Mets Avoid Arbitration With Francoeur, Green and Feliciano

The Mets tied some loose ends yesterday by agreeing to one-year deals with arbitration eligibles Jeff Francoeur, Pedro Feliciano and Sean Green.

Francoeur will get $5 million dollars which is far less than some of the outrageous figures being tossed around this off season by his antagonists. Frenchy had a solid debut with the Mets despite playing the final six weeks with torn ligaments in his thumb. The just turned 26-year old, has already amassed 251 extra-base hits and 400 RBIs in his career and should be entering his peak years.

Pedro Feliciano will earn $2.9 million dollars which is on par with other relievers of his caliber. Feliciano has been a workhorse for the Mets and has logged the most appearances in the game over the last three seasons. He is a lethal weapon against left handed hitters and as consistent as they come.

Sean Green gets $975,000 which is kind of a head scratcher to me. I don’t begrudge the guy his money, but it seems a high price to pay for a below average reliever who they could have non-tendered and re-signed for much less.

The only player that the Mets have remaining in arbitration is outfielder Angel Pagan who is asking for $1.8 million dollars. The Mets are only offering $1,275,000, but when you consider the fact they paid utility infielder Alex Cora $2 million dollars, you have to wonder why the Mets would even haggle with Pagan.

Also, considering that Pagan will be the Mets Opening Day centerfielder and will have to be counted on heavily this season, why risk having a disgruntled player? The video clip explains how I feel about the situation…