig, the Mets have signed Catalanotto to a Minor League deal with an invite to spring training.  Unless he completely bombs in Florida, look for him to fill a bench role and most likely an important, often used left handed bat.  He is versatile and even at his age (35 years old), provides a decent stick.  I would not be surprised to see him become Murphy's platoon mate rather than Tatis.  Tatis is not a good first baseman and as we know, grounds into a double play or twelve. 

The New Yorker has always been known for his intelligence in the batter's box, in the dugout, and has helped quite a few teammates out with hitting advice.  Here's to some new blood on the Mets' bench.

In a fog, Mets sign Josh Fogg

The Mets joke of an off season continues.  They have reportedly signed former Rockies chump, Josh Fogg to a minor league deal in hopes he can with the 5th spot in the roster.  I will not begin to get into his stats, its embarrassing.  Suffice it to say, he makes Tim Redding look like an ace.  Talk about an underwhelming pitcher, wow. 

Is it me, or does it look like that the Mets could have skipped signing all these scrubs to minor league deals and ponied up for a decent starter?  I know the free agent class has been not great, but the team doesn't even have a 5th starter.  Spending under $5 million for Jon Garland for the 5th spot would have been bad?  How about signing Pedro for the 5th spot?  He cannot make a whole season, but why not sign him for around $4-$5 million, give him an extra day off for the beginning of the season, and ride him as long as possible.  By the time he fizzles, gets hurt, or the league figures him out, bring up Jonathan Niese or another AAA guy. 

This is clearly a better idea that Josh Fogg!  Pedro will at least sell some tickets and maybe help the team stay a little loose too.  Comments, thoughts, ideas about Pedro? 

Mets getting closer with John Smoltz

Ken Davidoff at Newsday is reporting that the Mets and John Smoltz may be getting close to finding a match.  Apparently both sides continue to talk and express interest.  At this point, the Mets have yet to extend an offer, but it looks like it may be forthcoming.

Basically, at this point, Omar is trying to gauge whether Smoltz has real interest in joining the Mets or just using them for leverage.  Smoltz, and his camp, is trying to decide if he actually can fathom joining the Mets and whether Omar is serious in his pursuit.  I believe both sides now believe the interest is mutual.  Time for the bidding to begin.

Smoltz is a class act and a bad-ass.  I have always feared him the most out of those big three of Smoltz, Glavine, and Maddux.  His nasty stuff, versatility, and gamer attitude all make for a stud.  That said, he is 42 years old and has had multiple arm surgeries.  He is not the same old John Smoltz.  Do I think he could be serviceable for a season?  I am not sure?  He is versatile when considering starting/relieving but it is a long season.  From the start of the off season, I have said the Mets needed a reliable arm (Garland, Arroyo, Pineiro,etc.) AND an upside guy (Sheets, Bedard, Smoltz).  I do not like finishing up this off season with only adding a 42 year old pitcher and a few minor league contract guys.  Once again, Wilpon and Co. are banking on too much from the staff that currently has not gotten it done the last 3 years. 

The question is, "Do the Mets have enough to compete in an NL East that could end up being one of the toughest in baseball this year?"  The Marlins and Braves both have solid, young pitching with emerging offensive threats.  The Nationals suck, but have made several decent moves to get better as well.  Oh, and there are those Phillies that have gone to the World Series two years in a row and added Roy Halladay to their mix. 

A's sign Sheets for $8 million+, deal done as Sheets passes physical

Danny Knobler reports at CBS Sports, Ben Sheets has passed a physical and signed a contract for $8 million plus. 

So, my last posts are a bust, the Mets let Sheets go, or Sheets didn't want to pitch here, whatever.  All I know, the Mets are farther down the line and now are looking even lower on the depth chart of free agents.  Here's the thing, if you don't like what is available but need a pitcher or two definitely, why wait longer and longer?  The Mets now have to take even lower from the barrel than before.  Is Jose Lima around?  How about Hideki Irabu?  Anthony Young???

