Mets Lose Out On Zito
In the end, Barry Zito decided to sign with the San Francisco Giants for 7 years, $126 million, with incentives that could reach $137 million. He also has a full no-trade clause. The Mets had a shot at signing Zito but they didn’t want to go that high. That’s fine by me. $126 million is a lot of money for a man who pitches once every five days. While it would have been nice to have Zito in the rotation, I would not have signed him for this kind of money either.
I was a bit leery when rumors surfaced that the Mets offered 5 years, $78.5 million with an option for a sixth year. Five years is a long time for a pitcher and a lot of money to be on the hook for if something should happen to him, especially when the Mets felt that Zito was not a #1 starter. They’re not the only ones. Most sports writers think this signing makes the Giants look ridiculous and that it could be one of the worst signings ever.
The Mets are also getting flak over not signing Freddy Garcia and allowing him to go to a division rival (Philadelphia Phillies). While Garcia is good, and it would have been great to have him on the team, the Phillies acquired him via a trade that cost them their top prospects. The Mets had to consider whether trading their top prospects (Milledge, Pelfry, and Humber) were worth it. Obviously, Omar Minaya didn’t think so and passed on the trade. While I have never been a fan of Milledge, packaging the other two would not have been an option I would choose.
Jason Jennings and Brandon McCarthy were also acquired via trades that cost top prospects. While all three are good pitchers, they are not superstars and not big, impact pitchers that the Mets need. Sometimes, the best move is not to make a move and Omar Minaya is known for not making trades for the sake of making trades.
There should have been a large indication that Zito didn’t want to leave the West Coast because he was forcing teams to come and see him instead of visiting cities he would be playing in. Yes, Zito has been durable, reliable, and a solid pitcher over the course of his career. But he certainly wasn’t worth the money he is now getting. The Giants will regret this signing in a few years.
The mistake I see that Minaya has made is to pass up on Jeff Suppan. However, the Mets were so concerned at that point with Zito that they let Suppan slip through their fingers and sign elsewhere.
I’m happy the Mets didn’t sign Zito. He would have been getting paid more than Carlos Beltran. He is not worth that. Beltran is a man you build a team around, which the Mets have clearly shown over the last two years. Zito is a piece of a playoff puzzle. I don’t think Zito is up to the task of being the key player on a team. Zito clearly went for the money over championships. Good for him. But good for the Mets for not overpaying.
The Mets still need a couple of solid pitchers. There are back of the rotation guys such as Danny Haren, Jon Garland or Javier Vázquez. Bartolo Colon could be an option. Brad Penny is an impact pitcher but he has had injuries so there would be a huge risk if a move such as this were to happen. Obviously, if Dontrelle Willis became available, the Mets would pursue him. He’d be a great fit but the Marlins have always been reluctant to even entertain the idea of letting Willis go.
I don’t see Heilman in the rotation. He’s going to stay in the pen and Minaya is probably going to let a few of the young guys have a shot at getting a starting position. Whatever happens, Minaya is going to surprise us. He did last year. I think I’ll wait until Spring Training before I panic over the rotation. A lot can happen in the next two months.
