It's that special time of year again when baseball General Managers and Owners lose their minds whiles baseball players get rich. We can see a perfect example of that in Boston (4 years and 36 millions for Lugo?!) and Kansas City (5 years 55 millions for Meche), who have made some pretty bad signings. That wasn't the worst though, as J.D. Drew somehow got a multi year multi million dollar contract from Boston when this guy has lived on more hype than an American Idol winner. These are signings that not only sound stupid now, but will likely hamper those teams to improve in the next trade deadline and even next off season.
So what have the Mets done? Well, if you ask some journalist like Wallace Matthews, the Mets haven't done clearly enough to fix the rotation or fill the bench. I strongly disagree, and here is why. First, we have to look at what is available. What's available is frankly mediocre at best for most positions. There wasn't a strong candidate to play 2nd base in the free agent market. The market for pitching via trade or by money is well over valued, and would likely hurt the team more than help. What the Mets have to deal with here is a whole bunch of Steve Trachsel type pitchers who are making 11 to 15 million a year with this market. Would you pay Steve Trachsel $15 million a year? I didn't think so, and neither would Omar. Instead, he's made some smart ONE YEAR signings for the most part. Let Bradford go for to Baltimore, where he'll be rich but won't sniff the post season, but no relief pitcher is worthy of a 3 year contract unless they are a top closer. The best trade by far was sending Bannister, who was at best a #3 or #4 type pitcher, to Kansas City for Burgos who is a hard throwing (98 mph fastball) reliever who is 22 years old. Many baseball people feel that Burgos was rushed to the majors and should grow under Rick Peterson's teaching. Omar Minaya also brought back Glavine and Valentin for basically on the cheap compared to other signings in baseball, so that also help solidify the team's roster. In short, Omar Minaya has solidified the bench, 2nd base, the rotation, and the bullpen all for around 30 million dollars, or about less than J.D. Drews contract with Boston. That is what a good GM does.
So what about Zito? I think it is very likely that Zito will sign with the Mets for several reasons. First, a move to a pitchers park in the National League would do his career wonders. Second, he can make more money from marketing being in the biggest market in the world. Third, out of all the team competing for his service, the Mets are the closest to winning it all. Finally, the fact the Mets have Rick Peterson as a pitching coach is huge. Zito has had his best years with Peterson, and they have a very close relationship. But what does Zito mean to the Mets? Well, for one, in my opinion, Zito is NOT an ace, however he is as close to an ace as the Mets will find in this market. He'll help close the gap in the rotation and is certainly an upgrade over Trachsel's spot. The Mets will be able to go into next year with a rotation of Zito, Glavine, Hernandez, Maine, and Perez with Pedro Martinez returning in the second half and Humber and Pelfrey waiting in the wings. In short, the Mets will have a ton of starting pitching on the way for the season.
The question is whether the Mets fan and the media will have patience. I mean that in letting the young pitchers grow. If the Mets play this right, then this team could have a young and strong rotation for years to come if they give Maine, Perez, Pelfrey, and Humber time to grow. The ability of Maine and Perez were clearly seen in the playoffs this year as both pitchers basically saved their team in game 6 and game 7 of the NLCS. Both pitchers are power pitchers who have improved with each start, and the true potential of these pitchers ranges anywhere from an ace to a good middle of the rotation pitcher. The point here is that good starting pitching is rare in baseball these days, and instead of wasting money on pitchers who are mediocre at best is foolish. Instead I advocate the Mets should instead build their young staff. Just because a team has a lot of money, should mean that they should spend it unwisely.
