01-13-2005, 02:52 AM
Mets Trying to Set Up Meeting With Delgado in Puerto Rico
By JACK CURRY
Published: January 11, 2005
Carlos Beltran called Carlos Delgado on Sunday, hours after Beltran agreed in principle to a seven-year, $119 million contract with the Mets. Now the Mets will try to reach out to Delgado when they visit Puerto Rico with Beltran later this week. David Sloane, Delgado's agent, said the meeting was still being worked out.
The Mets initially thought they would be able to sign Beltran or Delgado as a free agent, not both. But the fact that the Mets are poised to meet with Delgado indicates that they are still hoping they can add another high-priced free agent to join Beltran and Pedro MartÃnez.
Beltran, a center fielder who already sounds like a giddy Mets fan, said he was hoping that his call to Delgado would help bring him to New York.
"It would be seriously tremendous if we sign Carlos, too," Beltran was quoted as saying in the Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia yesterday. "I would love it if that could be achieved because we are good friends, but I know he has to make the best decision for him."
An executive from one of the teams that is courting Delgado said the Mets had told Sloane that they needed to be financially creative to be able to sign Delgado. The executive guessed that the Mets were trying to unload Cliff Floyd, who has two years and $13 million left on his contract, and use the savings in the pursuit of Delgado.
But it is unlikely that the Mets will be able to trade Floyd unless they absorb some of his salary or trade him for a high-salaried player, which is what they were considering in discussions with the Cubs about Sammy Sosa. Those options would not do much to ease the financial weight of adding Delgado.
When Fred Wilpon, the Mets' principal owner, was asked last night if General Manager Omar Minaya had the clearance to try to sign Delgado, he did not directly answer and later said the Mets would make that decision as a group.
"I don't know," Wilpon said of the possibility of adding Delgado. "Omar is running the show. That's one of the people who he's thinking of, but he's got a lot of others."
Delgado's first choice was to play for the Yankees, but that was never a serious possibility. Now the Mets, the Baltimore Orioles, the Florida Marlins and the Texas Rangers are among the teams interested.
Delgado, a first baseman, has said he is looking for a four-year deal with an average salary of about $14 million. He has received offers in the range of $10 million a year. He batted .269 with 32 homers and 99 runs batted in for Toronto last year.
The Mets will introduce Beltran at a news conference at Shea Stadium this morning. They will hold another one tomorrow in Port St. Lucie, Fla., their spring home, as well as a third one Thursday in Puerto Rico.
When the Mets are in Puerto Rico, Wilpon and Minaya are likely to meet with Delgado and Sloane.
By JACK CURRY
Published: January 11, 2005
Carlos Beltran called Carlos Delgado on Sunday, hours after Beltran agreed in principle to a seven-year, $119 million contract with the Mets. Now the Mets will try to reach out to Delgado when they visit Puerto Rico with Beltran later this week. David Sloane, Delgado's agent, said the meeting was still being worked out.
The Mets initially thought they would be able to sign Beltran or Delgado as a free agent, not both. But the fact that the Mets are poised to meet with Delgado indicates that they are still hoping they can add another high-priced free agent to join Beltran and Pedro MartÃnez.
Beltran, a center fielder who already sounds like a giddy Mets fan, said he was hoping that his call to Delgado would help bring him to New York.
"It would be seriously tremendous if we sign Carlos, too," Beltran was quoted as saying in the Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia yesterday. "I would love it if that could be achieved because we are good friends, but I know he has to make the best decision for him."
An executive from one of the teams that is courting Delgado said the Mets had told Sloane that they needed to be financially creative to be able to sign Delgado. The executive guessed that the Mets were trying to unload Cliff Floyd, who has two years and $13 million left on his contract, and use the savings in the pursuit of Delgado.
But it is unlikely that the Mets will be able to trade Floyd unless they absorb some of his salary or trade him for a high-salaried player, which is what they were considering in discussions with the Cubs about Sammy Sosa. Those options would not do much to ease the financial weight of adding Delgado.
When Fred Wilpon, the Mets' principal owner, was asked last night if General Manager Omar Minaya had the clearance to try to sign Delgado, he did not directly answer and later said the Mets would make that decision as a group.
"I don't know," Wilpon said of the possibility of adding Delgado. "Omar is running the show. That's one of the people who he's thinking of, but he's got a lot of others."
Delgado's first choice was to play for the Yankees, but that was never a serious possibility. Now the Mets, the Baltimore Orioles, the Florida Marlins and the Texas Rangers are among the teams interested.
Delgado, a first baseman, has said he is looking for a four-year deal with an average salary of about $14 million. He has received offers in the range of $10 million a year. He batted .269 with 32 homers and 99 runs batted in for Toronto last year.
The Mets will introduce Beltran at a news conference at Shea Stadium this morning. They will hold another one tomorrow in Port St. Lucie, Fla., their spring home, as well as a third one Thursday in Puerto Rico.
When the Mets are in Puerto Rico, Wilpon and Minaya are likely to meet with Delgado and Sloane.