Well, the Mets came into the Winter Meetings saying that they were going to acquire some bullpen help, and look at this. What, you didn't think they would? You calling Sandy Alderson a liar? Dude was a Marine, you know. The Mets, after signing Jon Rauch and trading for Ramon Ramirez, signed right-handed reliever Frank Francisco. From Ken Davidoff:
New York Mets Sign Frank Francisco For Two Years, $12 Million
The New York Mets made several bullpen upgrades on Tuesday night, including signing Frank Francisco to be their closer.
The #Mets and Frank Francisco have agreed to a 2-year deal, pending a physical.And assuming the physical confirms that Francisco has a right arm and isn’t expecting, Joel Sherman confirms the amount will be two years and $12 million. Francisco will likely be the closer for the Mets in 2012.
Francisco comes over as a package deal of sorts with Rauch, as the two were the setup/closer combo for the Toronto Blue Jays last year. He's been pretty consistent when healthy, consistently striking out over a batter per inning, while having an ERA+ of 120 or better over the past five years.
The money might seem like a lot for a reliever, but it beats the heck out of several billion for Jonathan Papelbon, especially for a team that can't spend a lot.
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