2004 OFF-SEASON NEWS

February 3  P. Tyler Yates underwent rotator cuff surgery and will miss the entire 2005 season.

January 26  Mets acquired 1b Doug Mientkiewicz from the Red Sox for minor leagues 1b Ian Bladergroen.  Mientkiewicz recorded the last out of the Red Sox' historic World Series victory.  Last season he hit .238 with 6 hrs and 35 rbis with the Twins and Red Sox.  Doug is a defensive whiz, he holds a .996 career fielding percentage.

January 21  Mets sold the contract of reliever Pedro Feliciano to the Hawks of the Japanese League.

January 18  Mets signed RHP reliever Roberto Hernandez to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.  Hernandez, 40, was 3-5 with a 4.76 with the Phillies last season.  Also, Roberto owns 320 career saves.

January 10  In the biggest free agent acquisition in club history, Mets signed CF Carlos Beltran to a 7-year contract worth $119 million dollars.  Beltran also received a $11 million dollars signing bonus and a full no trade clause.  Beltran hit .267 with 38 hrs and 104 rbis, plus 42 stolen bases with the Royals and Astros last season.  Carlos can do it all, hit, hit for power, run, throw, and play superb defense.  Beltran gives the Mets instant credibility and makes them a contender in the NL East.

Mets resigned P. Victor Zambrano to a 1-year deal worth $2.1 million dollars, avoiding arbitration.  Overall last season, Zambrano was 11-7 with a 4.37 ERA for the Devil Rays and Mets, but his season was cut short because of an elbow and an ankle injury.

Mets signed P. Dae Sung Koo to a 1-year contract with a club option for 2006.  Koo, 35, who is from Korea, was 6-10 with a 4.32 ERA last season.  Koo will pitch from out of the bullpen this season.

January 7  Mets signed Inf. Miguel Cairo to a 1-year $900,000 contract.  Cairo hit .292 with 6 hrs and 42 rbis last season with the Yankees.  Cairo can play all infield positions.

January 6  Mets traded C. Vance Wilson to the Tigers for minor league SS Anderson Hernandez.  Wilson was a popular Met, a clubhouse leader, and the backup for Mike Piazza.  But the Mets have several catchers in the minor leagues and they want to give them a chance.  Hernandez is viewed as a defensive specialist.

December 23  Mets signed 1b Andres Galarraga and P. Orber Moreno to minor leagues contracts with an invitation to Spring Training.  Galarraga, 43, hasn't played in almost 2 years due to recurring cancer, but he believes he is healthy again and strong.  Andres is also a good clubhouse leader.  Moreno was 3-1 with a 3.28 ERA last season with the Mets.

December 21  Mets resigned C. Vance Wilson to a 1-year $760,000 contract.  Wilson hit .274 with 4 hrs and 21 rbis last season.

Centerfielder Mike Cameron recently had wrist surgery and will miss the start of the 2005 season.  Cameron originally injured the wrist on a swing in the September 21 game, and it never healed in the off-season.  Mets are hoping Cameron will be ready by April 15 at the earliest, May 1 at the latest.

December 17  Mets claimed OF Ron Calloway from Washington Nationals, formerly the Montreal Expos.  Last season, Calloway hit .148 with 1 home run and 10 rbis.

December 16  In probably the biggest free agent acquisition in club history, Mets signed RHP Pedro Martinez  to a 4-year $53 million dollars contract.  Martinez is a future hall of famer and a perennial All-Star.  Last season Martinez helped the Red Sox to break the 86 years curse by winning the World Series.  For his career, Pedro is 188-73 with a 2.71 ERA.  Last season, he was 16-9 with a 3.90 ERA.  Pedro, 33, is a fierce competitor and somewhat controversial.

December 9  Mets resigned P. Mike DeJean to a 1-year contract worth $1.15 million.  DeJean pitched in 17 games after being traded from the Orioles and was 0-0 with a 1.37 ERA.  Mets declined arbitration to P's Al Leiter, John Franco, Ricky Bottalico, and OF Richard Hidalgo, making them free agents.

December 3  Mets acquired LHP reliever Felix Heredia from the Yankees for LHP reliever Mike Stanton.  Heredia had a rough season last season, he was 1-1 with a 6.28 ERA.  Mets are hoping a change of scenery and being back in the NL will benefit Felix.  Heredia's best years were in the NL.  Mets also gave the Yankees cash considerations to even out the contracts.

November 23  Mets and P. Kris Benson agreed on a new contract; the contract is for 3 years, worth $22.5 million, with a club option in 2008 that could make the deal $30 million.  Benson was traded to the Mets July 30 and posted a 4-4 record with a 4.50 ERA in 11 starts.  Last season, Benson's overall record was 12-12 with a 4.31 ERA.   Kris and his wife are excited to stay in NY and be in the Mets family.

Mets named Ray Ramirez, who was with the Rangers, as the team's Head Trainer, replacing Scott Lawrenson.  Mets also named Willie Randolph's coaching staff, it is as follows.

November 10  Mets hired Sandy Johnson and Tony Bernazard as special assistants to GM Omar Minaya.  They will have a lot of input on scouting, trades, and free agent signings.

November 4  Mets named Willie Randolph as the 18th manager in team history.  Randolph was among 3 finalists for the job which included Rudy Jaramillo and Terry Collins.  Randolph signed a 3-year contract worth reportedly $1.7 million.  Willie is a New Yorker; he is from Brooklyn, played almost his entire career with the Yankees, and has 6 World Series rings, 2 as a player and 4 as a coach.  Willie finished his playing career with the Mets in 1992.  Last year Randolph was Joe Torre''s Bench Coach with the Yankees.  Omar Minaya, GM, wanted a manager who knows New York, the media, the fans, and active in the community and he thinks Willie Randolph is a perfect fit for the job.

October 13  Mets let go all of the coaches with the exception of Pitching Coach/Guru Rick Petersen.  Mets fired 3rd Base Coach Matt Galante, 1st Base Coach Gary Pettis, and Hitting Coach Don Baylor, while reassigning Bench Coach Bobby Wine and Bullpen Coach Nelson Silverio within the organization.  Mets also fired Head Trainer Scott Lawrenson who was with them since 1986.  This move is no surprise because Mets were an injury riddled team for the last 2 seasons.