OK Omar, What's Next?

So, yesterday brought us some interesting news from Metsland. Bad news, and worser news. First the bad news.

What was rumored a couple of weeks ago has happened, Ruben Sierra has signed a minor league contract and will be in camp. So, add another bat to the mix for the 5th outfielder spot (I say 5th 'cause ain't no one taking Highlight Endy Chavez' spot as #4). We now have Ben Johnson, Lastings Milledge and David Newham in the running. Now, young Lastings is more than likely going to start in AAA New Orleans, unless he absolutely crushes the ball in the spring, and does not look completely lost in the outfield. The problem I have with that is he could use more time learning the corner spots than he will get as a reserve in NY. Johnson could be this year's Xavier Nady, which depending on your point of view is either a good thing (some pop in the bat) or a bad thing (alas, lots of wind generated from missed pitches). Newhan has some (limited) experience playing first, but with 58 year old Juio Franco around, odds are he will not get a spot.

So what about Sierra? Well, there was a time where he was a feared hitter. Lets see, was it in 2004 when he had 17 hr's and 65 rbi's for the Yankees, while batting 244? Nope. Was it in 2005, he appeared in 61 games, hitting 229? Nope. How about last year? Not so much, as he played in 14 games for the Twins, hitting a Matsuiesque .179. I would say the last time he was feared was 2001, when he hit 291, with 23 HR, 67 RBI in 94 games for the Rangers. Even that was not exactly a stellar year.

So what is the benefit of Ruben Sierra? I'm not quite sure. There is the thought that he could play in NO and act as a mentor for Lastings and Carlos Gomez, along with other young players. There is the thought he could provide "pop" off the bench. In my mind, neither of these is a good plan. For the latter, his "pop" is about as lively as Barbaro. For the former, it's not like Ruben was ever a great fielder. I usuually don't disagree with Omar that much, since he has risen to be a successful GM of a Major League Baseball team, and I am just some schmuck with a computer, but I just don't see the rationale here. The signing makes little sense.

The worser news is more troublesome. Dave Williams (DW2 to my friends of on Metsgeek) had surgery for a hernieted disc in his neck. The team will not know how long it will be until he can resume baseball activities until next week possibly, depending on tests at that time. This is bad news, as DW2 was in the running for at least the long man role in the pen (ala Darren Oliver) if not the #5 starter slot. DW2 is not the most overpowering guy, but he pitched well for the Mets last year in several starts, with few total clunkers. So, the #5 competition becomes a little less crowded, and the options for the long guy out of the pen change as well. I'll have more to say on this as Spring Training gets underway and I start looking at how guys are doing. Luckily, Omar brought in a lot of arms this offseason, so quantity is there.