In case you haven't been paying attention lately, the Mets have been signing guys to compete for the fifth starter spot with Jon Niese. Veteran pitchers that the Mets have long had their eye on like Freddy Garcia and Livan Hernandez, who was signed yesterday, have come to New York on minor league deals.With each veteran signing, the Mets move further and further away from Pedro Martinez, who is as responsible for the Mets returning to prominence as anybody, if not more so. In fact, you can make the argument that Citi Field, bailout money and all, is "The House That Pedro Built."
We know that without Pedro, there's no Carlos Beltran. And without those two, you probably don't see players like Carlos Delgado, Billy Wagner, and other key performers in Queens. And trust me, no team headlined by Jason Phillips and Shane Spencer is getting a new building.
It's not quite over for Pedro in New York just yet, as there's always a chance that guys with injury history like Garcia, and John Maine, could go down, which would open the door for Pedro returning. But the more guys that Omar Minaya signs mean the less chance that Martinez, who delivered consistently on just one and a half years of the four year contract that he signed, returns. And although his greatest impact will always be as a member of the Red Sox, he's had more of an impact on the Mets than history will probably give him credit for. And it will be strange when he finally wears another uniform this April.
Hat Tip: MLB Trade Rumors
