Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Mets sign Young

The Mets have agreed to terms with RHP Chris Young on a contract.  The contract is pending a physical and the terms have not yet been disclosed.  The San Diego Padres declined a team option on Young shortly after the season ended and since then the Mets had been his primary suitor. 

Missing a lot of time last season due to injury, Young is another example of Sandy Alderson's high-risk-high-reward philosophy.  With Young's contract expected to be a one-year deal somewhere a little below $5 million, the Mets are probably done spending this offseason.

Young's not a Met yet though.  Given his injury history, passing a physical is far from a guarantee.  For many years passing the physical was nothing more than a technicality, but it has become a legitimate barrier in recent years.  The most well-known example is probably 3B Mike Lowell, who was traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Texas Rangers for C Max Ramirez to make room for 3B Adrian Beltre.  Texas later reneged on the deal, however, when Lowell failed a physical.

Young only made four starts last season due to injury.  The good news is that he was stellar in those starts, posting a 0.90 ERA.  He's well-known in baseball circles as being a pitcher with a ton of promise before falling victim to several injuries.  He is perhaps most well-known, however, for his height, standing at 6'10" tall.  Young will be 32 this season.

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