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April 1, 2012 11-12 Offseason Paul Festa

Mets to Lock Up Niese?

According to Adam Rubin of ESPN, the Mets are close to signing Jonathon Niese to a long-term deal.

The eventual deal is believed to be comparable to the five-year, $28.5 million deal that included two team options — for $11 million and $11.5 million — that fellow left-hander Derek Holland signed with the Texas Rangers last month. Both players have comparable major league service time and would have been eligible for free agency after the 2015 season.

In a move that was widely lauded, the Tampa Bay Rays signed LHP Matt Moore to a 5 year, $14 million deal that included club options that could keep the promising starting pitcher on the team for 8 years.

The signing of Niese would afford the Mets the same benefits.  They can lock him up long-term, and keep his salary affordable, which is key given the economic state of the team.

This move also indicates how Sandy Alderson, Terry Collins, and the rest of the Geek Squad feel about Niese.  They’re obviously high on the left-hander, and feel he has the potential to be a solution in their rotation for years to come.

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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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  1. Joe April 1, 2012 at 8:21 pm
    I’m guardedly optimistic that Niese can be a mid-rotation starter for the team long term. Sounds okay.
  2. Josh Z April 1, 2012 at 9:07 pm
    this years official rotation : Santana-Dickey-Niese-Pelfrey-Gee
  3. Izzy April 2, 2012 at 9:20 am
    So you mean the liars were lying when they proclaimed for a year and a half that Sandy alderson couldn’t give a contract for more than 3 years!!!!!!!!! Can’t wait for the beat writers to ignore the lies that this organization never ceases to throw out. Or is it throw up. If Niese gets hurt will all the Omar bashers bash the godly one alderson for making such a dumb sign? I doubt it? They will write of him as a genius acting as if he were the first GM to sign a kid to multiple years before he could walk. Actually, I do hope they lock him up but they better lock up Wright and Davis as well.