Julio Franco close to a 2 year deal

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I predict that the same number of people who buy tickets in 2006 because of Julio Franco will equal the number who bought 1985 tickets because of George Foster.

[metirish]

With this being NY Julio should be able to cash in on his egg white eating habits, sales might go through the roof.

[Guest Edgy DC]

So, is this announced anywhere besides Deadspin?

[nymr83]

Elster88 wrote: 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?

my answer is getting closer and closer to "because he's hispanic."

i'm still kidding, of course, but if this 47 year old gets 2 years i'll have to at least have that in the back of my head where before i gave it no credibility at all.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Meanwhile, Omar opted for Paul LoDuca over Bengie Molina and Ramon Hernandez.

The Hispanic conspiracy crowd won't notice that, of course.

[nymr83]

no, but the "bad move police" will!

[metirish]

So, is this announced anywhere besides Deadspin?

] BY DAVID LENNON STAFF CORRESPONDENT December 8, 2005, 5:16 PM EST DALLAS -- The Mets have agreed to terms with Julio Franco on a two-year contract worth $2 million, according to a baseball official. Franco, 47, was not offered arbitration by the Braves by Wednesday's midnight deadline and general manager Omar Minaya acted quickly to steal him away from his division rival. Franco batted .275 last season for the Braves with nine home runs and 42 RBIs in 108 games. The deal is expected to be announced on Friday. "I know Julio for a while," general manager Omar Minaya said. "Pretty good numbers over the years." Franco would fit well as a right-handed hitter who could occasionally spell new Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado, a left-handed swinging slugger. Jose Valentin also joined the Mets in a reserve role Thursday, agreeing to a $912,500, one-year contract. "Veteran guy, he wanted to come here," Minaya said. "He can play anywhere in the field." Minaya envisions the 36-year-old Valentin stepping into a role similar to the one filled last season by Marlon Anderson, who signed a $1.85 million, two-year contract with the Washington Nationals. Anderson excelled as a pinch-hitter for the Mets. Valentin hit .170 with two homers and 14 RBIs in 56 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. He was sidelined from May 4 to July 31 with torn ligaments in his right knee after a collision at home plate with Washington catcher Brian Schneider. Valentin is playing center field this winter for a team he owns in Puerto Rico, Minaya said. A .241 career hitter with 228 homers and 736 RBIs, Valentin hit at least 25 homers every season from 2000-04 with the Chicago White Sox. The GM said the Mets have also heard from free agent Jeff Nelson, and the former Yankees reliever is interested in returning to New York. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Not quite a formal announcement, though.

[smg58]

Um, what is the need for Franco? What does he do that Nady doesn't? We have eight regulars plus Castro, Valentin, Woodward, Nady, and Redman. Do we replace one of them, or knock off a reliever, for another reserve righty bat who can only play first base?

[Guest Edgy DC]

I don't know about "need," but the desire for him is abstract stuff like veteran presence, experience, bench strength, and depth.

And really, if there were no difference between him and Nady (which there is) the notion of having two of them is theoretically good, if this deal does, in fact, go down. We'll see.

It sure makes that roster slot less attainable to Gerald Williams, or whoever 2006's GW might be.

[Valadius]

Bye-bye Popsicle.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Yeah, I'm okay with this move. It's a little silly (2 years?!) but the guy put up decent numbers last year and he can spell Delgado at 1st.

I'd have thought that Nady would play that role, but it doesn't hurt to have a little redunancy.

[seawolf17]

