|
Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post says the Mets have told JJ Putz they will not pick up his option for 2010.
…as i said before, it was just too much of a financial commitment to give a setup man coming off of elbow surgery…they can probably find a capable setup man to compliment 
Pedro Feliciano for a lot less than what they would’ve had to pay Putz…in addition, cutting ties with Putz clears up important money for the other priorities that the Mets will need to address…
The option would have called for $9.1 million, and instead they will buy him out for $1 million.
Update, 3:29 pm:
…it just goes to show how, sometimes, things do not work out as planned… because, from what i recall, the Mets acquired putz, not just to be an elite set-up man, but knowing they could pick up his option and trade him to a team in need of a closer, since he would be signed to a one-year, $9 million deal… but, no such luck…
Update, 3:42 pm:
According to Hubbuch, Putz’s agent, Craig Landis, isn’t ruling out a return to the Mets on an incentive-laden deal.
That’s the right move. If you can resign him for $2-$2.5 mil, do that.
I’m listening to WFAN, where Yankee fans are calling out Francesca because he said the Red Sox are the team of the last decade, not the Yankees. They’re all protesting lustily. Why the hell do they care?
To Francesca’s credit, he’s wondering why any of them are going to lose any sleep over this. Of course, he’s also debating as to whether the last decade ended in 1999 or 2000. Scintillating radio.
Francessa has actually been tolerable all postseason…I think he’s finally getting fed up with the new breed of entitled Yankees fan that DOES care about nonsense like this, especially since the Red Sox are the other candidate and they have to be better than them at all turns.
Personally, even if you could 2000 and 2009 as part of this decade (and the 2000 team belonged to the 90s by all measures), isn’t 2004 the tiebreaker? Not sure you can be team of the decade when you put up the worst collapse in history right in the middle of it.
This decade will be remembered for the 2004 Red Sox above all else, and the 2007 follow-up clinches it.
I turned it off ten minutes in. “A championship that’s been a long time coming.”
Yeah, those Yankees have been through hell these past NINE years. Ugh…
Technically, a decade DOES go from the ‘01 to the ‘10 (or the ‘99 to the ‘00), although very few people recognize it as such.
The Red Sox didn’t bludgeon their competition with a humongous budget the way the Yankees did, therefore, the Red Sox accomplishments are more worthy.
Both the Yankees 2000 title and the Red Sox 2004 title are suspect in terms of PEDs, so that leaves 2007 and this year. Therefore based on the fact the Red Sox did it more in 2007 with smart moves and home growns as opposed to a big payroll advanrtage, then I give them the edge.
I’d agree 100%! Now if we could just get Omar and Company to take some notes from Theo Epstein…we just might get somewhere!
And of course the decade did begin in 2001 and still has a year left.
Definitely the right move – no way you can blow $9MM on a wuestion mark.
That said, this pen is 1-2 deep right now, and that trade was a waste of paperwork, at least until one of the “no-names” thrown into the deal becomes something.
I’d like to see him back, cheaper deal
MLBTR links to Hubbuch saying that Mets told Putz they declined due to injury concerns… While a valid point, I think it’s mostly due to the money, though the injuries couldn’t help.
I may be judging too harshly, but it just sounds like a bogus excuse in line with less than high class dealings, eg. the mid-night firing and Bernazard-Omar-Ruben fiasco.
Uh, would you pay him $9mm coming off of the injuries he had? I’d say that’s being transparent. They probably also told him they’d love to have him back (as would I) for next year, and that they would keep in touch as the market played out.
If Putz gets a two-year deal somewhere for over $5m a year, I say let him go. If not, the $2+ m proposed above sounds reasonable for next year. Look, who wasn’t excited by the 1-2 punch we had with he and KRod at the back of the ‘pen when the year started? I’d take that combo (if healthy) again, but we can’t count on Putz as a sure thing.
And the Mets have been great at dealing with injuries thus far! ZING!!!
A much cheaper deal. 5 mill lol.
So are the Mets going to consider bringing him back for a small contract or no? I’m worried the Omar will do his typical thing of fixing last years problems and not really looking forward. By that I mean I see us essentially going after guys who may not be that good but have no injury history get ready for a Vlad Guerrero back injury thing for Matt Holliday.