11-28-2005, 10:04 PM
Mets land closer Wagner
Posted: 21 minutes ago
The Mets have landed coveted closer Billy Wagner in a four-year deal worth $43 million.
The deal could be worth as much as $50 million as it includes a fifth-year option for the Mets worth $10 million. But if the team declines the option, Wagner gets a $3 million buyout which is considered part of the original $43 million deal.
Two of the Mets' NL East rivals, the Phillies and Braves, also were trying to sign Wagner.
Wagner, 34, was 4-3 with 38 saves and a 1.51 ERA last season for Philadelphia, which wanted to re-sign him. Wagner has 284 career saves and will be 38 at the end of the deal — 39 if the Mets pick up his option.
After spending most of his career with Houston, his two seasons with the Phillies showed the left-hander he could handle pitching in a tough city.
"I think if I had an opportunity to play in New York four or five years ago, I probably wouldn't have been as receptive to it," Wagner said last week. "After the trade of going to Philadelphia and playing there, I believe that's made it that much easier to handle the media, the pressures."
In recent days, the Phillies have become the most aggressive suitor for free-agent right-hander Tom Gordon, whom they now could target as their closer.
Posted: 21 minutes ago
The Mets have landed coveted closer Billy Wagner in a four-year deal worth $43 million.
The deal could be worth as much as $50 million as it includes a fifth-year option for the Mets worth $10 million. But if the team declines the option, Wagner gets a $3 million buyout which is considered part of the original $43 million deal.
Two of the Mets' NL East rivals, the Phillies and Braves, also were trying to sign Wagner.
Wagner, 34, was 4-3 with 38 saves and a 1.51 ERA last season for Philadelphia, which wanted to re-sign him. Wagner has 284 career saves and will be 38 at the end of the deal — 39 if the Mets pick up his option.
After spending most of his career with Houston, his two seasons with the Phillies showed the left-hander he could handle pitching in a tough city.
"I think if I had an opportunity to play in New York four or five years ago, I probably wouldn't have been as receptive to it," Wagner said last week. "After the trade of going to Philadelphia and playing there, I believe that's made it that much easier to handle the media, the pressures."
In recent days, the Phillies have become the most aggressive suitor for free-agent right-hander Tom Gordon, whom they now could target as their closer.
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