6
2011
Reliever Frank Francisco Signs Two-Year, $12M Deal With Mets
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Busy evening for Mets as they also signed reliever Frank Francisco to a two-year deal, according to Ken Davidoff of Newsday.
The right-handed reliever will get $12 million dollars for two years according to reports.
Francisco went 1-4 with a 3.55 ERA with 17 saves in 54 games with the Blue Jays last season. He also allowed seven home runs, 18 walks and 49 hits in 50 2/3 innings.
So to recap, the Mets acquired Francisco, Jon Rauch, Ramon Ramirez and Andres Torres, and lose Angel Pagan.
If that $10-$15 million dollar spending budget was true, the Mets hot stove season will end after the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 42 | 30 | .583 | - |
| Phillies | 35 | 37 | .486 | 7.0 |
| Nationals | 34 | 36 | .486 | 7.0 |
| Mets | 27 | 40 | .403 | 12.5 |
| Marlins | 22 | 48 | .314 | 19.0 |
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$12m
Wow
2 years 12 million????
I think these moves have improved the bullpen – not bad but I’d rather used the combined money they spend on Francisco & Rauch for a strong SP. That would have been the better way to go.
6 million a year for Francisco. That’s just wrong, i’m sorry.
But people make decisions, not some “market”…
do u intentionally try to be a jackass?
jackassery is a two way street.
was more trying to be funny. Lightening up. Sandy just proved he was actually working this time, not just sending out texts. Let’s enjoy the improved bullpen and see what else the night and the rest of the GM meetings may hold.
6 million a year for a guy like Francisco is ridiculous IMO. You get a starter for 6 million a year instead
Not much of a starter. You figure pelf is going get at least $5 million in arbitration.
I’d prefer that myself as well. But where would one of those be found? There is literally no one that fits that bill.
Trust me, I certainly would like to see some better SP, but there just isn’t any to be had. If you are talking about something closer to 12-15.5 mil PER year… Then I think you are hitting what market is. Or you can look at one of St Loos starters they say they are looking to trade, but they are just as expensive.
3.5 million for Rauch & 12 million 2 years for Francisco – I’d rather use that 15.5 million for a starting pitcher – I’d settle for the Pagan for Ramirez/Torres trade though
- 15.5 million for 2 years for a starter (if possible)
- Keep the Pagan trade and improve bullpen a bit that way
That would’ve been better way to go IMO
It’s not $15.5MM because one is a two year deal and the other is a one year deal. So for year one it’s Rauch’s $3.5MM and Francisco’s $6MM ($9.5MM) and in year two it’s only Francisco’s $6MM. Not sure which pitcher takes the $15MM deal.
They really just improved the bullpen, and I think they did a great job. It can even be a position of strength, or perhaps even a position that yields more prospects come July because these guys have very manageable and affordable contracts.
I understand but I’m adding the 15.5 million for a SP as a 2-year deal so that comes to less than 8 million a year for a guy that can go deep into a game so U don’t have to rely on BP so much.
The Pagan trade I’ll take cuz Ramirez can be a nice 8th inning guy. Then I would have been open to either signing another BP guy or try to trade Pelf and/or lower prospect for another BP guy if necessary.
But I much prefer to spend 15.5 million on SP.
I got you now. The problem is no pitcher takes a 2 year $15.5MM deal form us, unless we’re grossly overpaying. Think about it this way…to be competitive, we have to be very creative. More creative since other teams have us beat in certain areas (i.e. Phillies rotation, Marlins money and potentially lineup, Braves – young talent, Washington – young talent and maybe money). Now I believe is arguably the best in the NL East. The Braves kids were great, but they were overworked last year and might be getting ready to implode.
So…our offense will score runs. We stay healthy and well score runs. Our pitchers will be more relaxed because even if they go 5 innings, they could be followed by Parnell, Rauch, Ramirez, and then Francisco. We have an advantage now, that could be used to help us close the gap.
This looks like a fair signing for Alderson. He only commits two years and the value of the deal could go either way.
