The Mets avoided arbitration with all four of their arbitration-eligible players today, signing each to a 1-year contract.
- RHP Manny Acosta signed for $875,000. He figures to be in the Mets bullpen when Opening Day comes around.
- RHP Mike Pelfrey signed for $5.675MM, roughly the amount most experts expected he would win in arbitration. For better or worse, Pelfrey will be in the starting rotation because he can rack up innings.
- RHP Ramon Ramirez signed a 2.65MM deal. The key piece of the Angel Pagan trade will be the Mets’ seventh or eighth inning arm.
- OF Andres Torres, the other part of the Pagan deal, agrees to a $2.7MM contract. Will he be 2010 Torres or 2011 Torres? Either way, to paraphrase Casey Stengel, you need a center fielder, because without one, there would be a lot of inside-the-park home runs.
The Mets haven’t gone to arbitration with any player since Oliver Perez (*shudder*) was awarded $6.5MM in 2008. Before then, they hadn’t gone to arbitration since 1992, when David Cone was awarded $4.25MM. He was traded that season to the Blue Jays for Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson.
7 comments
Mr North Jersey
1/17/2012-3:38pm at 3:38 pm (UTC -4)
Nice recap Paul. Looking forward to finally have baseball games played every day. The Caribbean Series should be about underway. I am wondering if Familia is still pirtching? Going to look into schedule and see.
Paul Festa
1/17/2012-4:25pm at 4:25 pm (UTC -4)
I know – the actual games can’t come soon enough!
Oklahoma Met
1/17/2012-5:41pm at 5:41 pm (UTC -4)
Is Pelf’s money in line with other similar pitchers? Seems crazy to give him a raise, but I have none smarts on how arbitration really works or how they reach a figure…
Stick
1/17/2012-6:14pm at 6:14 pm (UTC -4)
yeah, that is probably about right for a middle of the rotation (being generous!) SP in his last year of arbitration (think it his lastyear).
use the carlos silva/ollie perez test. what would a mid-level FA SP get, about 3/36? 1/2 of that for a guy like pelf.
Paul Festa
1/17/2012-7:24pm at 7:24 pm (UTC -4)
OK Met – Here’s a little info on how they arrive at arbitration salaries: “The club’s salary offer to a player under its control may not be less than 80% of the player’s total compensation from the prior year, and may not be less than 70% of his compensation from 2 years earlier. These rules, however, do not apply to free agents who are offered arbitration.”
Long story short, Pelfrey would have received about the same amount of money if they had gone to arbitration.
Oklahoma Met
1/18/2012-9:47am at 9:47 am (UTC -4)
Thank you for the info. Rationally or irrationally, I’m just tired of Pelf and it chapped me he got even more money. But in trying to remain level, I will try and remember they didn’t arrive at his new salary based on just last year. Still want to throw rotten vegetables at him though…
darknova306
1/17/2012-10:54pm at 10:54 pm (UTC -4)
Here’s hoping this is the last year I have to endure watching Pelfrey in a Mets uniform. About 75% of the games I’ve been able to get to at Citi Field have wound up being Pelfrey starts, and it’s just brutal to sit through. Especially when he melts down against the Yankees in the second inning on my birthday. Lousy piece of garbage.