Busy last 36 hours for the New York Mets and General Manager Sandy Alderson. After losing 2011 National League batting champion and 9 year starting shortstop Jose Reyes to division rival Miami , the team turned their attention to a huge weakness in 2011, the bullpen. Mets relievers, despite pitching in the cavernous Citi Field for half their games, ranked 28th among the 30 ML teams in bullpen ERA(4.33) while blowing 24 saves. The team signed RHP Frank Francisco(1-4,3.55 ERA, 17 saves in chances), the former closer from the Toronto Blue Jays, to a 2 year deal for 12 million and the tallest player in Major League history, 6’11 Jon Rauch, a 9 year vet with a 3.82 ERA. These two should pitch in the 8th and 9th innings on most nights with Francisco the early leader to close. Alderson then traded CF Angel Pagan, who had a tough 2011 after a career best 2010 campaign, to the San Francisco Giants for OF Andres Torres and set up man Ramon Ramirez. Torres is considered an excellent defensive outfielder but struggled with the stick in 2011, hitting only .221 with 4 home runs afer he posted .268 with 16 homers in 2010. He can steal a base(45 steals over the past two years) and is making under 2.5 million. Ramirez is a strikeout reliever and since joing the Giants midseason in 2010, he posted a 2.07 ERA with 81 strikeouts and 37 walks. Putting the sting and harsh reality of the loss of Reyes aside, these moves should make the Mets better. These three should join some combination of RHPs Bobby Parnell, Manny Acosta, Pedro Beato and DJ Carrasco as well as LH’s Tim Byrdak and Daniel Herrera to measurably improve the bullpen. Signings or trades aside, the biggest thing that must change for the Mets is health and luck. If Ike Davis, Johan Santana and David Wright combine to play 340 games, things will be very interesting in Queens!
