Mets sign Yorvit Torrealba; then they dont

[nymlunatic]

Having lost out on Jorge Posada, the Mets are wasting no time in trying to close a deal with Yorvit Torrealba, and it looks like an agreement could be struck by the end of this week.

General manager Omar Minaya, spurned by Posada's decision to return to the Yankees late Monday, contacted Torrealba's agent yesterday with the intent of moving ahead quickly, according to a National League official familiar with the situation.

Torrealba, the former catcher of the NL champion Rockies, earned $1.075 million last season and Colorado reportedly has tried to retain him with a two-year offer in the $7-million range. The Marlins also have shown interest, but the Mets may be willing to go to a third year (or option) in order to fill the only position they do not have an in-house replacement for.

The aggressive push for Torrealba is the result of a thin market for catchers, and the Mets, if backed into a corner, do not want to be forced to pay what they believe is an inflated price for Paul Lo Duca. Minaya had stayed in touch with Lo Duca's agent early in the process, but those talks cooled once the Mets GM turned his attention to Torrealba.

At 29, Torrealba is six years younger than Lo Duca, who has endured some serious wear and tear during his two seasons in Flushing. Lo Duca had surgery to repair a ligament in his thumb at the end of the 2006 season and he played even fewer games (119) this year because of hamstring issues.

Lo Duca, who is coming off a three-year, $18-million contract, is a .288 career hitter. Torrealba's numbers were markedly different away from Coors Field. Torrealba batted .296 at home, but .212 on the road.

Defensively, Torrealba is an upgrade, and he was a key figure in the Rockies' run to the World Series. As a Type B free agent, the Mets would not lose a draft pick for signing Torrealba.

The Mets would miss Lo Duca's competitive fire in an otherwise tepid clubhouse, and he was one of David Wright's closest friends on the team.

Minaya already is in the process of re-signing Ramon Castro, who is expected to receive a new two-year contract worth roughly $4 million.

[THE Mister Marlin]

Praise god...

It's Lo Duca time in South Florida...

[diehardmetsfan]

i think it was a good move

[THE Mister Marlin]

diehardmetsfan said:

i think it was a good move

If I paid a Matt Treanor minus his hitting that money... I'd need to be canned.

[seaver41]

You wouldn't have a job in the first place.

This is a good signing. Torrealba calls a good game and handles his pitching staff well. He hands the media well and is a competitor. He won't tolerate an attitude like Carlos Delgado's this past year.

It doesn't matter who the Mets signed to play catcher, their biggest problem is still starting pitching. That's what is going to get them into the playoffs, not their catcher.

[diehardmetsfan]

seaver41 said:

You wouldn't have a job in the first place.

This is a good signing. Torrealba calls a good game and handles his pitching staff well. He hands the media well and is a competitor. He won't tolerate an attitude like Carlos Delgado's this past year.

It doesn't matter who the Mets signed to play catcher, their biggest problem is still starting pitching. That's what is going to get them into the playoffs, not their catcher.

they're not lacking that much in pitching...this is wut it looks like right now

1) pedro (don't say anything about injuries, he came back and pitched VERY well)
2) el duque (injuries are a concern for him, but he pitched extremely well when he wasnt hurt)
3) oliver perez (made big strides last year and ended up with a 3.5 era, which is very good for a #3 starter)
4) john maine (had a very good year last year and also made big strides)
5) ...unless a signing or a trade is made, this will be a compition between 3-4 guys, but most likely, a trade will be made


that looks like a pretty good rotation to me

[seaver41]

Their pitching sucks. None of their starters are locks to pitch 200 innings. Which means the swiss cheese bullpen will get a lot of work.

[nymlunatic]

seaver41 said:

Their pitching sucks. None of their starters are locks to pitch 200 innings. Which means the swiss cheese bullpen will get a lot of work.

Pitching is definitely the primary concern, and I agree with you about Torrealba. We have been spoiled by Piazza and Lo Duca over the past years but really, a catcher's main job isn't so much to produce with his bat. It is to be a field general and call a good game, and Torrealba brings that to the table.

And yes, we need starting pitching. Stockpile arms. And get us an ace.

[seaver41]

www.metsblog.com/2007/11/15/replay-denver-writer-on-torrealba/

Renck, on Torrealba’s overall game…

“He is a clutch hitter and pitchers like the way he received and called the game…During the season it became obvious that the pitching staff had an unbelievable comfort level with him…The team’s manager, Clint Hurdle, went out of his way on repeated occasions to talk about how he thought what a terrific job Torrealba was doing calling games…

“Torrealba’s main value is that he has passion, he has leadership qualities and he worked wonders with their pitchers. He knew when to give them a pat on the back or a kick in the butt.”

Renck, on Torrealba’s ability to deal with media, since, in New York, the catcher is often asked to address reporters regarding that day’s starting pitcher…

“In the playoffs he loved the attention, he gravitated towards the spotlight. He held court at his locker at several times…Now, how he’ll deal with 10 or 15 reporters, during like what the Mets went through last year, that I don’t know. I mean, he can be a little moody, but, to me, it’s a by-product of his passion…He cares deeply about winning. So, sometimes when he gets upset, it’s not to be a jerk, it’s because he is genuinely upset and he doesn’t want to say the wrong thing, because he cares so much about winning - and I think that’s what his teammates respond so much to.”

He's pretty much Bizarro Carlos Delgado