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March 5, 2010 2010 Spring Training Joe Janish

Mets Sign Kiko Calero

Omar Minaya held firm on his minor-league offer to Kiko Calero, and came out the winner in the negotiations.

Calero signed a one-year, minor league contract that will pay him $850,000 plus incentives if he makes the Major League roster.

According to the The New York Times:

Calero was so eager to join the Mets that he was seen walking through the clubhouse before the team had a chance to announce the signing.

As you read a few days ago, I supported an MLB contract for Calero — so for me this is outstanding news and a very smart, low-risk gamble. It is surprising that Calero has been available for this long after a fine comeback season in ’09 — kudos to Minaya for waiting him out.

Next on the docket is Joe Beimel, who would fit right in as a second LOOGY to Pedro Feliciano. It appears that Minaya is sticking to the same strategy of waiting — and several sources report that Beimel is indeed on the Mets’ radar. Hopefully it works out as well — and it might, because every day that goes by is another day lost for a guy like Beimel to make a team. The only risk is that there are at least a handful of teams who could use an extra veteran LOOGY — and one of them could be the Phillies.

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Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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  1. isuzudude March 5, 2010 at 12:53 pm
    Good contract and a nice pick-up, but most likely will spend just as little amount of time as Matt Wise spent in a Met uniform due to injury, and will compete with Kelvim Escobar all year – not for holds, but for longest DL streak. I mean, we’re talking about the Mets here. The worst projection shouldn’t just be considered, it should be expected.
  2. josh March 5, 2010 at 2:21 pm
    good idea to sign kiko calero with a e.r.a. last year less then 2.oo [1.95] in 60 starts not bad at all better then beimal and over 1 mill. less