Over the past few days the Phillies signed Juan Pierre to a minor league deal, traded Wilson Valdez (former Met) to the Reds, and the Nationals added Brad Lidge to their already formidable bullpen on a one year deal.

In Juan Pierre, the Phillies added a “name” more than anything valuable. With Laynce Nix, Hunter Pence, Shane Victorino and John Mayberry already in the fold, Pierre provides them with outfield depth if one or more of them were to go down with an injury, but not much more than that.

There were some people out there who wanted to see Pierre in a Mets uniform, but I was not one of them. As FanGraphs points out, while Pierre can still run, he is not the asset on the base-paths he once was and he has gotten worse defensively with a -9.2 UZR last season.  Signing him to a minor league deal can do nothing but help the Phillies, but with a WAR of -0.4 last season in 711 at bats, there is very little that he brings to the table.

Brad Lidge on the other hand is a name I hoped the Mets would go after.

Outside of 2009, Lidge has always been an excellent pitcher, never having a FIP above four in nine out of his ten seasons. The reason he was available this late into the offseason is that he has struggled with injuries recently, with only 123 innings over the last three seasons. Despite the injuries, his stuff never left, and with a 10.0 K/9 and an ERA of 2.49 over the last two seasons, he has proven he can still be a valuable piece to a major league bullpen. No matter what he ends up producing, signing a pitcher of this caliber to a one year deal worth only $1million plus incentives is a great deal; one in which I hope the Mets can find over the next couple of weeks.

While there are still plenty of upside free agents available, for now it seems that the Mets first priority is going to be filling out the last spot on their bench. Some of the names that the Mets are reportedly interested in are Johnny Damon, Rick Ankiel, Kosuke Fukudome, Raul Ibanez and the aforementioned Juan Pierre.

One name that jumps out from this list is Johnny Damon.

Damon’s skills have declined over the past couple of seasons, but I think his leadership would be his most undeniable asset to the Mets. He has proven himself in two of the biggest baseball markets of Boston and New York, and his presence in the locker room, would not only give David Wright a break and let him focus on baseball, but also give the Mets some veteran leadership they have not had since Carlos Delgado in 2006.

Damon posted a 1.5 WAR with the Rays last season, with 16 home runs and 19 steals, hitting .261. With the question marks that surround Jason Bay’s performance, Damon would provide some insurance as a guy who can step in and play every day, or at the very least, platoon with Bay, given his struggles against right handed pitching these last two seasons.

I think he would be a great fit, and an even better answer to the moves made by the Mets rivals within the division.

For more news and stats on the Mets, follow Zach on Twitter @MetsVibe!

As much as I would love to see Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, and C. J. Wilson in a Mets uniform next season, I am going to take a more realistic approach. With a limited budget, the Mets’ top targets are not going to be the players who set the market, but rather those players who have upside. I believe that Sandy and his crew will be looking into incentive laden contracts, much like the Chris Capuano and Chris Young deals they signed last season, just hoping for more results like Capuano, and less like Young.

After scanning the free agent list, these are some guys I would target that will be within the Mets budget.

-          Pudge Rodriguez

• The Mets need a back-up catcher. I know many of you would have preferred Ramon Hernandez, but I think Pudge is better for the Mets in both the short term, and long term. Seems confusing right? He is 40 years old and in an obvious decline as a ballplayer. However, despite those two seemingly very important things, Pudge might be the best leader of any free agent available. He would be a great mentor for Josh Thole, and an even better leader, and teacher for the Mets young pitching staff. Maybe Pudge is the cure that Mike Pelfrey has always needed. With Niese, Gee in the rotation and Wheeler, Harvey, Familia and Mejia all so young and on the way, Rodriguez would be a tremendous source of experience and knowledge, to aid in their development. While I don’t know how much money he is looking for, he may not find a better situation to find some playing time, sitting only 156 hits away from 3,000. He hit only .218 last year, but he still generated 0.4 WAR in only 137 at-bats. Current Mets backup Mike Nickeas hit .189, and Thole hit a solid .268 but only generated 1.0 WAR in 386 at bats, so Pudge adds value here. In addition, with the Mets looking for a catcher who hits lefties well, throughout his career, Pudge has been more productive hitting against left handed pitchers, hitting .289 against them over the past five seasons. On a one year deal, there is very limited downside, with great long term upside potential.

Think about the great closers over the past ten or twenty years.

Now, think about how many years they were great.

What you will find is that outside of a select few, even the best closers were not able to maintain a high level of success for a long period of time.

Take a look at this list:

*To qualify for a “great” year, you had to  have one of 20+ saves, a sub three ERA or a K/9 greater than nine in a particular season.

» Continue reading “Why Jonathan Papelbon Signing With The Phillies Is Good News For Mets Fans”

For months now, I have been going back and forth.

Is it a good investment for the Mets to sign Reyes? Or should they let him go, and invest the money elsewhere.

From a fan’s perspective, it is an easy answer. Sign him, no matter the cost. I mean, why not right? They technically don’t have to pay for it (except for higher ticket prices).

From a business perspective however, things get a lot more complicated.

Say what you want about David Wright, good or bad, Jose Reyes has become the face of the franchise, and people pay a lot of money just to Jose play.

Think about it, every aspect of his game is exciting, even when he is not on the field.

» Continue reading “To Jose, Or Not To Jose: For The Mets, That Is The Question”