Arbitration Recap
The Mets avoided arbitration with all four of their arbitration-eligible players today, signing each to a 1-year contract.
- RHP Manny Acosta signed for $875,000. He figures to be in the Mets bullpen when Opening Day comes around.
- RHP Mike Pelfrey signed for $5.675MM, roughly the amount most experts expected he would win in arbitration. For better or worse, Pelfrey will be in the starting rotation because he can rack up innings.
- RHP Ramon Ramirez signed a 2.65MM deal. The key piece of the Angel Pagan trade will be the Mets’ seventh or eighth inning arm.
- OF Andres Torres, the other part of the Pagan deal, agrees to a $2.7MM contract. Will he be 2010 Torres or 2011 Torres? Either way, to paraphrase Casey Stengel, you need a center fielder, because without one, there would be a lot of inside-the-park home runs.
The Mets haven’t gone to arbitration with any player since Oliver Perez (*shudder*) was awarded $6.5MM in 2008. Before then, they hadn’t gone to arbitration since 1992, when David Cone was awarded $4.25MM. He was traded that season to the Blue Jays for Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson.
About the Author
Paul is a freelance writer, blogger, and broadcast technology professional residing in Denver. A New Jersey native, he is a long-suffering Mets fan, a recently-happy Giants fan, and bewildered Islanders fan. He's also a fair-weather Avalanche and Rockies supporter. In his spare time, he enjoys the three Gs: Golf, Guitars, and Games.
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Hopefully one of 2 things happen now that Pelfrey is signed: 1- he has a good season pitching in the #4 hole and can be traded at the deadline or 2-he can be traded during spring training. I am not holding out too much hope for either though. I think they should have non-tendered him and signed someone on the cheap $1 mil (Harden, Pinero, Penny or other). If the Mets finances are so bad, I cannot understand signin Pelfrey for nearly $6 mil-he’s just not that good.