Molina rejects Mets

[A.E]

ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that free agent catcher Bengie Molina has turned down the Mets' most recent offer.
Olney adds that the club is "beginning to focus on Joel Pineiro." Molina, 35, hit 20 homers last year but he has not been willing to lower his asking price and the Mets are not going to bid against themselves. The two sides may work something out eventually, but negotiations are going to run slowly.

SOURCE

Its good news that the Mets are starting to focus on reeling in Pineiro, they have holes to fill in that rotation, but worse news on this Molina situation. I am not sure how much Molina thinks he is going to get paid elsewhere but the Mets situation at catcher is horrible right now. Thole is at least a year away from being MLB-ready and Molina is the best candidate to fill the interim role behind the dish. Molina is a great game-caller, still flashes some power at the plate, and who better to help bring Thole along?

If I am a Mets fan, I am really nervous about heading into the 2010 season with only Santos, Blanco, and Coste on the roster. While Santos showed some potential last season, he's inexperienced and yet to be tested on a full-time role over the full length of the season. Outside of Santos, Blanco is pretty washed up and I can't see Coste landing a spot on the 25-man roster. I can't disagree with the Mets not wanting to meet Molina's demands but there is money in NY and I would think a 2-year deal in the $5-$6 range would be a happy medium for both parties.

 

[jarrod2323]

Molina is killing himself. He's gonna end up taking a 1-year deal for almost nothing

 

[playmaker7]

And I hope that deal is back in San Francisco

 

[A.E]

Molina is killing himself. He's gonna end up taking a 1-year deal for almost nothing

Yes...and you know thats what he was trying to avoid heading into this off-season. It may not sound wise to decline the Mets' latest offer but I am pretty sure they offered up 1-year with team option for 2011....which is a 1-year deal in essence.

Can't fault Molina in looking for that 2-3 year deal. At his age and given his declining production, this is the last off-season he's got a slim chance at getting paid for longer than 1 guaranteed season. You know he was looking for a deal that would keep him paid and in the same place until he calls it a career.

The Mets' situation at catcher has sucked since Piazza and I still can't figure out why they backed out of their deal with Torrealba last off-season.

 

[cruzg24]

I still believe we will end up signing Molina. The catcher position isnt that high of a priority in my opinion considering we had a platoon of Ramon Castro and Brian Schneider at the beginning of the year. And now we are looking at Omir Santos and Henry Blanco. I am more concerned with our pitching needs because we need a true #2 and Piniero did have a very good year last year, but some are saying it was a fluke and that Duncan was mostly responsible for it.

Im not even worried that much this year or in any impatient mood like I was at first at the beginning of the offseason, because at the end of the day I believe we are a 3rd place team in a very strong and significantly improving division.

 

[cruzg24]

NEW YORK -- Bengie Molina has spurned the Mets and is headed back to the Giants.

CBS 5, a Bay Area television station, reported early Tuesday evening that after weeks of negotiations with the Mets, Molina chose instead to re-sign the Giants, even taking a pay cut to do so.

According to multiple reports, Molina signed for one-year, $4.5 million, roughly agreeing to have his pay slashed by $1.5 million.

The news falls in line with an earlier ESPN report that Molina had turned down the Mets' most recent offer. So, the jilted Mets lose out on a player they've courted all throughout the offseason.

But already, the question has been asked: is that such a bad thing?

Source: Wfan.com

 

[Mexi]

i'd be happy if i was a mets fan lol

 

[cruzg24]

Im rather complacent actually. In one way Im mad cuz he did make us waste all this time on him and we couldve been using that time to target other free agents. But at the same time, he is older and his play on the field has been detioriorating and I felt that his power would diminish significantly at Citi Field and he wasnt my first choice at catcher.

Hopefully we can move forward from this and sign either Rod Barajas who I preferred more than Molina, or get Torrealba although our negotiating process last time was rather rocky.