Mets agree with Mike Pelfrey, three others
Starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey #34 of the New York Mets pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field. (Aug. 13, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
The Mets, who seemingly have led the major leagues in headaches the past few years, avoided additional agita Tuesday by signing their four remaining arbitration-eligible players, thereby avoiding the stressful arbitration process.
Righthander Mike Pelfrey signed for $5,687,500, a 44.9-percent raise from his 2011 salary of $3,925,000 despite a terrible campaign last year (7-13, 4.74 ERA). The Mets deemed that a reasonable payment for a pitcher who has proved to be an innings-eater, if nothing approaching the ace the Mets hoped when they drafted him in 2005.
New centerfielder Andres Torres will make $2.7 million, a 22.7-percent raise from the $2.2 million he earned with the Giants last year. The Mets traded Angel Pagan for Torres in part because of the payroll savings that swap would create; San Francisco will pay Pagan $4.85 million.
Torres is coming off a poor 2011 campaign with the Giants.
Ramon Ramirez, the reliever who joined Torres in the San Francisco package for Pagan, agreed to a $2.65-million deal, a 60.6-percent raise from his $1.65-million paycheck last year. Ramirez enjoyed a much better 2011 season than Pelfrey or Torres.
Ramirez's fellow reliever Manny Acosta, in his first year of arbitration eligibility, will earn $875,000.
