In announcing the new contracts of righthander Jorge Sosa (1 yr, $1.25 M) and lefty reliever Scott Schoeneweis (3 yrs, $10.8 M) this afternoon, GM Omar Minaya also suggested that his youngsters will get every chance to win jobs in spring training. Not like the Mets have much of a choice. With Minaya bypassing on the high-priced starters this offseason, and not much of a trade market before spring training begins, the GM will be forced to rely on the rapid maturation of MIke Pelfrey and Philip Humber.
"We're going to give our young kids a chance," Minaya said. "We're going to take a real good look at Pelfrey. We're going to take a real good look at Humber. With John Maine and Oliver Perez having a very good playoffs, we've got some good young power arms, and to me, what I like to do is have a guy that gives me some versatility [in Sosa]. The fact of the matter is I like our young power arms. We're going to give them the opportunity, and we just needed to have another guy that can be very versatile in how we use them. And that's where Sosa comes in."
The Mets also have re-signed Endy Chavez to a one-year, $1.725 million deal.
Comments (6)
Schoeneweis is 33 and Sosa will be 30 in April. Not only is the pitching old but the average age of their starting position players as well as their bench has to be the oldest in baseball.
when does pitchers and catchers start?
Glad to hear we will get a look at Humber and Pelfrey in spring training..and hopefully these two will make the trip North.No deals for these 2 were made in the offseason, and I'm glad the Mets didnt..Rather see home grown talent develop and make it.
Worse case scenario is they dont cut it..So we all know then.
pUTZoo: If you consider the ages of both Tom Glavine and El Duque, Schoeneweis and Sosa are in a relative baseball "puberty". The bottom end of the age on the Mets Team will not be the positive difference makers in 2007.
It will be the kids, Putzoo.
El Duque will be lucky to make 20 starts.
If Glavine and El Dugue along with Alou are not going to be difference makers than why did Omar sign them for all that money? If you think Schoeneweis,Sosa puts them over the top than your playing with your putzoo.
Glavine and Duque bring experience (and a legit #2 in Glavine) to a very young starting rotation, while Alou should provide the protection for DWright that CFloyd could not. those signing weren't made to put the team over the top, but to compliment the pieces they already have. although i think they overpaid for Schoenweis(in years and $'s), he does give the bullpen much more depth, possibly for a trade down the road. for what was out there, i think Omar did a fine job of not mortgaging the future.