Joel Pineiro Signs with Angels
Another target of Omar Minaya has chosen greener pastures — starting pitcher Joel Pineiro has signed with the Angels for two years, $16M.
Personally, I’m indifferent, since I see Pineiro at that price tag and leaving Dave Duncan to be a gamble. He might continue his effectiveness outside of St. Louis, but $16M is a lot of dough. If the Mets are going to roll the dice with big money, I’d much prefer they put it on Ben Sheets — who is the only free agent pitcher available with the potential to adversely impact the Mets’ chances to smell the postseason.
From the perspective of Omar Minaya, this is another disappointing development. Forget for a moment about whether you were on board with the Omar’s plans to sign Bengie Molina and Joel Pineiro. Instead, focus on the fact that Minaya put both of those men very high on his list, spent most of the offseason working on deals for them — and in the process, turning away from other candidates — and now has nothing to show for the efforts. Not only has Minaya lost out on two of his top targets, but the alternatives have signed elsewhere, leaving the Mets with their pants down and scrambling for a Plan B that doesn’t exist.
Speaking of other candidates, Doug Davis signed a one-year, $5.25M deal with the Brewers. Davis is no ace, but he’s a fairly reliable back-end starter who will eat up 180 – 200 innings. The Mets can really use someone like that — a guy who is nearly a lock to take the ball 33 times and give 6+ innings every start. Yes, they can use a #2 as well, but sometimes you have to take what you can get.
Joe, are you in on Smoltz for the bullpen? I’ve heard the Mets want to try that, and I think it could potentially work well.
I would also sign Ching Ming Wang and let him rehab similar to what the yankees did with Jon Leiber. Wang has alot of upside and he to is a number 2 pitcher. He won 19 games two years in a row and is still young. When he is healthy again he will be awesome. Especially, if you put him in Citifield.
I don’t see the need for 2 starting pitchers. We have Neise, Neive, Figueroa who all can be decent number 5 starters. Pelfrey is a true number 3 starter.
The Mets are having a terrific off season despite the Beltran incident. Omar has been patient, he has not over paid for any of these FA, he put a dollar value on a player and stuck to it, he isnt overpaying older players past their prime like the Mets always do. He is breaking the pattern and starting a new. He signed Bay for rather cheap compared to Holliday. Even, had the right baseball sense to choose Bay over Holliday because he knew that Bay would fit great in Citifield, we needed power, and he would come cheaper.
To me this is the same team we have going into last year just swap Delgado for Bay which is a wash. The injury bug hopefully has passed us in one fell swoop and Beltran will be back as everyone else with a chip on their shoulders to prove that they can be healthy and win.
As an optimist, you make some very good points. I’m also surprised that Omar, knowing that his butt is on the line, did not panic by trading the farm or overpaying for mediocre talent this winter.
As you mentioned, perhaps the bad breaks (beginning with the Duaner Sanchez ill-fated taxi ride in 2006 and right up to the Beltran fiasco) will give way to a season where Oliver Perez wins the first of three Cy Young Awards, Jeff Francoeur leads the league in walks, Jason Bay wins a Gold Glove and Daniel Murphy captures the batting title.
Imagine that.