I like these moves because they really improved the team and are short term deals. My only concern is when we add these guys to the 40 man roster. I think we already have like 38. Not sure when we have to add them, but if it involves taking off prospects, that could get tricky with the rule 5 draft coming up on thursday.
Looks like with Jose gone, the Mets are spending some bucks to improve a bit and to keep the fan base from imploding.
It’s like insta-bullpen. But now we’re out of money. I guess to hope for a SP would have been unrealistic.
Aren’t they going after Buehrle?
No, that was an unfounded rumor.
In general I like these moves except for Rauch. I really like Ramon Ramirez as the 8th inn set-up man and Francisco is a credible closer, so why the need for Rauch with Acosta and Parnell also on board. Unless Sandy has another trade brewing for Parnell. I think most of us surmized Pagan really wasn’t going to be tendered a contract by the Mets and really was trade bait.
Sach, the 15.5 million spent for Rauch & Francisco should have been used for SP i think. The Pagan trade is okay mainly because of Ramirez.
parnell really could be trade bait now.
and Bayonne, there is not much on the FA SP market at this point, at least not that would be interested in the mets, or available for only a couple of years.
Beuhrle, wilson, and who else is there?
I do think they need another SP, but I am thinking (guessing? hoping?) that they can pick up one through a trade now.
heck, Parnell and beato are now both free to go back to the rotation! Not seeing it of course though…
anyway. having what should be a respectable pen is a quantum leap forward toward competing in 2012. There should be enough offense, so if the SP can hold things together, they at least should be competitive.
Obviously, Pagan right now is a better player than Torres. However, both Sandy and TC just had too many issues with Pagan’s attitude and demeanor last season. Plus, Pagan really did not want to bat lead-off where TC had him penciled-in. For some strange reason, Pagan sees himself as a 5 hole hitter. Plus Sandy had to move more $$$ and get a cheaper CF than Pagan in order to be able to afford all those relievers. Sandy’s offseson isn’t over. He still has to bring in a 4th OF and back-up MI.
I don’t think Pagan is “obviously” a better player than Torres. From what I’ve seen from Torres, he runs circles around Pagan defensively.
We’re still a long way from a cumbaya situation. Too much angst is still around with Sandy.
it honestly seems that sandy doesn’t give a crap. They have a plan in mind, parameters to follow, all that good stuff, and he is going to do what he thinks needs to get done.
Now I am expecting another SP to arrive (likely via trade) but who knows.
Also points out how you need to wait for the full off season to play out before judging.
Sandy is telling us with his actions that his allegiance is with Selig and Wilpon, not with the fans. But again, time will tell us more.
ALDERSON ONLY WANTS CHEAP PLAYERS AND THATS WHY HE TRAIDED PAGAN, WE COULDVE SIGNED REYES WITH THAT MONEY NOT FRANSISCO FRANK!
Thanks for stopping by.
always happy too share my opinions on teh mets
Jose was signing a 2 year, 12 mill deal? Damn, how did the mets let that one go by?
SMALL MARKET ALDERSUN ONLY WANTS CHEAP PLAYERS SO HE TRAIDED REYES AND PAGAN FOR CHEAP PLAYERS, AS THE SMARTEST BASEBALL MAN I KNOW GREG POMES SAID: THEIR IS FLEXIBILATY TO GO UP OR DOWN THATS WHAT WILPON SAID, SANDYS JUST HORRIBLE
Ah, now I’m getting the scent in the wind.
what does that mean
Sandy wants good players that can fit into the limited budget the owners gave him to work with.
and while I have not been around this site for all that long, I am willing to bet that this was the first time Pomes was referred to as “the smartest baseball man”!
