It’s been a fairly quiet off-season for the Mets so far… they’ve been linked to free agent second baseman Ben Zobrist, but I have a hard time believing they will be the top bidder for his services.
Outside of that? Crickets… at least in terms of high demand free agents.
“[Oliver Perez’s] path to being an invaluable member of the Mariners actually began the day he left the Mets for good.
“‘I couldn’t believe it,’ Perez said in a recent interview. ‘I got home and I cried with my wife. I was in shock. But I was only 29. My family told me, ‘You are too young to quit.’ ‘”
— “Dumped by Mets, Perez Revives His Career as Mariner” by David Waldstein / New York Times
Here’s something I didn’t expect to see: the Seattle Mariners have re-signed Oliver Perez to a one-year contract. The deal is reportedly worth $1.5 million guaranteed, plus an additional $600,000 in performance bonuses.
Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times writes:
Perez, 31, would likely have attracted considerable attention on the free agent market, given his returned velocity, which we wrote about back in September. He posted a 2.12 ERA in 33 relief outings for the Mariners last season in a comeback off the scrap heap.
I have a hard time thinking of Ollie as a potentially valuable reliever after watching him struggle with walks and home runs during his final years in New York. And the one time I saw him pitch this year, he didn’t manage to retire any of the left-handed batters that he faced. But hey, small sample sizes.
Best of luck to Ollie, and best of luck to the Seattle Mariners – I just would have thought a 75-87 team would want to give younger players a chance.
I went to the Mariners vs. Yankees game with a friend last night. For a little while, I wondered if I’d get to see C.C. Sabathia pitch a no-hitter. After Casper Wells hit a home run, I wondered for a while if I was watching s bizarre one-hitters. It turned out that C.C. was just pitching a complete game victory.
A 21-year-old rookie named Carter Capps made his major league debut for the Mariners and was throwing 100 mph fastballs. And after 12 years, I finally saw future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki play in person.
But the on-field highlight of the night? Watching Ollie Perez come in out of the bullpen to face Robinson Cano, Mark Texieira, Raul Ibanez and Nick Swisher. After all the times I got stuck watching him pitch (terribly) for the Mets in 2009 and 2010, it was fitting to see he’s still the same old Ollie in a new jersey.
Here are some pics: Continue reading “So I went to the Yankees vs. Mariners game last night, and guess who I got to see pitch?”
Former New York Mets closer Armando Benitez has signed a contract to pitch for the Long Island Ducks in the independent Atlantic League.
Benitez pitched for the Mets from 1999-2003, and last appeared in the major leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2008. He previously played in the Atlantic League in 2009 and 2010 with the Newark Bears.
In other news about former Mets pitchers, the New York Yankees are close to signing John Maine to a minor league contract according to MLB.com’s Evan Drellich.
Maine last pitched in the majors for the Mets in 2010. He signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox this winter, but was released earlier this month without ever appearing in a game.
And for the curious, Oliver Perez is working out of the bullpen for the Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. In 16 appearances, Ollie has a 2-1 record with a 4.98 ERA. He’s walked 14 and struck out 30 in 21.2 innings. Opponents are hitting .307 against him, and he’s allowed three home runs.
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