What went wrong with Torrealba to Mets?
Posted: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 5:39 PM
Just wondering about what went down between free agent Yorvit Torrealba and the Mets. They had a deal and suddenly it fell apart at the last minute. So what happened?
The Mets wanted Torrealba as part of a catching combination with Ramon Castro to replace Paul LoDuca. On the surface this seemed strange because Torrealba had shoulder problems in the last two years and his caught-stealing numbers were poor last season. Surely the Mets knew this when they got to the altar with Torrealba. What called off the wedding?
In this era one can’t help but wonder about the Mitchell report on steroid use in baseball, which comes out in December. One can’t help but wonder about the story that some of this offseason's free agents are to be named in the report. It's likely the list of players cited in the report will be leaked and newly signed players may face suspension.
One also can’t help but notice that Torrealba came to the big leagues in San Francisco, a teammate of several players (Benito Santiago, Marvin Benard, Armando Rios, and Barry Bonds) who were called before the BALCO grand jury.
All we can do is wonder, and though it seems unfair, remember that the players created this atmosphere. We know the Mets were burned by Guillermo Mota, who served a steroid-related suspension at the beginning of last season.
We hope none of this is relevant when it comes to why the Mets and Torrealba got so close but couldn't close a deal, but we can’t help but wonder.
The Mets made some other news recently.
Tom Glavine signed with Atlanta. This has been dwarfed by the A-Rod and Barry Bonds news, but just wondering if Glavine leaving the Mets doesn’t end up having a subtle effect on the NL East.
Glavine faded at the end of last season and his New York legacy will be unjustly tarnished by his final start. But he pitched 200 innings and won 13 games in 2007. Number of other Mets starters to pitch 200 innings: 0.
Hence the proof that the bar for pitching is lower than ever. And Tom Glavine, a Hall of Famer in every way, sees the pitching landscape tilting in his direction. Now it’s about showing up for work, staying healthy, and pitching 5-6 innings in every start.
Quantity has trumped quality and Glavine is still injury-free and durable. His WHIP was at a four-year high in 2007 thus he needs good defense behind him and the Braves have lost shortstop Edgar Renteria and likely will lose center fielder Andruw Jones.
But Glavine also made 34 starts, a number exceeded by only one pitcher: Dontrelle Willis. The Braves have a rotation of John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Tom Glavine and Jair Juurjens with Chuck James and Mike Hampton as fifth men.
With Mark Teixeira anchoring the lineup for a full season and Jeff Francoeur’s maturation as a hitter, the fortunes of the Braves -- although the team will likely have a gaping hole in center field -- look better. The Mets have some offseason work ahead to match that.
