Reilly
01-21-2005, 05:05 PM
Carlos Beltran
Jan. 21 - The Mets were actually Carlos Beltran's third choice behind the Yankees and Astros, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports. After talks fell apart with the Astros on Jan. 8, Boras called the Yankees well after midnight and offered them the chance to sign Beltran for one fewer year and nearly $20 million fewer dollars than the Mets wound up giving him.
According to baseball men who have spoken with the Yankees, the theory in the Bronx was that Beltran wanted to play for a team where he wouldn't be the biggest star.
Do Beltran and Pedro Martinez make the Mets the favorite in the NL East? Not exactly. "Their biggest offseason need, to me, was relief pitching – and they haven't addressed that at all," said one NL assistant GM. "… Even if they have the best one-through-six-inning starters in the league, somebody's got to pitch the seventh and the eighth."
And here's a review from another NL executive: "That team still has some holes. [Mike] Piazza is still the catcher, and that's a defensive nightmare. You've got uncertainty in the middle of the infield. … You don't know what's happening in the outfield besides Beltran. … That's a lot of holes for a team that's spent that much money."
Jan. 21 - The Mets were actually Carlos Beltran's third choice behind the Yankees and Astros, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports. After talks fell apart with the Astros on Jan. 8, Boras called the Yankees well after midnight and offered them the chance to sign Beltran for one fewer year and nearly $20 million fewer dollars than the Mets wound up giving him.
According to baseball men who have spoken with the Yankees, the theory in the Bronx was that Beltran wanted to play for a team where he wouldn't be the biggest star.
Do Beltran and Pedro Martinez make the Mets the favorite in the NL East? Not exactly. "Their biggest offseason need, to me, was relief pitching – and they haven't addressed that at all," said one NL assistant GM. "… Even if they have the best one-through-six-inning starters in the league, somebody's got to pitch the seventh and the eighth."
And here's a review from another NL executive: "That team still has some holes. [Mike] Piazza is still the catcher, and that's a defensive nightmare. You've got uncertainty in the middle of the infield. … You don't know what's happening in the outfield besides Beltran. … That's a lot of holes for a team that's spent that much money."