WELL SEE STICK, POMES IS ABSOLUTELY THE MOST BRILLIANT BASEBALL MAN I HAVE EVER SEEN, HE NOT ONLY CALLED JOSE REYES LEAVING THE METS BECAUSE OF SMALL MARKET ALDERSUN, BUT HE ALSO NEW THAT BELTRAN WAS HOLDING PAGAN BACK, AND WHEN PAGAN IS 30/30 THIS YEAR WHILE TORES SUX WE WILL SEE JUST HOW SMART POMES IS, ITS BECAUSE OF BELTRAN CAUSE HES SELFISH
This guy is “Dandy Salderson ” from amazin avenue – just ignore him.
All other things aside, “Dandy Salderson” is a hella funny name.
I’m actually not that guy so please don’t go yelling at him.
First and last time, I predict.
Anyway, fair deals for what we had to work with.
Both Torres and Pagan had down years in 2011, but I believe Torres 2010 was better than Pagan’s. But he is a good 3 years older too. Torres is a place holder anyway and Pagan was not the future CF so getting something useful back is a good deal.
Ironically, even though are SP last year was mediocre, one thing we did get out of most was innings. We really need some depth and I would have preferred another SP.
Saw somewhere tonight that Chris Young said he should be ready to go by ST. How is that even possible? Didn’t he have the same surgery Johan did?
Love the moves, Rauch is a SOLID bullpen addition, he’s a veteran, has closer experience, coiming off a subpar season so he’s affordable — rRamirez and Francisco(ok dont’t know too much about but#’s look decent) – Instabullpen !! A lightyear ahead of last years..Now we have Parnell to develop, Beato, our lefties..SOLID ! Pagon be gone, nice guy, wish him well but ill take the palyer i dont know w Torres then the player i know in Pagon, anyone know how Torres defense is ? Considering we got Ramirez as well leads me to think he may be a 4th OF , or parttime in cf. Leaves room for Cap Kirk or an mid season upgrade too. Hope being restored in Aldesonnnnnn!!! We are USING and ABUSING the Giants !!
Rickey, good analysis. Torres is a stud defensively. Much better than Pagan. He’s bat’s a little weak, but Pagan didn’t offer much with the stick, anyway. Ideally, Torres is a 4th OF, but he’s good enough as a stop-gap for one year till Kirk is ready. If Kirk’s ready earlier, then even better.
We’ve definitely upgraded. Last years 2nd half bullpen was terrible. It won’t happen again this year.
Angel Pagan was a really nice guy but the game of baseball pays well and demands a lot.
My best wishes to Angel.
No doubt,
The bullpen is much improved after today with Francisco and Ramirez….but Rauch was just a waste – I don’t know why they had to sign him…he was awful last year, and he cost us 3.5M – We could have used that money on something better.
Vinny B. — Maybe so. But Sandy would have spent it where he thought it could be used better.
To me, the signing says a lot about our other bullpen pitchers. They really haven’t impressed Warthen, Collins and Sandy. So if one of the other new BP guys goes down, Rauch, while not being the best, is insurance against a total implosion. I’d call it an expensive one year insurance policy.
Instead of 3.5 million on Rauch I would’ve preferred that money spent on a quality, experience catcher to handle those other 2 new pitchers. Remember, Thole is still going to be handling him and if he doesn’t show improvement it’s going to be an issue..and I like Nickeas but not sold on his offense – it’s just too, too weak. Blanco, Barajas, or maybe even Pudge at this rate would’ve been better use of that 3.5 million or just some of it if it was Blanco.
Off topic- acc. to Rosenthal, the mystery team in on Albert is the Angels.
Also off topic. No cumbaya in the world of the Marlins.
Hanley Ramirez is not happy about being supplanted by Jose.
Jose is probably not happy about Albert getting ten years.
The party may be over already.
THE METS HAVE NO MONEY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hate that Reyes is gone but, it is what it is… This team is in financial crisis. Reyes wanted to get paid and I can’t blame him for that but, I can understand the METS not looking to pay him what he wanted with his leg injuries. Therefore, Sandy must do the best with what he has been given. Our BP blew 21 games when leading into the 7th inning, so yes the BP had to be revamped and it appears that for right now it has been…
First and foremost I am a METS fan and will root for my team until I die even if I don’t always agree with them……
Sherman hears that Sandy is interested in bringing back Chris Young on a minor league deal to see if if can rehab his shoulder and help the Met SP rotation at some point next season.
