Category: Pitching

Fifth Spot in the Rotation

It comes down to El Duque and Mike Pelfrey. I really hope that Willie hasn’t made up his mind about the last spot in the rotation yet. I know that I haven’t. Bart Hubbach of the Post describes the competition.

Pelfrey looked lost at times last year, like he was completely over matched in the majors. He’s a young guy at 24 and still has plenty of time to get it together. I hope he can give El Duque a run for his money.

El Duque is a walking medical mystery. He’s hurt again… already. He has toe and foot problems, and recently had a root canal. He only started 24 games last year. That’s just not good enough.

El Duque isn’t going to the Bullpen

El Duque told reporters this week that he isn’t willing to pitch in relief. He says that he signed with the Mets to be a starting pitcher. The NY Post has a recap of his comments.

My opinion is that El Duque isn’t in a position to demand anything. He pitched very well when he was healthy last year. But he isn’t healthy enough to make demands on the Mets about his role with the team.

Competition is a good thing for the Mets. El Duque and Mike Pelfrey should be fighting for the fifth spot in the rotation. There are no free rides for El Duque or anyone else.

Rain On The Parade

There was rain on the Giants victory parade but it didn’t damper the spirit of the fans in attendance. On Monday I told you that I was going to review the rundown on the other $100 million pitchers in anticipation of Johan Santana’s arrival in New York.

Well… I changed my mind. Although Santana didn’t say much today at his press conference. You can hear what he had to say to Mike and the Mad Dog here. On the left side of the page you can listen to the interview.

I won’t rain on Santana’s parade today by dissecting the disasters that precede him in the $100 million pitching club. Let’s just celebrate the day. There will be plenty of time to worry about his contract becoming an albatross before spring training starts.

In case you missed it you can watch the press conference here.

Why I’m Scared of Johan Santana’s Contract

Dollar Signs

Johan Santana is currently Elias‘ highest rated starting pitcher in the AL, ahead of the likes of C.C. Sabathia, Josh Beckett, and Roy Halladay. He’s a two-time Cy Young Award winner, and the 2007 Gold Glove Award winner. He’s a three-time AL All-Star. He’s an incredible pitcher and probably the second best the Mets have ever had. Don’t forget about Hall of Famer Tom Seaver.

I’m thrilled that Santana’s a Met, but his contract frightens me and you should be scared too. Exceeding the $100 million mark hasn’t been done often in baseball, especially for pitchers with good reason. Look at the historical examples of Kevin Brown, Mike Hampton, and most recently Bary Zito. Do you think the Dodgers, Rockies, and Giants have been happy with the way those contracts worked out? I don’t either.

The Mets now have two players whose contracts exceed $100 million. This is nothing new to the likes of the Yankees, but breaking new ground for the Mets. Carlos Beltran isn’t the only mega millionaire in Queens now.

In the coming days we’ll look in depth at the performance of Brown, Hampton, and Zito. We’ll talk about the impact that the money has on players. It’s one thing to be scraping by on $14 million/year and quite another to have $137 million guaranteed for Santana. We’ll also look at the worst Mets current contracts and try to forget about the past transgressions of Mo Vaughn, Roberto Alomar, and other high priced under performing Mets.

Santana Contract and Physical Finalized

Johan Santana took his physical examination in New York today and passed. The contract terms were finalized as a six year deal with a team option for a seventh year. The last year could become guaranteed based on performance marks. The total value of the contract could exceed $150 million.

Of course, the value of this contract seems ridiculous. The only method to determine Santana’s value is based on players with similar skills that have recently signed contracts. The closest source of comparison is Barry Zito and his 7 year $126 million contract. That had to be the starting point for the negotiations. In the end, the total value of Santana’s contract is relatively reasonable.

It’s not often that a team gets a shot at a 29 year old two-time Cy Young Award winner. As a matter of fact, it almost never happens. Most of the top performing pitchers that are still in their prime playing years (28-32) never get to free agency. Just look at the Padres contract extension with Jake Peavey. The Mets had to jump at this opportunity.

Even though the Mets will be married to Santana for longer than they probably wanted to be, I believe that it’ll be looked at a successful trade for the Mets. They have plenty of revenue to start with, their own TV station, a new stadium next year, and several big salaries are going off the books after the 2008 season: Delgado, Pedro, Alou, El Duque, and Billy Wagner goes off the books in 2009.

The Mets are in a position of financial flexibility from my perspective. Nice job Omar!