Barf. I think I'll end up liking Julio Franco, but I don't like this move right now.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Youngest Mets	First game	Age
Edward Emil Kranepool	September 22, 1962	17 years, 318 days.
James Charles Bethke	April 12, 1965	18 years, 158 days.
Kevin Michael Collins	September 1, 1965	19 years, 28 days.
Dwight Eugene Gooden	April 7, 1984	19 years, 142 days.
Lynn Nolan Ryan	September 11, 1966	19 years, 223 days.
Gregory Bryant Goossen	September 3, 1965	19 years, 263 days.
Timothy John Foli	September 11, 1970	19 years, 277 days.
Jos� Manuel Oquendo	May 2, 1983	19 years, 302 days.
Jos� Bernabe Reyes	June 10, 2003	19 years, 364 days.
Jerry Dean Hinsley	April 18, 1964	20 years, 9 days.
Michael Jorgensen	September 10, 1968	20 years, 25 days.
Gregory Scott Jefferies	September 6, 1987	20 years, 36 days.
Robert Lowell Heise	September 12, 1967	20 years, 123 days.
Amos Joseph Otis	September 6, 1967	20 years, 133 days.
Stephen Edward Dillon	September 5, 1963	20 years, 169 days.
William Lewis Hepler	April 23, 1966	20 years, 210 days.
Frank Edwin McGraw	April 18, 1965	20 years, 231 days.
Richard Frank Gardner	September 1, 1965	20 years, 256 days.
Ronald Alan Swoboda	April 12, 1965	20 years, 286 days.
Brock Pemberton	September 10, 1974	20 years, 309 days.
Walter Wayne Backman	September 2, 1980	20 years, 346 days.
Todd Randolph Hundley	May 18, 1990	20 years, 356 days.
John Lewis Pacella	September 15, 1977	20 years, 365 days.
Alejandro Trevi�o	September 11, 1978	21 years, 16 days.
William Francis Denehy	April 16, 1967	21 years, 16 days.
Alfred Lee Benton	September 14, 1978	21 years, 21 days.
John Kyle Mitchell	September 8, 1986	21 years, 28 days.
Anulfo Acevedo Espinosa	September 13, 1974	21 years, 29 days.
Cleon Joseph Jones	September 14, 1963	21 years, 41 days.
Darryl Eugene Strawberry	May 6, 1983	21 years, 55 days.

Oldest Mets	Last game	Age
Warren Edward Spahn	July 10, 1965	44 years, 78 days.
John Anthony Franco	October 3, 2004	44 years, 16 days.
Willie Mays	October 16, 1973	42 years, 163 days.
Daniel Joseph Staub	October 6, 1985	41 years, 188 days.
Rickey Henley Henderson	May 13, 2000	41 years, 140 days.
Orel Leonard Quinton Hershiser	October 19, 1999	41 years, 33 days.
Roberto Hernandez	October 1, 2005	40 years, 324 days.
David Brian Cone	May 28, 2003	40 years, 146 days.
Frank Daryl Tanana	September 14, 1993	40 years, 73 days.
Eugene Richard Woodling	September 16, 1962	40 years, 31 days.
Lawrence Peter Berra	May 9, 1965	39 years, 362 days.
Lawrence Robert Bowa	October 6, 1985	39 years, 304 days.
Thomas Michael Glavine	September 29, 2005	39 years, 188 days.
Keith Anthony Phillips	September 27, 1998	39 years, 155 days.
Gerald Floyd Williams	October 2, 2005	39 years, 53 days.
Gilbert Ray Hodges	May 5, 1963	39 years, 30 days.
Todd Edward Zeile	October 3, 2004	39 years, 24 days.
Alois Terry Leiter	October 2, 2004	38 years, 344 days.
Thomas Marian Paciorek	October 6, 1985	38 years, 338 days.
George Thomas Seaver	October 1, 1983	38 years, 317 days.
Dennis Bryan Cook	July 26, 2001	38 years, 295 days.
Michael Grant Marshall	October 2, 1981	38 years, 260 days.
William Larry Randolph	October 4, 1992	38 years, 90 days.
Brett Morgan Butler	August 9, 1995	38 years, 54 days.
William Howell Taylor	September 28, 1999	37 years, 347 days.
Jay Stuart Bell	September 28, 2003	37 years, 291 days.
Michael Augustine Torrez	June 12, 1984	37 years, 289 days.
George Arthur Foster	August 6, 1986	37 years, 248 days.
Eddie Clarence Murray	October 3, 1993	37 years, 222 days.
Richard Anthony Rodriguez	September 29, 2000	37 years, 213 days.