Glad he took my advice.
Of all the moves, I like this one the best only because he has overpowering stuff and fits the mold of a closer even though he’s struggle with role in the past. Change of scenery might do the trick. As for the money, end-game relievers don’t come cheap.
One way to account for mediocre starting pitching is to load up your bullpen. That was the Cardinals M.O. to winning a world series. I’m not saying we’re winning the World Series in 2012, but I like that our bullpen is now a strength. I also think Torres’ defense will help immensely. If he still seems lost at the plate the Mets have options (call up Captain Kirk, move Jay Bay to CF and Murphy to left – if Manny can play left, Murphy can too, or hope to strike gold on F-Mart or Lagares). Either way, it’s nice to have options.
I’m not too familiar with Torres. His advanced defensive metrics seem to indicate he is a better defensive CF than Pagan. I’m just superficially looking at his offensive stats from last year and hopefully like the Mets feel Torres can revert to more of his 2010 offensive form.
Sach, both guys are roughly the same player, with Pagan having a little more offensive upside and Torres being the better defensive player. Breakout years in 2010, regressions in 2011. With the Lucas Duda Experiment beginning in 2012, the Mets need a CF who can go get it instead of a guy who can maybe hit .260 with no poewr and baserunning misplays.
Ideally, Torres is a 4th OF (as is Pagan), but as a stop-gap, he fits the Mets needs very nicely. If Kirk comes back and rakes early, Torres will be the 4th OF by June.
Thanks Xtreemicon.
Sach on SNY either Malusis or MceNaney said that Torres was awful last year defensively. I wouldn’t trust advanced metrics AT ALL especially when it comes to defense. We all know what advanced metrics said about Bay in LF before he came here.
I’m gonna wait and see for myself because the only things I’ve heard about Torres is Xtreemicon advocating advance metrics telling us he was good but I heard on SNY he was terrible. We’ll see.
LoL. Nice try. What did I say about metrics?
it’s not a “try” or a “nice try” or a “bad try” it was Sach who said and when u jumped on it i just as well assumed you were okay with it so I was wrong in that respect. But in my opinion you’d absolutely would believe in those defensive advanced metrics
And again your opinion is so very, very wrong.
What happened did the Genius get his butt out of bed this morning and decide to make an appearance at work?
Acc. to Rubin, Terry Collins is elated about the Mets moves tonight. Said Torres starts in CF and bats lead-off, Murph or Turner bats 2nd, wants Tejada to bat down- 7th or 8th in the order. Terry also said Sandy has some more things in mind that he wants to try to do.
All and all these were really good moves.I love the trade getting Ramirez.Francisco is solid and Rauch although coming off a down year he wont be pitching in a HR hitters paradise anymore.Same with Frank Francisco.I think 3.5 was a lot for Rauch but he does dominate NL East teams.Only the Mets hit him for a decent avg at 265. The Phils 243,Braves 198 and the Marlins 204.Nats only faced him twice. That may have been what the front office was thinking with Rauch.He has been pretty solid for his career so I’ll take it.SF is a worse place to hit than Citifield.Maybe with the fences moved in Torres can hit 15-18 HR’s.He hit 16 in 2010.
Pagan really declined in his UZR value and DRS last year from 2010. Plus, I do know just by seeing with my eyes that Pagan’s arm is just too short and scatter to play at Citifield. How often did you see 4 hop off-line throws by Pagan to both home plate and 3B last season? I’m not that familiar with Torres, but I couldn’t imagine Torres’ arm being as bad as Pagan’s arm.
I like seeing new players on the Mets. At least I will have some point of interest for watching the Mets next season. When you’re a losing team, change rather than statis is good.
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You bitch and complain when they do nothing and bitch and complain when they make moves.