Crap

Some ominous news from the mailbag.

What's happening with Phil Humber? Are the Mets going to sign him? Also, if the Yankees are out of the Carlos Delgado sweepstakes since they signed Tino Martinez, does that make it more likely that the Mets will stop going after Beltran and get more seriously involved with Delgado? -- Zeke L., Queens, N.Y.

Thanks for the weekly Phil Humber question, Zeke. The negotiations have stalled, and there really appears to be no end in sight to the standoff between the two sides. Humber wants big money, more than the Mets are willing to offer in terms of a bonus. It's gotten to the point that if the situation isn't resolved soon, Humber will miss part or all of Spring Training and be set back even further in his development than he already is.

As for Delgado, it is true that the Yankees may no longer need his services, but don't expect the Mets to dive into that pool just yet. The Beltran situation could play out one way or another this week, because he has to make a decision on the Astros by Saturday. Minaya is worrying about Beltran first, and Delgado, if he's still available, will be addressed if and when the Beltran negotiations are completed.

Crap....nuff said. Miss all or part of spring training? Give the man the same deal as Verlander. I have no idea if the Mets offered a similar contract and he just turned it down, but he is certainly not worth more than whatever he got. Tim Stauffer was drafted the year before with comparable skills in the 4th slot and was offered less before he took a lot less after exhibiting some honesty and coming out with his injury instead of hiding it from the Padres. Humber would look nice in the Mets system, but all this money stuff is ridiculous. I hope his buddy Neimann signs soon so everyone can really gauge how much Humber should be worth. Let’s hope this gets done by spring and he should not forget he was the fourth highest rated pitcher coming out of college and maybe the fifth highest rated pitcher overall when you add in Homer Bailey, who was the best high school pitching talent.