[metirish]

What kinda blows my mind about the Franco signing is that Omar wouldn't go two years for Marlon Anderson, I realize Anderson probably is better off in DC but still.

[Guest Edgy DC]

]Orel Leonard Quinton Hershiser

I'm glad he got at least one almost halfway-decent name in Leonard. But I guess that's why he's the bulldog.

A lot of early-president-sounding guys: Robert Lowell Heise, Gregory Bryant Goossen

[Guest Edgy DC]

I guess Kranepool's record will never be broken, but Fernando Martinez is probably the first guy with a chance to come along in a while.

[Guest sharpie]

Tom Glavine will pass some guys next year.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

It took me a minute or two to realize who Keith Anthony Phillips was.

[Vic Sage]

he's still useful, he won't cost much, he's one of Omar's guys (I've read that Omar knows him from Texas and has always thought highly of him as a "character" guy, and wants him in the organization).

As for his age, does it matter? He's played at a pretty consistent level from his early 40s to his late 40s... you think he'll suddenly become so much "older" at 48 than he was at 47? And even if he does, his pricetag is such that it won't cripple the team to simply kick him upstairs into "community relations" or whatever it is Omar's got in mind for his compadre.

To the extent he Franco takes ABs away from V.Diaz or Nady, its not a great move. But i don't have alot of faith in either of those guys being significantly more productive than Franco this year, so that too is not the end of the world, as far as i'm concerned. Besides, it could just mean that Nady is slotted to be the full-time RFer (more or less), so the Franco signing might have only minimal impact on him.

Still, the Franco signing will likely reduce Diaz's role, and to the extent one believes Diaz has a real future here, I can understand disliking this move.

[seawolf17]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: It took me a minute or two to realize who Keith Anthony Phillips was.

That would, of course, be "Mookie" Wilson.

[MFS62]

And of course, Alfred Lee Benton was better known as "Butch".

Later

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Gooden of course is the youngest player on the team for "legitimate" reasons, as the guys younger than he were all first-year players who required a big-league slot lest they be poached in the drafts.

[Guest rpackrat]

I like the signing. He's posted an .844 OPS vs. lefties over the last 3 years (and hits righties pretty well, too), and he's cheap enough that, if he does suddenyl fall off a cliff, it won't break the Mets to cut him and eat the contract. Assuming Valentin's sorry 2005 was due to his knee injury and not him suddenly losing it, we now have the entire infield covered by solid defensive players, and Valentin hits righties well (.800 OPS over the last 3 years, including his miserable 2005). We're goinmg to have the strongest bench we've had in some time.

[Guest sharpie]

Well, not many people think Valentin is a solid defender.

[Guest rpackrat]

His UZR from 2002-2004 was +11, +28, + 15. He is a very good defender, or at least he was before the knee injury.

[Guest old original jb]

He's my new hero. If you were born before 1965, he should be yours too.

Anyone who has a chance to be playing baseball while pushing 50 ought to be everyone's hero unless his name is Roger Asshat Clemens.

[Valadius]

Just heard this stat on ESPN:

With his next home run, Julio Franco will become the oldest player ever to hit a homer.

[Frayed Knot]

And look at it this way;
at least we won't have to listen to Francis X. repeat the Julio/egg-white story 15 times a game. I mean, it was bad enough when it was 15 mentions x 19 Braves games per year. The mere thought of 15 x 162 is too much to even comtemplate. If Fran were still announcing I'd have to oppose the deal on that basis alone.

[Zvon]

I wouldnt have minded seeing jakeMonster get the chance to be the Mets regular 1st baseman next year.
But Delgado is a surefire upgrade with a steady bat and proven experince.
Id rather see Mike Jacobs get a chance to be a full time player than a backup on the Mets bench.

Franco should be a fine filler there.
And I understand its a million point one per season.
Is that too much?
Its the price of doing business with a proven commodity these days.
As far as the two years, the Mets plan to keep him in the organization after his playing days and Im sure that goes towards that end.

The NY Post reports that with John and Matt having played for the Mets, they now have had every player named Franco in MLB history.
Is that a fact?
I dont trust the Post.