Tried to copy and paste but it looked awful, so I'll try this in dribs&drabs , and asterik means a club option 

Catchers
Rod Barajas *
Henry Blanco *
Koyie Hill
Gerald Laird
Russell Martin
Brian McCann *
Jose Molina *
Mike Napoli
Wil Nieves
Miguel Olivo *
Ronny Paulino
A.J. Pierzynski
Humberto Quintero
David Ross
Carlos Ruiz *
Brian Schneider
Kelly Shoppach
Chris Snyder *
Yorvit Torrealba
Matt Treanor *

 

I'm thinking the guy with the alias should be our closer. Juan Carlos Oviedo (aka Leo Nunez)

Some of this is out of date, but there are some interesting relievers. Hopefully the Mets can sign someone like Mike Adams.

I wonder if we can get Victorino on a cheap deal?  He was great in 2011.

Giambi is still playing?

RSVandy wrote: Some of this is out of date, but there are some interesting relievers. Hopefully the Mets can sign someone like Mike Adams.

There are definitely some quality relievers there. They will probably wait though and hope someone falls to them, that's been the philosophy for a while.

if he's going to have to take a 1 yr deal, I wouldn't be surprised if the Mets take a long look at MelkyCab if they could find a way to squeeze him into the budget.

RSVandy wrote: Some of this is out of date, but there are some interesting relievers. Hopefully the Mets can sign someone like Mike Adams.

Who is going to undergo shoulder surgery soon and probably miss significant parts of the 2013 season with no guarantee he ever goes back.
Again, the problem with signing free agent relievers is that they usually have already pitched their best Baseball before they became eligible. Adams has been heavily used over the past 4-5 years and probably doesn´t have much left. It´d be similar to signing Turk Wendell after the 2000 season.

Good bullpens are built from within. Plus maybe take a 1-year contract type flyer on a couple of cheap veterans coming off down years and hope you get lucky with a bounceback season. Except for a closer (if you don´t have one), paying any other reliever more than 3 million $ in any given year makes very little sense. And multi-year deals to relievers make even less sense. Please name 3 relievers on current playoff teams that aren´t closers and were signed to multi-year deals as free agents. Good luck, you won´t find them.

Besides, the Mets apparently have no payroll flexibility this winter for one final year, so I´d expect the few remaining assets being invested into upgrading the OF & C.

I have always like Cody Ross & Jeremy Affeldt.

Ross can play any OF position well, has power and would fit in behind Ike in the 5 hole (we shold also re-sign Hairston to platoon with Duda in LF).

Affeldt has been a steady LHed reliever for years who we have overlooked.
Also, Mr. Pagan is better than anything we have in CF.

Why not Shoppach (he would have to come in in better shape) with Josh as the backup.

Angel, Ruben, Daniel, David, Ike, Cody, Duda/Scott, Kelly.

"Please name 3 relievers on current playoff teams that aren´t closers and were signed to multi-year deals as free agents. Good luck, you won´t find them. "

NYY Rafael Soriano*
NYY Pedro Feliciano
DET Joaquín Benoit
SFG Javier López
SFG Jeremy Affeldt
CIN Aroldis Chapman **

But, then teams like Philly, Miami, Anaheim, LA, the White Sox, and Rays, who thought they were going to be in the 2012 post-season also had some:

PHI José Contreras
MIA Randy Choate
LAD Matt Guerrier
LAA Scott Downs
CHW Matt Thornton
CHW Jesse Crain
CHW Will Ohman
TBR Kyle Farnsworth

To me it looks like, generally, teams with money to spend are the ones who are likely to hand some multi-year deals to relief pitchers-- and that makes some sense. Once you've spent about as much as you can elsewhere and you still got a pile of cash left, why not head into the high risk areas?

That said, obviously the Mets aren't there yet and they should still be spending their money in more sensible areas...


* He was a closer when he signed, but wasn't signed to be a closer
** Was not used as a closer until the third year of his deal

Would not have minded Cody Ross, but he's now signed for 2013. Cheap too, $3,000,000. Even the Coupons could have fit that in.

Edit: That site shows 2013 FA status as "signed" but that was apparently last year's contract. Though the Sox have said they want him back, he's still out there.

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--- erosen wrote:

"Please name 3 relievers on current playoff teams that aren´t closers and were signed to multi-year deals as free agents. Good luck, you won´t find them. "

NYY Rafael Soriano*
NYY Pedro Feliciano
DET Joaquín Benoit
SFG Javier López
SFG Jeremy Affeldt
CIN Aroldis Chapman **

But, then teams like Philly, Miami, Anaheim, LA, the White Sox, and Rays, who thought they were going to be in the 2012 post-season also had some:

PHI José Contreras
MIA Randy Choate
LAD Matt Guerrier
LAA Scott Downs
CHW Matt Thornton
CHW Jesse Crain
CHW Will Ohman
TBR Kyle Farnsworth

To me it looks like, generally, teams with money to spend are the ones who are likely to hand some multi-year deals to relief pitchers-- and that makes some sense. Once you've spent about as much as you can elsewhere and you still got a pile of cash left, why not head into the high risk areas?

That said, obviously the Mets aren't there yet and they should still be spending their money in more sensible areas...


* He was a closer when he signed, but wasn't signed to be a closer
** Was not used as a closer until the third year of his deal

---------------------------------------------
Chapman was a costly International Free Agent but wasn't signed as a veteran free agent, so he doesn't fit.
Soriano was awful in 2011, at least compared to his salary.
Benoît has given up 14 HR in 72 IP.
Feliciano has missed two years and isn't on a playoff roster.
López is a classic LOOGY like Byrdak.
Affeldt has been a fine crossover reliever.
Still, fact is, the vast majority of relievers in good pens has been homegrown.

So even with a budget of 120 million, it'd make little sense spending it on free agent setup relievers...

http://www.baseball-reference....affelje01.shtml

Look at Affeldt's last 6 years as a setup man.

Anyone even close on the Mets?

Sometimes it's the small deals for solid players who make a difference; not the big splash, big money headline maker.

How about kicking the Braves in the nuts by signing Brian McCann catcher. He's good defensively, calls a great game for pitchers, and has serious power @ the plate ?

Go Mets...Cyborg