Category: Pitching

Mets And Duaner Sanchez Avoid Arbitration

Duaner SanchezToday the Mets agreed with Duaner Sanchez on a 1-year/$1,687,500 contract. That’s one of the six players off the Mets board that are salary arbitration eligible. Last season Sanchez made $950,00.

I have to say that I was really disappointed in Sanchez at several points last season. He had his up’s and down’s. He finished the season with a good 5-1 record but with a 4.32 ERA and 1.320 WHIP. The latter stats were major drop off’s from his prior three seasons. Of course, he didn’t pitch at all in 2007 after injuring his shoulder in a car accident. He’s just never looked the same to me since then. His fastball isn’t even close to the mid-90’s, where he was before the injury.

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Tim Redding Signs With Mets

This is kind of a “ho-hum” signing for the Mets. It’s certainly not the big-deal Derek Lowe signing that we’ve all been waiting for. Tim Redding agreed to a one year contract with the Mets for $2.25 million with incentives that could take the deal to $3 million.

Redding may be a servicable starter, and I stress “may be” in this sentence. He’ll be competing for the fifth spot in the rotation with Jon Niese, Bobby Parnell, Nelson Figueroa, and whomever else the Mets bring in.

I don’t think we’ll be seeing a big introduction at Citi Field for Redding. He’s coming off somewhat of a career year with the Nationals last season at 10-11 with a 4.95 ERA. It’s not anything to get crazy about. He’s a guy that you just hope can get through five innings without killing your chance to win the game. He’s never pitched 200 innings/season in his seven year career.

You can his full career stats at Baseball Reference.

Flickr photo courtesy of dbking.

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Mets Won’t Offer Lowe Fourth Year

Once again Jack Curry of the New York Times comes up with some seemingly solid information about the negotiations between the Mets and free agent pitcher Derek Lowe. Apparently, Curry is talking to someone with inside knowledge about the Mets strategy in dealing with Lowe and his agent Scott Boras,

Curry says, definitively, that the Mets won’t offer Lowe a fourth year. Currently, the Mets offer stands at 3-years/$36 million. The money will be a topic of negotiation but not the years.

I can understand the Mets reluctance to give more years to Lowe considering that he’ll be 36 years old next season. But Lowe has been durable. He’s pitched at least 182 innings/season since 2002. That was his first season as a starter.

If I were Omar Minaya, I wouldn’t get too hung up on three years. A vesting team option for the fourth year should be acceptable. Maybe they could look to vest the fourth year if Lowe averages 190+ innings over years two and three of the contract, or something along those lines.

Olney: Mets Determine Closer Market

Buster Olney added a blog post at ESPN stating that the Mets call the shots in the closer market. There have been several reports recently that the Mets may make several simultaneous offers to K-Rod, Brian Fuentes, and possibly Kerry Wood. Whoever is the first to jump at the Mets offer gets the job.

The Mets are really sitting in a strong position, as perhaps the only big-market team intent on spending good money on a reliever, and their intention is to present the offers with this marching order: The first reliever who accepts our offer is going to be our closer.

The other teams out there looking at closers right now are the Brewers, Cardinals, Tigers, and Angels. From all of the reports that I’ve read, none of those teams want to be at the highest salary point for a free agent closer this off-season. I agree with Olney that situation does leave the Mets in the drivers seat right now.

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Report: Mets Aren’t After Sabathia

What a shock! The Mets aren’t interested in having two $100 million starting pitchers on the team. Marty Noble at MLB.com confirms that the Mets won’t be offering CC Sabathia a contract.

The word in the press is that the Yankees already offered Sabathia 6-years/$140 million. And I’m sure the Yankees will go as high as it takes to get Sabathia.

The Mets going after Sabathia never made sense from the beginning. With holes in the outfield, bullpen, and rotation, there’s no room for another $100 million contract on this team.

It’s a nice dream to think of Johan Santana and Sabathia pitching back-to-back days all season, but it’s not happening.

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Mets Burgos Sought By Dominican Police For Two Deaths

Police in Santo Domingo are searching for Mets pitcher Ambiorix Burgos in the hit and run deaths of two women. Burgos was arrested last month at a hotel near Shea Stadium for assault and harrasment in a domestic violence incident with his girlfriend. He’s accused of throwing her to the ground and she had to be treated at a local hospital.

The Mets released a statement regarding the recent charges against Burgos:

“We are extremely disturbed by the reports regarding the player’s potential involvement in the hit-and-run accident that unfortunately killed two women in the Dominican Republic,” the Mets said in a statement. “We take this matter very seriously and have begun an internal investigation to ascertain the facts. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the families of the victims.”

The Mets are a really PR conscious organization and aren’t going to tolerate being dragged through the mud by Burgos. Don’t expect to see him playing for the Mets ever again.

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Mets Roster Moves- Ayala Activated; Kunz Optioned

NEW YORK - AUGUST 06: Eddie Kunz #44 of the N...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The Mets activated relief pitcher Luis Ayala acquired in a trade with the Washington Nationals. To make room on the 25 man roster the Mets optioned Eddie Kunz to Triple-A New Orleans.

Kunz was clearly overmatched in his short stint with the Mets. He pitched in four games to a 13.50 ERA. He looks like he has potential but he’s certainly not there yet.

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