Oh Happy Day!

That's cool. I like it when a power hitter goes to a team that really needs them. It sort of evens the field a little bit. Although in The Mets' case probably not much.

ehh i still think the yanks should have signed him.

where did you hear this?

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1962630

i found that looking for the beltran story he was talking about.

Mets reach Beltran deal

BY JON HEYMAN
STAFF WRITER

January 9, 2005, 2:05 PM EST

The Mets have reached an agreement in principle on a $119-million, seven-year deal with free-agent Carlos Beltran, Newsday has learned.

Beltran, a multitalented centerfielder who provides immediate credibility, is expected to take a physical Monday and sign the deal Tuesday. The press conference is likely to take place Tuesday.

The Mets and Beltran's agent Scott Boras put the finishing touches this morning on a deal that is worth $17 million annually. The Mets sweated out Beltran's intense but ultimately failed negotiations with his former team, the Houston Astros, late Saturday night. It is believed the Astros were offering at least $105 million.

Beltran is to receive an $11-million signing bonus, with interest, as part of the deal. The Mets also agreed to include a no-trade clause, which became a sticking point with the Astros. Houston would not give Beltran a no-trade clause. By getting the deal done before Jan. 12, when tax laws change, Beltran will reap additional savings.

Boras spoke several times throughout the week with Yankees people, including three times on Saturday. However, George Steinbrenner ultimately decided in the early evening that he could not meet Beltran's asking price. The Yankees were concerned about boosting their luxury-tax payments by an additional several million dollars a year.

The signing is a huge one for the Mets, signaling their determination to join the ranks of contenders. Beltran enhances their lineup and defense and provides credibility in a market that's been dominated lately by the Yankees. It caps an enormous winter for the Mets in which they also signed the top free-agent pitcher Pedro Martinez.

Beltran hit .267 and had 38 home runs and 42 stolen bases in 2004 and played brilliantly in the postseason to lead the Astros within a game of the World Series. Beltran's big October enabled him to supercede the money paid last winter to to Vladimir Guerrero by $49 million in total.

The Mets made a lukewarm bid to sign Guerrero last winter but were ultimately concerned about his back condition, a decision that came back to haunt them when Guerrero won the American League MVP last year.

Going into the week, Mets people were uncertain whether Beltran would sign with them. But they had to feel better about their chances when Boras on Friday sent them a counteroffer to their then $112-million bid.

The Mets resumed serious talks after the Astros failed to sign Beltran by their midnight deadline. The Mets had been the highest bidder going into the day, but Boras had been hoping the Yankees would get into the mix. The Yankees surprised the Beltran camp with a 6 p.m. phone call informing him they wouldn't be players at that price.

Boras was in contact throughout the day with all three teams, the Astros, Mets and Yankees.

A person familiar with the Yankees thinking said that while they liked the player very much, they were concerned about the luxury-tax implications of a $112-million contract, and that the timing wasn't perfect since some big contracts, like Kevin Brown and Bernie Williams, don't come off the books until next year.

Steinbrenner held a 90-minute meeting in Tampa on Friday to discuss the Beltran situation, and while his baseball people expressed a concern about Bernie Williams' diminishing skill in centerfield, his "money men'' also had their say.

One person who talked to Yankees officials said that the Yankees might have considered re-evaluating things if they were able to make a favorable separation settlement with Jason Giambi. However, that could take until close to spring training, and would be an enormous gamble for Beltran to wait it out when he had other $100-million-plus offers on the table.

The Astros bid where few thought they would go to try to beat the large-market teams that vied for Beltran's services. It is believed they bid at least $105 million over seven years.

Astros owner Drayton McLane aggressively pursued Beltran all winter. McLane made it a personal goal to keep Beltran, who excited Astros fans with a monster postseason performance that brought them within one game of their first World Series. Most people never believed Houston would surpass the $100-million mark but it did in the final days, giving itself a fighting chance.

I was hoping the Cubs would still have a chance but I had a feeling hed either be in NY or Houston. I guess this is better for the Cubs that he's not on Houston.

The Mets have now all of a sudden made themselves contenders by getting Pedro and Beltran. Then again, they were suppose to be great the year they got Alomar and we all know what happened that season. If they end up getting Sosa (though I doubt they will now that they have spent so much money on Beltran) I could see him bouncing back and playing well giving them a great 1-2 punch with Beltran and Sosa. There is also rumor of Carlos Delgado joining the club. Looks like Mets fans may have something to look forward to in 2005.

I hope the Mets don't go after Sosa, unless the Cubs are willing to include Farnsworth. Rumor has it they would, but I'd still rather have Cliff Floyd than Sosa. I think Sosa is done, especially after getting off the juice.

You sure you want Farnsworth??? That would make the deal worse if you ask me and I watch jsut about every cub game.

He's got a great arm. I think he averages around 11k per 9 innings since being converted to a reliever. Pitching at Shea in middle relief, he coulld thrive. A lot of those HR's he gave up at Wrigley, are routine fly balls at Shea. The Mets need a setup man, big time.

You are right about the K's. However, he gave up the same number of homers on the road as he did in Wrigley and pitched fewer innings on the road. He's a very streaky player who can look like the best set-up man in the game some days and then look like the worst other days. He had an era of 4.73 last year, 3.30 in 2003, 7.33 in 2002, 2.74 in 2001, and 6.43 in 2000. I doubt he will get as high as he was in 2002, but you really never know what you're going to get from him and I don't think he would be able to handle playing in New York too well.

Yeah, you don't know what you're going to get with him. He'd fill a big need for the Mets. Whether he'd be successful is another story.

I assume that Beltran will move to RF, since Mike Cameron is very good in CF. This is a great signing for the Mets. They get Beltran, while my Phils got Kenny Lofton.

Cameron is moving to right, but he is refusing to move to left. There is a chance he could be moved before the season starts

I'm sad that he didn't go to the Yanks, but I'm still glad that he went to New York & that he left Houston! Hopefully this will have a ripple affect & Clemens will retire as well now!

He should retire and finish on top. He could come back and have a solid year with Houston, but it doesn't look they're going to be that competitive next year with the loss of Beltran, Kent, Wade Miller, and Lance Berkman for the start of the season. Plus the fact that Biggio and Bagwell are starting to decline as they age. Unless he wants to go for his 8th Cy Young, I see no reason for him to try and come back one more year.

I think paying a lifetime 280 hitter that much $ is really a bad idea. Pedro on the other hand is a great pick up. They should of however split up the beltran $ and gotten perhaps 2 or 3 players instead of just 1.

Ahhh, that's because you are a Yankee fan! If George had signed Beltran, then you would be saying that it was the greatest move!

Don Cardi

There's much more to what makes a guy like Beltran valuable to the Mets (or any player to any team, really) than a .280 batting average.

Power, speed, defense, showing their fans that they're willing to make the committment to signing the best players available, the Latin American market in NYC......

He may not be the best player in baseball, but he's arguably the best CF in baseball, and among the top all-around players. He's worth every penny.