Mets fans rejoice...the Mets have a solid bullpen. And thanks to GM Steve Phillips, offseason moves made by the club have only strengthened it.
First, the Mets re-signed lefty Dennis Cook (8-4, 2.38, 1), who had a career year in 1998 in his first year with the team. He was awarded $6.6 million for 3 years, but Cook will be 36 next year and 39 when his contract expires.
Was he worth it? I say yes. There are paralells between the Mets situation with Dennis Cook and the Kevin Brown situation in Los Angeles. (Though Cook was not awarded 7 years and $105 million.) Brown will be well past his prime in 2005 at the age of 41 and the Dodgers knew it. But they needed starting pitching and they needed it now, regardless of cost. Similarly, the Mets needed to maintain their reliable bullpen situation, and Dennis Cook is an integral piece to that bullpen puzzle. The Mets are an veteran-based team and the surge to the Series must be made now, and as a large market team, New York can afford to sprend money for a reliable left-handed arm out of the bullpen.
Right-handed Turk Wendell(5-1, 2.93, 4) will also return to the Mets after having a career year in 1998. Wendell will be 31 on opening day next season and if he can repeat last year's performance, opponents can look forward to a steady diet of Cook and Wendell to protect late inning leads.
Yankees fans may remember Armando Benitez(5-6, 3.82, 22) as the Baltimore pitcher who broke Tino Martinez's right hand last season after beaning him intentionally, effectively spoiling Martinez's season and inciting a bench-clearing brawl. As a result, Benitez was relegated to strict bench duty whenever the Yankees were in town.
Now Benitez is a Met and the two New York teams square off six times next season, promising tension in an already tense rivalry.
But Armando Benitez can pitch. He posesses a 99-mph fastball and pitches well in the regular season, striking out many batters. But historically, with the Orioles, he tends to give up runs at inopportune times in the postseason.
Benitez has a reputation for ineffectiveness as a closer, but he'll most likely be a setup man in New York. Also, hitters have claimed that they knew what pitch Benitez would throw next by some nuance of his glove hand.
So what can the Mets expect out of 26-year old flame- thrower? Who knows? But hopefully he'll prove to be worth more to the Mets than Todd Hundley will be to the Dodgers. But look on the bright side Mets fans: he can't be any worse than Mel Rojas, right?
Closer John Franco(0-8, 3.62, 38) has proved that at age 38 he's not as intimidating as he was even two years ago, but he's still one of the best in the business. He recorded 38 saves in 1998 (his second highest total), but blew too many save opportunities (as his 0-8 record would indicate) for Bobby Valentine and Mets fans, alike, to feel 100% confident in his ability to shut down the opposition. And as a higly competitive club in 1999 (hopefully) the Mets will need John Franco to regain the step he may have lost in '98.
Remaining bullpen positions will be awarded to Greg McMichael (if he's not traded), Oscar Henriquez (if he makes the team), Hideo Nomo (if he fails as a starter, or is not traded), a new acquisition, or a Mets prospect. Honestly, I do not know who it will be.
I believe the Mets' relief corp is stronger than perennial
division winner Atlanta's. The Braves' bullpen is young
and unpredictable (see their performance in the 1998 NLCS),
while the Mets have four proven veterans in Cook, Wendell,
Benitez, and Franco to rely on in late inning situations.