Sheets may be slipping away to the A's, Mets need to step up

Well, the A's apparently have made a strong offer to Ben Sheets and are hoping to hear back from his cam today or tomorrow with a decision.  Is it me or does this sound like the theme of the winter?  The Mets will undoubtedly be outbid for another player, and will subsequently talk about how they aren't thrilled with the free agent class this off season and how they have a plan and will move forward.  Blah, Blah, Blah.  First, let me say that I am not saying Ben Sheets will win 20 games and be the comeback player of the year and will win us the World Series.  All I am saying is that from my standpoint, it seems like a cost effective, low risk move, signing Ben Sheets for a year, maybe a second if absolutely necessary.  Here are the reasons:

1. He is a a number 1 starter.  His stuff, makeup, and intensity all show that.  He would give the Mets a 1-2 punch that would be at least as good, if not better than, the Phillies' Halladay/Hamels tandem. 
2. Sheets is an affordable option in the market.  He is very likely to sign for under $10 million for the year.  There are a lot of pitchers in the league (even on the team-OP) making more that aren't half the pitcher he is.  It is a short term commitment that would not handcuff the team like a 3-4 year deal would for someone else of his caliber.
3. The final reason is the KEY.  He makes the whole staff better.  By slotting into the two hole behind Santana, he shoves everyone else down a notch.  Suddenly, Maine and Perez are pitching against 3 and 4's now and they can compete against these guys.  Maine and Perez and not 2 & 3's.  If you sign Washburn, Garland, even Smoltz, where do they slot?  Not in front of Maine/Perez.  So, in effect, you are making it more difficult for them as well.

If you want Garland, Smoltz, Washburn, or Bedard fine, but sign them as an extra to Sheets.  It's time to pony up some cash on a short deal and get Sheets in the NL East.

Mets in serious contention for Ben Sheets

According to a tweet by Joe DeMayo, the Mets intend to go after Ben Sheets and are most definitely serious in their pursuit of the big right hander.  After a strong showing at a throwing session in front of up to 20 scouts, Sheets has put himself in good position to sign a decent contract coming off surgery and the sideline in 2009. 

The Dodgers seem to be out of the Sheets sweepstakes, as well as the Brewers, and it would seem that Sheets may be to costly for the Mariners, Rangers, and Cardinals.  Matt Cerrone relays some information from Buster Olney who believes that the Mets and the A's are in the strongest position financially, to sign the pitcher. 

Without getting ahead of myself, I am optimistic that Sheets signs with the Mets.  The upside is there for both parties.  Although not the cavern that people portray it to be, Citi Field can rightfully be called a pitcher's park.  Also, the four-time All Star is a National League guy.  He pitched for the Brewers in the NL and that's it.   You have to think, the ability to pitch against pitchers, not DH's, and the familiarity of the league have to be a plus.  This is especially true if Sheets is going to go with a short deal to prove his health and success.  The Mets have, according to various reports on MetsBlog and MLBTR, up to around $20 million more to spend this off season. 

It would be a long shot, but can we spread that cash out to Sheets and Smoltz for the pitching side and a back loaded 2 year deal for Orlando Hudson?  Although the Mets are starting to be linked to Jon Garland, I do not get the sense they like him for their rotation.  Also, Garland has made it known that he prefers the west coast.  I do not see the fit there.

Joel Pineiro and Doug Davis sign elsewhere, Where do the Mets go from here?

In a wild afternoon of hot stove baseball, Joel Pineiro has signed a 2 year deal with the Angels for $16 million and Doug Davis has signed with the Brewers for 1 season and $5.25 million.  While Davis was only named a bit in connection with the Mets, Pineiro has been linked to the team all off season as a top target.  It now seems that the Mets may have never had a shot at Pineiro as they essentially offered the same type of deal. 

