Remembering Marco Scutaro as a Met [Photo]

Here is, for all to see, a Marco Scutaro signed Mets jersey.

Sorry for the blurriness, but this was snapped inside the Mets clubhouse store back when they still played in Shea Stadium.

I figured it was appropriate since Scutaro just signed a nice little contract with the Boston Red Sox.

Santana behind Blanco signing

According to Ben Shpigel of The New York Times, Johan Santana was very active in recruiting catcher Henry Blanco to the Mets.

Blanco and Santana played on the same Minnesota Twins team in 2004. 

That season, Blanco played in 114 games for the Twins.  Blanco caught 24 of Santana’s starts.  Check out the stats in those starts here.

For the Mets, whatever Santana asks for, you give him.  And as quickly as possible.

Mets sign Henry Blanco to one-year deal [Updated]

The Mets have signed catcher Henry Blanco to a one-year, $1.5 million deal, according to Francisco Blavia of ESPN Deportes (via MetsBlog).

Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post confirms the report.

Blanco, the second catcher the Mets signed this off-season, will likely serve as the backup on the major league squad.  Chris Coste, the other catcher signed, will probably land in Triple-A.

What happens to Omir Santos now?

Sherman: Mets to tender contract to Maine

John Maine, according to Joel Sherman, will have a contract tendered to him by the New York Mets.

Maine, who pitched in only 15 games last season for the Mets, avoided arbitration last season with a one-year, $2.6 million contract.  He has struggled with shoulder injuries the past few years, pitching in 40 games in 2008 and 2009 combined. 

I like Maine and think he’s a quality pitcher, but am worried about his durability.  If this is another year where we can only count on half a season from him, is it worth the deal, no matter the price?

After ‘09, I hope it’s become apparent to the Mets organization that they need to both plan for injuries and bring in players who have had a track record of staying healthy and staying on the field.

For Maine, though, I think it’s worth the risk.  He likely won’t make more than $3 million due to his injuries and if they can keep a guy with this talent for only $1 million more than Alex Cora, I’m for it.

Twitter Poll: What will the Mets slogan be in 2010?

As we all await the signing of the next catcher, I asked my Twitter followers what they believe the 2010 Mets slogan will be.

As expected, no one thought I was serious and submitted joking and funny slogans.  I got a ton of responses, and they’re all pretty good, so check them out below…

nicolino11: It's not 2009!

Macho_Row: Sh*t happens?

mattclausen: You're 2010 Mets: Cuz Catchers are Everything

Dennis676: Right now… “The 2010 NY Mets...we're ‘catching’ up”

SusieTVaddict: ‘You give us your money, we'll give you the Shea Bridge’

790justin: New York Mets: Thank Goodness for the Natinals

RyanFingAwesome: Citi Field: at least we have a Shake Shack!

dances_w_vowels: “Guaranteed not to go 0-18!”

Majin_Bernard: "The Resurrection Begins"

justinleon: “Hey, at least we aren't the Nets”

Rad_Ryan: You stay with us, we'll give you aging players.

nymetropolitans: “Please buy tickets. We painted the stairwells orange and blue.”

dtmfr: Catch the Magic??

tyronem: “We will try harder not to make you claw your eyes out”

DanPirozzi: Disabled List Dropouts

realcinch: The New York Mets... We Can't Get Any Worse!

mtmcq: Minor League Baseball, at Major League prices

Do you have your own slogan you think the Mets will use in 2010?  Which one was your favorite?  Let us know in the comments!

Reports: Henry Blanco in NYC for physical; What I think it means for the Mets

Henry Blanco, who played in 67 games with the San Diego Padres last season, is traveling to New York for a physical, according to El Nacional, via Adam Rubin.

Blanco, who would be the second catcher the Mets signed this off-season, hit .235 / .320 / .382 in 204 at bats last year with six home runs and 16 RBI.

This means one of three things to me.

1. The Mets don’t think they will sign Bengie Molina (be it they don’t want to pay or they think they’ll be outbid, we’ll see), and are stockpiling catchers because they don’t fully trust any of them.

2. The Mets are doing this to signal to Molina, “Hey, we don’t really need you, but we’ll sign you for X amount anyway.”  Sort of a bargaining chip trying to give the Mets leverage.

3. They are really taking the progression of Josh Thole seriously.  Bringing in veteran catchers, no matter their stats, who can give the young Thole tips, tricks and insight to playing in the league for so long.  Catchers are considered the most knowledgeable position.  Could this be the Mets creating a “Catching High Council” to tutor the future?

Can someone please explain…

This comes from a letter submitted to Marty Noble’s mailbag…

If the Mets aren't going to make a deal for Roy Halladay or sign John Lackey, they are wasting Johan Santana's time with the club. We should get a No. 2 starter to complement him. This might sound outlandish, but would they entertain the idea of trading Santana? You could get five or six top prospects for him. It could be like the Herschel Walker trade for the Cowboys. Prospects Jenrry Mejia and Brad Holt have what it takes to become aces. Jose Reyes and David Wright are young enough to rebuild around.
-- Chris C., Middletown, N.J.

Someone, anyone, please explain this logic to me.

Pagan: Trade bait?

Is Angel Pagan trade bait this off-season?

According to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, Pagan is drawing interest from teams as a potential starter for their club.

One of the teams Rosenthal and Morosi link to Pagan is the Kansas City Royals.  The Royals, as we know, are trying to dump Jose Guillen.  Thankfully though, their sources say the Mets are not interested.

But is it worth it to trade Pagan?

He’s under control for next season and probably won’t make over $1 million.  For a fourth outfielder, especially one that can play for an extended period of time, this isn’t that bad.

I like Pagan (sans his base running gaffes) and think the Mets should hold on to him unless they’re wowed by a deal.

Bengie Molina not offered arbitration

The San Francisco Giants did not offer catcher Bengie Molina arbitration, meaning he will not cost the team that signs him draft picks.

Here’s a collection of reaction from around the Mets blogosphere…

MetsBlog - News: Giants do NOT offer Arbitration to Molina

…from what i can gather, the Giants are likely to offer molina a one-year deal, worth around $4 million, with incentives… but, i bet the Mets offer him a similar deal, with an option for 2011, and a bit more money… and i have no idea why, which you can read more about here…

Amazin’ Avenue - Obligatory Bengie Molina Objection Post

It also seemingly clears the way for the unholy union between Molina and the Mets, not that something like draft pick compensation would've stood in the way between Omar Minaya and a lousy baseball decision (we weren't going to sign that draft pick anyway!).

Mets Fever - Giants don't offer arby to Molina

Well the Mets don't have to worry about making that decision, since the Giants decided to not offer him arbitration, it's not all good news since now he becomes appealing to any team looking for a catcher.

I’m far from enamored with Molina.  I think he’s overpriced and not worth anywhere near the contract he’ll likely sign for (probably with the Mets).

What’s your take on the Molina situation?

Look: Uniforms in the wild, and strange Yankees logo [Image]

Here’s an image, albeit snapped with a cellphone camera, of the Mets new jersey hanging next to a Yankees jersey in the wild.

They really do look dirty, compared to the white Yankees uniforms.  It’s like they wanted to go for the “cream” look, but stopped short of going all the way.

With the orange outline, it just looks dirty, not retro.
---
And here’s another image of…I don’t know what.  A upside down Yankees logo on a car from Pennsylvania.  Any ideas?Both images snapped by Geoffrey Sorensen.  Thanks!