Mets Add Calero
For most of this offseason, when our titles have contained the word “Mets,” the phrase “The Contest” could be shortly found. If Omar Minaya is trying to keep pace with Dayton Moore and Ed Wade, last Thursday’s pickup of Kiko Calero on a minor league deal was a major step back.
Joe Pawlikowski covered all of the reasons why Calero would be a good pickup last month. Quite simply, Calero did everything that DIPS theory and FIP suggest that a pitcher needs to do to be successful, as he limited home runs and walks while striking out over a batter per inning, resulting in a 2.56 FIP. His 3.92 xFIP suggests some luck, as his 1.4% HR/FB rate probably isn’t sustainable, but that’s still respectable for a middle reliever, and probably deserving of a MLB contract.
The fact that Minaya managed to snag Calero for a minor league deal is commendable. If any of the injury issues that have plagued Calero’s career show themselves in camp, he can simply be cut. If not, he could possibly be a setup man for Francisco Rodriguez given Kelvim Escobar’s injury issues. There’s no reason that it should have taken teams this long to offer Calero a job, and Minaya managed to pounce at the right time.
Everybody loves to make fun of Omar Minaya for some of his questionable decisions and leadership over the years, but we have to give credit where credit is due when he makes a smart move. His pickup of Calero was a smart move.
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Perhaps Minaya was out of town when the move was made…
“A broken clock is right two times a day”
Even though I highly doubt Omar’s ability to ever be anything but a complete screw up, as a Met fan it is relieving to finally have an intelligent pick up. A bright spot in an otherwise dark off-season.
Rumor has it that Calero was added because he was a catcher when he was 12.
Calero’s Physical is scheduled for October 4, 2010
As a Mets fan, this is my favorite move since the end of last season.
Minaya jokes aside, kudos for nabbing a good setup man for next to nothing.
Sad part is, he might actually pitch better than his $37MM closer.
I see the broken clock comment has already been made…pretty much nothing else to say at this point.
An insult to broken clocks everywhere.
Damnit Mozeliak!
Minaya is hard to typecast. He makes good moves followed by bad moves. Is not consistent in either direction.
Huge injury risk due to horrible mechanics, namely flying wide open with his glove-side arm. With Kiko, it’s not a question of “if he’ll sustain a season ending injury”, but “when he sustains a season-ending injury”.
Am I the only one that thinks it’s hilarious that, even afetr the injury-plagued 2009, the Mets sign a reliever that is detined to be injured?
I guess there’s two ways to look at last season:
[1] He threw 60 IP after essentially missing 07 and 08, so he’s past his injuries.
[2] The full season means his injuries will come this year.
Calero is what he is. He is probably worth the risk at the right price. He’s not going to make or break the team, but when healthy he can be a significant bullpen piece.