Three Signings of Greater or Lesser Significance

(originally posted 1/23/09 on Preaching to the Choir)

This week the Mets signed three players who might or might not even appear for them this year.

First there was the perpetually underachieving lefty Casey Fossum, a former first-round draft pick by the Red Sox about a decade ago. Despite a decent strikeout rate, the Blade has given up nearly 5½ runs per game throughout his career. Knowing the Mets' recent history, he'll probably show up in the bullpen sometime during the season, or perhaps make an emergency start if he's doing tolerably well for Buffalo.

Next there was outfielder Cory Sullivan. One wonders why? It's not that he's a terrible player; it's just that the Mets already had two of him on the roster, in Jeremy Reed and Angel Pagan. Now, three of the same outfielders on one team would be a great thing if we're talking about three Carlos Beltrans; less so if we're talking about three Cory Sullivans.

Finally, just last night, there was the announcement that the Mets had reached a deal with former stud pitcher Freddy Garcia, who has been destudified by injuries for the past couple of years. Early reports say it's a minor-league deal that could be worth up to nine million dollars if incentives are reached. I am intrigued by the possibilities here. If the Chief can regain his former studliness and earn that nine mil, he would be a formidable Number Two indeed; his career ERA+ of 111 is more impressive than I had anticipated, and his most comparable pitchers on Baseball-Reference.com were all decent pitchers in their day.

GM Omar Minaya continues to reshape the club with mostly solid moves, despite the impatience and dissatisfaction of many fans. Here's hoping he still has one big trick left up his sleeve this winter. Personally, I would prefer Ben Sheets over Oliver Perez, but I would quite likely be wrong. In the meantime, I am practicing patience, and trying to celebrate the Casey Fossums and Cory Sullivans along the way.