As far as I am concerned, I could care less about both of these guys.  Pineiro had a good 2009 season and besides that, a career of low skill with high expectations.  Mark my words, the Angels will be sorry that they wasted $16 million on this guy for two reasons.  First, he is a one hit wonder.  Pineiro is way to hittable and even with his control.  He hasn't shown anything over a career of almost good.  As good of a season last year was for him, he still gave up more hits than innings pitched, he still lost 12 games, and he still had a career low 4.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

Davis is like a million other average innings eaters.  He will hopefully keep you in the games he pitches, win some, and get blown out in a couple.  As long as he doesn't end up against another team's 1, 2, or number 3 starter, he should hold his own most of the time.  However, I feel like Davis can be found any day of the week and a team like the Mets, a playoff contention team, should not be looking at guys like Davis.

Where do the Mets go from here?  Two of the main free agent starters available are now off the board.  One of them was being chased by the team.  The remaining available options are either poor or highly sought after.  The Mets have been linked in trade talks with the Reds, Royals, even the Cubs, but no fit has been made.  Sheets, Washburn, Bedard, and others remain available and will be looked at.  However, one thing is clear.  The Mets cannot go into the 2010 season with the current staff.  Too many questions, not enough arms.  As February approaches, things will be forced to shake out. 

Here's to hoping for a combo of Ben Sheets/John Smoltz, and a little Orlando Hudson to round us out.

Hooray!!! Bengie Molina to Giants, Buffets must be better in San Fran than Flushing

Bengie Molina has signed with the Giants instead of the Mets.  From what I gather, the Mets did not go overboard on a deal and had offered a contract for around $5-$6 million with some incentives that could have pushed the deal higher.  He is headed back to S.F. now, where he was and will remain comfortable and fat.

This is definitely a win for the Mets in that we do not get Molina and we didn't have to overpay.  The best part is, Omar & Co. didn't even try to overpay!  Awesome!!  I think more and more, that the remaining money the Mets are willing to spend this off season will more than likely go towards pitchers, both starting and relievers.

Sheets Auditions for Scouts

Ben Sheets is/has thrown for roughly 20 scouts this afternoon and according to the accounts of Trenni  Kusneirek, has done pretty well.  Trenni was in attendance and got a chance to speak to scouts as they watched and during a break or two while Sheets was performing.  These are some of the key points I took from what she reported:

• Sheets was at 88-90 mph and got it up to 91 mph on the gun as he started with a round of all fastballs. 
• Scouts were impressed with the velocity at this point and his mechanics looked good.
• He also added a round of breaking pitches which were supposedly located well and looked good.
• Sheets had a long toss session that preceded the mound session and it went well also.

So, with an early observation, there would seem to be some strong reviews from this workout.  Smart move for Sheets.  Rumors have been that he wants a two year deal around $12 million per year with the ability to forgo the second year and hit the market again if 2010 goes well for him.  It has been widely assumed that he will not get this kind of money.  However, with this strong showing and the number of teams interested, anything is possible. 

My guess is that he just priced himself out of NY (at least the Flushing side of town).  I think the Mets were hoping Sheets would be able to be had for a deal around $5-$7 million for the year and have no real commitment beyond 2010 unless it was on their terms.  I think they are looking to get some viable options on the cheap and Sheets is looking better and better to more teams.  He may end up being the most sought after free agent this off season, in term of suitors.

Mets & Bengie Molina closing in on a deal?

With news surfacing today that Bengie Molina would now accept a two year deal, the industry insiders seem to believe that a contract with the Mets is imminent.  Tim Kurkjian at ESPN even goes so far as saying that a deal could get done in the next 2-3 days.  This is most likely jut speculation on the fact that the two sides are a lot closer now that Molina has dropped the third year request. 

There is clearly no market for this guy.  The Mets are going to guarantee him two years most likely and no other team is even offering one or one with an option.  I really do not want the Mets to sign this guy.  Blah, blah, blah he works great with pitchers.  He is an offensive albatross.  He is a pitcher's dream in the bottom of the lineup hitting into double plays and ending innings without clearing the pitcher's spot in the batting order.  i am totally fine with a platoon/rotation of Blanco/Coste/Thole/Santos, whatever it may be.  Is Molina going to make that rotation markedly better?  I think not. 

The money is better spent on two, not one, starting pitcher for the next season.