Julio Franco close to a 2 year deal

[Guest abogdan]

Ken Rosenthal is saying the Mets are close to signing 47 year old Julio Franco to a 2-year deal.

[Elster88]

OK, maybe Sal was right.

[metirish]

Here we go, cue stories about egg whites , can we assume Julio is really about 52 so a two year deal sounds a bit much, still he'll help.

[Valadius]

You HAVE to be kidding me.

[Guest cooby]

Jesus, I am SO glad I read that wrong

[Guest Edgy DC]

i think he's older than both Omar Minaya and Jeff Wilpon.

[nymr83]

2 years to a 37 year old bench player would be questionable, but to a 47 year old? this team has truly lost it if this turns out to be true.

[Guest KC]

If you cut Franco in half and counted his rings, I bet he's older than Willie is too.

[Centerfield]

I'll withhold judgment until I hear what the terms are.

But regardless, how about the stones on Franco's agent to ask for a 2 year deal for his 47 year old client...

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

cooby wrote: Jesus, I am SO glad I read that wrong

Were you thinking it was John Franco?

I was hoping you had read the two-year part wrong, but that appears to be true.

That second year is nuts. It'll take him past his 49th birthday. I'll have to doublecheck, but I think Franco will debut as one of the 20 oldest living Mets.

[Valadius]

Am I right in thinking he'd be the oldest Mets player ever?

[Guest Edgy DC]

I can't think there'd be any competition. I think a 49 (or so)-year-old Willie Mays may have DH'd for the Mets in a spring training game.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

If I had to guess who the oldest guy ever to play for the Mets was, I'd guess Warren Spahn.

[Guest Edgy DC]

If I had to guess who the oldest-looking guy ever to play for the Mets was, I'd guess Roy McMillan.

[Guest abogdan]

Franco's not a bad RH bat off the bench, but guaranteeing the second year makes no sense.

[Guest cooby]

="Yancy Street Gang"] ="cooby"]Jesus, I am SO glad I read that wrong Were you thinking it was John Franco? I was hoping you had read the two-year part wrong, but that appears to be true. That second year is nuts. It'll take him past his 49th birthday. I'll have to doublecheck, but I think Franco will debut as one of the 20 oldest living Mets.

Yeah, it was the John Franco part.
Two years is nuts.

Though I will say I have a soft spot for Julio because he's the last player left older than I am.
And prolly my mom and dad.

[Guest KC]

I did a quick lookie at baseball-reference.com and in decending order I
think it's Spahn, Mays, J. Franco, and Berra?

[MFS62]

Are they kidding?
He was 47 years old when dirt was invented.

Yes, I plead guilty to age bashing.

Later

[Theoldmole]

He can still hit.

Remember Gordie Howe and George Blanda.

[seawolf17]

Omar might as well sign Gordie Howe... he's younger than Franco.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

So is Art Howe.

[Guest KC]

I'd like to see Julio's splits vs. the Mets. In my mind, he's been a thorn in our side?

[Valadius]

.272-5-21 in 62 games, 169 at-bats.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

http://leaptoad.com/mets/opponent.php?PlayerCode=3683

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I remember a mass flipout on the old mofo when we signed Rickey to a 2-year deal; and a similar one when McEwing took 2 years rather than 1.

Rickey's second year obviously didn't hurt: He was 2 years worth of good in 1. McEwing's deal was sorta stupid, but cheap stupid and only because it was Joe McEwing.

[Elster88]

Of course, Julio is now 7 years older than Rickey was and over a decade older than Super Joe was.

If you believe he's 47.

Seriously, if you want him and can't get him to take a 1-year deal, why not just look for a backup who's not in his late-forties? Is this a difficult question?

[Guest rpackrat]

Whether it makes sense depends on the dollars. If it's 2 years at $1 mil per, I have no problem with it. If Julio suddenly acts his age, the Mets can eat the second year. I seriously doubt it will be for much more than that. Meanwhile, it looks like Julio can still hit and play a little 1B.

[metirish]

I think Omar's strategy is to overwhelm every FA , even ones that are who knows what age.

[Elster88]

rpackrat wrote: Whether it makes sense depends on the dollars. If it's 2 years at $1 mil per, I have no problem with it.

Yeah, I guess. I'm down with that. It's not my money, as Vic has been pointing out.

[Guest Edgy DC]

In the Atlanta Journal Constitution, his agent is speaking about it like a done deal, and the figure they're giving is about $2.2 million total.

Or about what George Foster got in 1985, after his attendance bonuses kicked in.