Finally the Mets can walk away from Bengie Molina. Yesterday, he signed a 1-year, $4.5 million contract to return to San Francisco. I'm so relieved.
I made no secret about the fact that I didn't think Molina was a good fit for the Mets, especially considering that my mantra in going forward is to be "speed and defense." Ask anybody who's watched a Molina play for the Giants and they'll tell you that he hits into rally-killing double plays more often than he hits RBI doubles.
What we really lose out on here is his ability to handle a pitching staff and make mediocre guys look good. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Mets bring in Henry Blanco to do that very thing? Blanco is a terrific defensive catcher, and he has a history of working well with pitchers. When he was in Chicago, Carlos Zambrano put up some of his best numbers. It looks like Blanco will be our catcher in 2010.
Now I'm not saying that the situation is ideal. Blanco, 39, is a career .228 hitter. The most HRs he's hit in a season is 10, and that was in 2004. Blanco will be in there for his defense, no doubt, and he'll bat 8th. Molina would've given more flexibility in the lineup, but not enough to warrant paying his asking price.
I'm glad Omar passed on Bengie. This lets Blanco and Omir Santos (and possibly Chris Coste) fill in as the backstop for the immediate future, while allowing time to let Josh Thole to either develop or fade.
Now the Mets can focus on obtaining a solid starting pitcher. I've read this morning that they made a 2-year offer to Joel Piñeiro. I'm not sure of the value of the contract, but I've also read that the Mets do not intend to offer more than 2 years. I'm pleased about this, too. The 2010-2011 free agent crop boasts a great many quality SPs. If the Mets don't acquire Piñeiro, they can do better next year.
