4 Years $45 Million?

According to Newsday, the infamous person familiar with negotiations expects the Mets to ink Carlos Delgado for four years and $45 million dollars.

The Mets already have spent close to $200 million on three players - Kris Benson, Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran - and one person familiar with the Delgado negotiations expects the Mets to offer the slugging first baseman a four-year deal in the $45-million range

If the Mets can sign him for about $11 million per year, that would be a great price when compared to other contracts given out this winter.

The Mets have been engaged in talks with several teams regarding the availability of Mike Cameron, who was pushed from his center field spot by the acquisition of Carlos Beltran. The Mets are deep in talks with the A's in a deal that would send Cameron to Oakland for outfielder Eric Byrnes and reliever Chad Bradford.

While the rumor is the Mets are still trying to move Cameron to make room for Delgado's salary, I am of the opinion that the Mets have no need to move Cameron to add Delgado's salary. The Mets will be paying a bit more for their payroll than they would have like this year, but it would have been a one year hit most likely and they would have returned to a figure of around $105 million in 2006 if everyone stayed healthy and no need arose to chase another starting pitcher or position player. The only two reasons that I can think of for the Mets to move Mike Cameron are to move a disgruntled player that does not want to move to right field or to clear payroll for another move after Delgado. Could moving Cameron be precursor to a move that would be highly scrutinized?

Daryl (NY): Are the Mets and Cubs still discussing a Floyd/Sosa deal?

Buster Olney: Daryl -- I think it's going to be the coup de grace of the winter for Omar. He'll get all the other stuff in place, and then arrange a Sosa deal on the eve of spring training. Cubs are motivated to get rid of Sosa, and Omar loves Sosa. As long as it doesn't cost the Mets a lot of extra cash, I think they'll end up doing it. Who knows how it'll all come together, but without a doubt, there will be a lot of interest in a team that adds Pedro, Beltran, maybe Delgado and maybe Sosa. Quite a splash...

We all know how credible Buster has proved to be with his commenting on the Beltran chase a few weeks ago, but I still cringe every time I see Sosa to the Mets in print. If Omar is going to move Cameron under the guise of needing to clear payroll for Delgado while picking up a guy who can play any outfield spot, then he is certainly keeping his options open. If the Mets were to acquire Byrnes they would have the luxury of deciding whether to play him in right field and keep Cliffy or they can move Floyd for Sosa and put Byrnes in left. Maybe this is a conspiracy theory that I'm making up, but Omar is proving that he does what he wants and what he thinks will improve the team.

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The Mets mailbag with Kevin Czerwinski is back again.

What about using Tyler Yates in a middle relief role? He seemed to have better control at the end of the season and is usually good for two to three innings. I think that he would be strong in the bullpen in a role like that. -- Mark M., New York, N.Y.

You must have some inside information, Mark, because that's part of the plan right now. Yates demonstrated last season that he was good for short bursts and was much better suited to be in the bullpen than in the starting rotation. He responds well to direction and has worked very hard with pitching coach Rick Peterson. The changes Yates made from the beginning of the season to when he was recalled late in the year were obvious. He had better command and much more poise on the mound. At one time Yates was being groomed as a closer, so it's not surprising that he would be an effective middle reliever.

What about Mike DeJean as the setup man for Braden Looper? He pitched really well in his short stint with the Mets. Do you know if they feel he can do the job? -- Bill S., New York, N.Y.

Yes, I feel DeJean would be an excellent candidate for the right-handed setup role now that Ricky Bottalico won't be back. DeJean was extremely effective last year before getting hurt and has fit in perfectly in the New York clubhouse. Plus, DeJean has an edge over Yates in that he has years of experience in the role.

The link to the new Mets spring training jersey has been floating around the comments section the last few days and if you have not checked it out yet, here it is:

David Wright gets a quote into Baseball Prospectus' This Week in Quotes.

"The best thing I know is that I have a long way to go.... I took the off season to prepare myself physically and baseball skills-wise. I have to try and be more consistent. You can't play like things are handed to you. You can't be complacent."
--David Wright, Mets third baseman

This was a funny quote from that piece:

"If you tell me steroids help you hit major league pitching more often and farther, I see no evidence whatsoever. None...I think if you tell me that using steroids and bulking up like that will help the performance of a football linebacker, maybe. If you tell me it will help a professional wrestler, maybe. If you tell me it will help a beer hall bouncer, maybe. If you tell me it will help somebody become the governor of California, maybe."
--Marvin Miller, former executive director of the MLBPA

Ouch.