The Mets haven't made many moves yet, but the 2011 Mets are already looking a little different. One of the marks of a good team are the peripheral players, the players on the bench or in the pen that have golden seasons and provide that X factor a team. The Mets, as we know, have been plagued for a while certain players they keep hanging on to (many of which were let go of last year), or keep relying on players that don't pan out. On the other side, they also have some quality players, but when their contracts are up, these players demand too much money.
Thats essentially what is happening with the Mets. There are four players who will either definitely not be with the team next season, or will most likely not be on the team next season.
Raul Valdes
Fernandeo Nieve
Takahashi
Pedro Feliciano
With Valdes and Nieve, its a shame they didn't pan out, especially Nieve. When we first got him in 2009 it felt like we had something, something that Houston overlooked but last year it just wasn't work. Both of these players have signed minor league contracts with other teams.
Takahashi and the Mets weren't able to reach agreement, and thats alright. While he was effective, there are ways to save money and I'm glad this front office understands the importance of getting similar talent for a lower price.
Feliciano is a tough one to (most likely) say good bye to. Over the last several years he has been so consistent and such a key part of the bullpen, considering the way management has completely misused and overused him. I'll welcome him back to the team, but only for the right price (the concerns about his use have to start to become a reality at some point). At least the front office took a gamble and offered him arbitration, so we can at least get a pick out of it.
