Sandy Alderson came into the Winter Meetings having said that he will come out of the Winer Meetings with players. Not big-splash, franchise players but just players to help fill the Mets roster.
He did just that today. As my colleagues Hojo’s Mojo, and Craig Lerner reported earlier, The Mets signed catcher Ronny Paulino to a 1-year, $1.3 million contract, and reliever D.J Carrasco to a 2-year, $2.5 million deal.
The Mets have said they need a back-up catcher to cover Josh Thole, and they got that in Ronny Paulino. The same goes for the bullpen. D.J. Carrasco was a player who would definitely take a low-priced contract.
Ronny Paulino was definitely one of the catchers I was thinking about as a back-up catcher, and he is indeed an experienced catcher. As far as the D.J. Carrasco deal is concerned, the reasons why the Mets offered him a 2-year deal is beyond me. But, at least the Mets got someone to help out in the bullpen.
Its a start for Sandy Alderson. The Mets no doubt about it, are in the market for more players to fill the roster. As far as names go, there have been several reports that say the Mets are interested in players like Chad Qualls, Fred Lewis, Russell Martin (not very likely), Dan Wheeler, Chris Young, and Jeff Francis.
If these guys are still on the market come January, the Mets believe that those who are left will lower their demands, and the Mets could get them at cheaper contracts, which would be good as far as payroll is concerned.
Its definitely a start for Sandy Alderson and the Mets. Lets hope we see more stuff like this in the future.
