Now that the winter meetings are officially over, let’s recap to see what the Mets have done since that night when Carlos Beltran was frozen at the plate by a 5 and a half foot curveball. It may appear that nothing has happened in regards to Mets moves this winter since not much happened during the winter meetings but since the beginning of November more has happened than you may think.
First the Mets traded right handed pitcher Heath Bell and left handed pitcher Royce Ring to the San Diego Padres for 25 year old outfielder Ben Johnson and right handed relief pitcher Jon Adkins. Johnson has a lot of ability but limited playing time at the big league level. It is projected that Johnson could platoon with Shawn Green in right, be an outfielder off the bench, and play some left field as well. Clearly the Mets were missing something after the trade of Xavier Nady last season, especially against lefties. Johnson has some power so hopefully he will help cover the right handed side of the plate. Some think that Johnson has the tools to eventually be an everyday outfielder. Adkins appeared in 55 games last year averaging just a hair less than 1 inning per appearance. He struck out 30 while walking 20 and he gave up 3 home runs. With a record of 2 and 1, Adkins ERA was just under 4 at 3.98 so he will defiantly be part of the mix in the ’07 pen.
Next the Mets signed free agent Damion Easley who played all four infield positions last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks. For all intense and purposes Easley was brought in to replace Chris Woodward who is a free agent and had surgery at the end of the season. In 90 games, Easley batted .233 with 9 home runs and 28 RBI. He should be an okay guy off the bench who will spell the regulars on the infield once in a while. However at 38 years old, Easley is no spring chicken.
Perhaps the biggest move the Mets have made or at least the sexiest was signing Moises Alou to a one year contract to play left field thus ending Cliff Floyd’s Mets career. Alou will turn 41 next July so it is somewhat of a questionable move at least in terms of his age. But scouts and critics alike all seem to feel that Alou can still hit and he certainly possess the right handed bat the Mets could have used late last season. The real question in regards to Alou is how many games will he be able to play next year? Last season for the Giants, Alou played in only 98 games suffering nagging injuries through part of the summer. The good news though is that in those 98 games, Alou batted .301, hit 22 home runs, and batted in 74 runs. Those numbers project out nicely if he were to play in 120 games or more. With Endy Chevez, Ben Johnson, and if Lastings Milledge is still on the team, it is not necessary for Alou to play every day. I think it should also be noted that Alou could have gotten two year deals from some other teams. The fact that he accepted a 1 year deal with the Mets speaks well of his confidence in his health and that he cherishes winning above all else.
The Mets made a trade with the Florida Marlins sending minor league pitchers Henry Owens and Matt Lindstrom for pitchers Jason Vargas and Adam Bostick both lefthanders. Vargas has an ERA of 5.25 over his brief Major League career with 84 strike outs to 61 walks. Bostick has no Major League experience. The key to this trade is that both pitchers are young, hard throwing, and left handed. Vargas could potentially be a fifth starter next year or at least compete for the job in spring training.
In another move the Mets claimed
Most recently during the winter meetings the Mets traded Brian Bannister for Ambriorix Burgos, a hard throwing right hander who is 22 years old and could help set up Wagner in the pen. Bannister, a pitcher who relies on guts and guile, was expendable considering the amount of young pitchers the Mets have in the system. And as Omar himself said, he simply can’t refuse power arms. And finally last night, the Mets inked Guillermo Mota to a two year deal worth 5 million. Of course Mota will not be eligible to play till around the end of May because of his 50 game suspension for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. The Mets look fairly set in the bullpen for 2007
Earlier, prior to the winter meetings, the Mets resigned Jose Valentin, Orlando Hernandez, and Tom Glavine. So that is where we are at the moment as the winter meetings came to a close yesterday. Surely more is to come, especially as it relates to a front line starting pitcher. The Mets have not really spent a whole lot of money so could it be they are preparing to offer a bunch to Barry Zito? Stay tuned.
Summary
The new Mets…
Ben Johnson OF
Jon Adkins RHP
Damion Easley IF
Jason Standridge RHP
Jason Vargas LHP
Adam Bostick LHP
Moises Alou LF
Ambriorix Burgos RHP
Re-signed Mets…
Tom Glavine LHP
Jose Valentin 2B
Guillermo Mota RHP
Ex-Mets
Cliff Floyd LF unsigned
Mike DeFelice C unsigned
Darren Oliver LHP unsigned
Roberto Hernandez RHP Signed with
Yusaku Iriki LHP unsigned
Ricky Ledee OF unsigned
Steve Trachsel RHP unsigned
Michael Tucker OF unsigned
Chris Woodward IF unsigned
Extra innings:
We’ll have more of a chance to see Mike Piazza in
