The Mets had the opportunity yesterday to formally introduce Art Howe as their new manager, although the information leaked during the World Series, causing a much frowned upon distraction. Howe signed a 4-year $9.4M contract with the club.

He seemed pleased with his new position and expressed no regrets about leaving Oakland, even claiming he didn't feel pushed out in any way. Howe took a slight dig at his former positions with the Astros and A's as he talked about the tremendous fan support in New York and how nice it would be "to have that on [his] side for a change."

However, I was most startled when Howe remarked, "It's the first time in my life I might actually be managing a club with a couple Hall of Famers, two, three, maybe even four before it's all said and done." Moving beyond the difficulty of finding four Hall of Famers on the Mets, he completely slighted Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, and Jason Giambi at the very least, as well as possibly Eric Chavez and Miguel Tejada.

As with so many managers, he basically cited the Golden Rule as his motto in dealing with the players. When asked about returning to NL ball after his extended stint in the AL, Howe expressed pleasure at the opportunity to return to an environment with more little ball options. Meanwhile he made it clear that he won't ask players to do things they can't (such as bunt or steal when the percentages are against them). He also stated that he had learned the value of a walk, a big inning, and good pitching.

Due to his comments about All-Stars at every position and Hall of Famers, I'm a bit concerned that Howe thinks he's managing the Yankees rather than the Mets. Nonetheless, I think he should perform adequately in New York. The Mets should begin integrating more young players into their roster over the course of his contract, and Howe has a good reputation when it comes to working with developing players. I don't share the concerns he'll experience difficulties with the veterans of the team. He also should take care of the pitchers on the Mets' staff.

Later in the day, Tampa Bay held a press conference to introduce Lou Piniella as their manager. Piniella signed a four-year, $13M contract. Although he never received an opportunity to interview with the Mets since New York couldn't agree on compensation with the Mariners, Piniella appeared pleased to accept the Tampa position. This job allows him to work near his home more than any other managerial position. Piniella also likes the direction of the Devil Rays. He's worked with clubs through rebuilding phases in the past and looks forward to teaching the young players in Tampa.

Of course, a large part of the Piniella story is the compensation Seattle demanded in order to release him from the final year of his contract. The compensation agreement was one of the most closely held baseball secrets in recent memory. On Monday, the two teams revealed that the Devil Rays traded Randy Winn to the Mariners in return for Antonio Perez and releasing Piniella.

Winn was available because he is arbitration-eligible this off-season and will merit a considerable raise. Tampa correctly believed that they have players who can cover the position now and in the future, so there was no reason for them to pay Winn as they won't be prepared to win for at least another year. Meanwhile, he won't be blocking anyone close to the majors in Seattle and will provide them with a good defensive outfielder with strong offensive upside. He's a solid acquisition for the Mariners, though I'm quite surprised that they included Perez in the deal.

Perez signed with the Reds as a nondrafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 1999. Cincinnati sent him to Seattle in the Ken Griffey, Jr. trade. Unfortunately, Perez's development has been hindered by injury problems. He missed most of 2001 with a wrist injury and suffered from problems with the wrist again this year, causing him to log only a half season of AA. Were he only 21 as everyone believed prior to the pre-season age adjustments, Perez's time missed due to injury would be less troubling. However, he gained over a year last off-season and will turn 23 in January.

I'm curious as to whether the Devil Rays are aware of his adjusted age, as Chuck LaMar said during the press conference that Perez was "a young 20-year-old, just turned 21 in AA." While I still think Tampa made a good pick-up, it's startling to think that LaMar might have made this trade without knowing Perez's true age. Piniella didn't reference Perez's age at any point, but having spent time with him in Spring Training, Piniella commented that he'd like to see Perez work on becoming more patient at AAA, although he possessed solid defensive attributes, outstanding speed, and some power. I think Perez should return to AA for a few months of the 2003 season to insure that he's ready to advance to the next level. Consequently, even if healthy, I don't expect him to produce well if promoted to the majors much before mid-2004.