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Mets to sign Ronny Cedeno

posted on January 6th, 2012 at 5:21 pm

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Mets and Ronny Cedeno are close to agreeing on a one-year deal for around $1.2 million. Adam Rubin of ESPN New York says the deal is complete, pending a physical.

Pendulo Latino, a Venezuelan publication, was the first to report the deal.

Yesterday, Sandy Alderson told reporters that he was still looking to fill out the bench and a last spot in the bullpen. Specifically, he’s looking at right-handed hitting outfielders and a stop-gap shortstop who can fill in if someone (like Ruben Tejada) gets injured. Last month, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports said the Mets had talked with both Cedeno and Jack Wilson about their infield opening.

Michael Baron: Cedeno isn’t much of a hitter and he strikes out quite a bit as well. He’s probably as strong defensively as free-agent infielder Jack Wilson, if not better. He has been a full-time player in each of the last two seasons, but he could also prove to be a viable option in a bench role in 2012.

Cedeno, 28, hit .249 with a .297 OBP and 30 extra base hits in 128 games last season. In seven big league seasons, Cedeno has hit .246 with a .286 OBP, 97 doubles, 33 home runs and 196 RBI in 2126 at-bats. He’s a career .258 hitter against right-handed pitching, and a .220 hitter against left-handed pitching.