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Coleman's Corner: No Orlando Magic

By Ed Coleman
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Prior to the beginning of the Winter Meetings down in Florida, new Mets G.M. Sandy Alderson had cautioned fans not to expect very many significant moves by the club, but adding, tongue-in-cheek, that they'll "probably bring back a couple of Rule 5 guys." Well, the Mets did indeed do that, plus adding some much-needed depth at catcher and to a suddenly barren bullpen, but they returned home without the lower-end starting pitcher they so desperately need to pad their thin rotation.

First things first - Alderson did not exactly distinguish himself with his opening remarks on Sunday night, ridiculing the Nationals' decision to award Jayson Werth a $126 million contract for 7 years. Phillies' people told me last season that someone, given the opportunity, would overpay for Werth - and they were right. Look, Werth is a very good player in context, when surrounded by other good players in a lineup, not necessarily a great player able to lift a team by himself. But sometimes teams do things out of desparation, and Washington, a still-forgotten franchise, probably felt it had to make a splash to attract other free agents. Nonetheless, Alderson jabbed the Nats by stating the Werth contract "makes some of our contracts look pretty good", and went for the knockout with "I thought they were trying to reduce the deficit in Washington." Good line, except whether or not those burdensome contracts were bestowed by him or by somebody else, they are Alderson's responsibility and problem now, and no laughing matter to Met fans. I understand it's an ice-breaker line, and you probably have to laugh to keep from crying. Maybe trying to find solutions to your own problems with a non-existent budget leads to gallows humor.

The Mets did sign what they hope will be their right-handed complement to lefty-hitting catcher Josh Thole. They inked Ronny Paulino to a one-year $1.3 million deal that includes performance-based incentives, which I guess is ironic in itself because Paulino was suspended for 50 games last season after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Paulino claims it was caused by a diet pill he took to combat weight problems which have plagued him in the past. Whatever the reason, he has served 42 of the 50 games, so the Mets will not have him for the first week of the season. Paulino hit .259 with the Marlins last year with 4 HR and 37 RBI. But he needs to hit lefties - and he does. He batted .358 against southpaws in 2010 with a .745 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) - very credible - and is a lifetime .338 hitter vs. lefties. And over 6 seasons with the Pirates and Florida, Paulino has thrown out 44% of baserunners.

Considering the Mets' financial constraints, reliever D.J. Carrasco got a lengthy contract - 2 years for $2.5 million. Carrasco is no spring chicken - he'll turn 34 in April - but he posted decent numbers last year, going 3-2 with a 3.68 ERA in 63 appearances with the Pirates and Diamondbacks. If there's a red flag, it's that he was non-tendered by Arizona last week. New D-Backs G.M. Kevin Towers always makes it a priority to strengthen his bullpen when he takes over (he did likewise in San Diego), yet Carrasco was let go. Makes you wonder. And how can you complain when you finish off the meetings by signing Boof Bonser to a minor-league deal? The Boofster had a tough time last year, pitching to an ERA over 6 in 15 appearances for the Red Sox and Oakland, and in 13 minor-league starts had a 5.59 ERA. The righty pitcher was a first-round pick of San Francisco way back in 2000, and underwent shoulder surgery in 2009. On the plus side, Bonser has always been known as a pitcher with a 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and he continued that last season.

The Rule 5 Draft took place on Thursday morning, and Alderson remained true to his word. The Mets selected two players - infielder Brad Emaus from Toronto and reliever Pedro Beato from the Orioles. Emaus combined to bat .290 with 15 HR, 32 doubles and 75 RBI at Double AA and Triple AAA in 2010. Meanwhile, Beato is a 6'-6" righty who went 4-0 with a 2.11 ERA and 16 saves at Double AA last year. He's also a local kid who went to Xaverian H.S. in Brooklyn. The Ridgewood, Queens native was originally drafted by the Mets back in 2005. Met RHP Elvin Ramirez was possibly projected to be the top pick in the Rule 5, but he went to the Nationals on the 6th selection. Ramirez is a hard thrower (94-98 MPH) who had a 4.16 ERA at Single A and Double AA this past year.

So what's next? Just sign Chris Young, please. The Mets need to beef up their starting rotation, but Alderson sounded ominous when he said that "the players that are available now might not be any better than those that are still around come January or February." Young and other "damaged" pitchers are supposedly looking in the $4-5 million range, while the Mets are trying to cut that in half, which will tell you how bleak the budget outlook is at the present time. And it won't be any more than 1 starting pitcher that the Mets bring aboard, unless things drastically change. They're also looking for lefties in the pen with the departures of Pedro Feliciano and Hisanori Takahashi. And several of the names mentioned - Hideki Okajima, Albert Rhodes, Brian Fuentes, Will Ohman, Ron Mahay - might be too expensive for their taste.

Look for Triple AAA manager Ken Oberkfell to be appointed as Terry Collins' bench coach. Old favorite Moises Alou could have become the first base coach but rejected the offer, probably paving the way for Mookie Wilson to come on board. And here's hoping "Frenchy" - Jeff Francoeur - can finally put it together in the A.L. as a Kansas City Royal. Just sorry he couldn't do it here. But better there than in Philadelphia, his other choice.

C U soon
Eddie C.

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