A Couple of Mets Roster Notes
According to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News, Angel Pagan and the Mets avoided arbitration and have agreed to a one year contract that will pay the center fielder $1.45 million.
Pagan had originally requested $1.8 million whereas the team filed for $1.275 million. Therefore, they are paying him a little bit under the arbitrary midpoint.
Last season, Angel had a fine season despite suffering an injury that sidelined him for a couple of weeks. In 88 games, the 28 year old hit .306 and six home runs along with eleven triples.
Mets On The Verge of Signing Bengie Molina
Just hours after we found out about a deal being in the works to bring Jason Bay to Flushing another significant free agent signing is being reported.
ESPN Radio’s Rich Coutinho is reporting that the Mets are close to signing catcher, Bengie Molina, to a two-year deal. Financial terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed.
Last season with the San Francisco Giants, the 36 year-old Molina hit .265 with 20 home runs and 80 RBI’s.
Despite what some analysts have said I believe that this is a solid signing by Omar Minaya as it gives the Mets some much needed power behind the plate that they haven’t had since the days of Mike Piazza.
Next on the agenda for Minaya and the Mets will hopefully be a starting pitcher, but I must say that these two signings are definitely a step in the right direction.
Mets Ink Kelvim Escobar To One Year Deal
Various news outlets are reporting tonight that the New York Mets have signed Kelvim Escobar to a one year Major League contract.
The 33 year-old right hander has pitched for two teams throughout his big league career; first with the Toronto Blue Jays and most recently with the Los Angeles Angels.
During his career, Escobar has amassed a win/loss record of 101-91 and compiled an ERA of 4.15.
His best season came in 2007 when he made 30 starts and compiled a record of 18-7 and maintained an ERA of 3.40.
Strangely this deal is not a minor league contract, as was suggested a couple of days ago, instead it will be a major league one.
Around The Blogs In 80 Days: Baltimore Orioles Edition
Ok so the title of my post maybe a bit deceiving, no this feature will not last 80 days, but I thought it would be a cool project to go around the league and connect with bloggers from the other 29 MLB teams and have them weigh in on their teams.
For my first stop of the tour, I check in with Daniel Moroz, founder of Camden Crazies, which is an excellent blog dedicated to the Baltimore Orioles.
In addition to providing up to date information surrounding the ball club, Moroz uses sabermetrics to showcase in-depth analysis of each member of the Orioles roster.
In the interview Moroz discuses a wide range of topics, including the team's interest in both Matt Holliday and Carlos Delgado, as well as a look at some of the Orioles most prized youngsters.
Without further adieu here is my interview with Daniel Moroz of Camden Crazies
Four Way Trade Involving The Mets Fell Through
ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark is reporting [hat tip to MLB Trade Rumors] that at the winter meetings earlier this month, the New York Mets were involved in a four team trade proposal with The Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels.
Had the deal of went through here is how things would have panned out:
New York Mets Trade: Luis Castillo
Tampa Bay Rays Trade: Pat Burrell
Chicago Cubs Trade: Milton Bradley
Los Angeles Angels Trade: Gary Matthews Jr.
New York Mets Receive: Gary Matthews Jr.
Tampa Bay Rays Receive: Milton Bradley
Chicago Cubs Receive: Luis Castillo
Los Angeles Angels Receive (Presumably): Pat Burrell
However, as Stark points out the deal fell threw for an unknown reason. I’m merely speculating here, but when dealing with such large and huge contracts it probably came down to money.
Last season with the Angels, Matthews hit .250 with only four home runs and 50 RBIs in 316 at-bats. Those numbers are rather unimpressive to say the least and to be honest I think the Mets are better off holding onto Castillo.
Jose Reyes Linked To Troubled Sports Physician
According to a report in today’s New York Daily News, New York Mets shortstop, Jose Reyes, visited a scrutinized doctor, Dr. Tony Galea, numerous times.
Galea is a physician based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who is noted for using a technique called blood spinning to help athletes recover from injuries more quickly.
As described in the article, the blood spinning technique, “involves putting a patient’s blood in a centrifuge to separate the platelets then injecting the blood back into the patient”.
In addition to Reyes, Galea’s past and present clients include; professional golfer Tiger Woods, NFL quarterback Chris Simms and current free agent first baseman Carlos Delgado.
There has been a bit of controversy surrounding Dr. Galea as of late. Other medical professionals, such as the former medical director of the New York Road Runners, Dr. Lewis Maharem, have questioned the effectiveness of his methods of treatments.
Clearly, the doctor’s efforts in healing Jose Reyes’ injured hamstring proved ineffective, as the star would later undergo surgery in October to repair the injury.
Additionally, the doctor is under investigation by the Canadian authorities after it was found that one of his former business associates was carrying human growth hormone, as well as the doctor’s medical bag.
Exclusive Interview With Former Mets Player Brian McRae
A few weeks ago I was granted the opportunity to ask former Mets outfielder and ESPN analyst Brian McRae a few questions regarding his time in New York and what he is currently up to now.
As many will recall McRae spend parts of three seasons in Flushing during which time he hit roughly .250, which is lower than his career average of .261.
During his time with the Mets, McRae played under Bobby Valentine and was on the 1999 playoff team for much of the season before being traded.
Since his playing career ended, McRae has been involved with numerous projects, including owning a radio station, as well as running a youth baseball program.
I hope you enjoy my exclusive interview with former MLB player and analyst, Brian McRae:
Categories
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