In early January, the Mets signed Braden Looper to a two-year, $6.75M contract that includes a $250,000 buyout on a $5M option for 2006. In addition to a $2M signing bonus, he'll reportedly receive salaries of $1M in 2004 and $3.5M.

Looper became a free agent in late December, when the Marlins chose to non-tender him while signing Armando Benitez. New York intends to use Looper as their closer in 2004. The 29-year-old groundball pitcher doesn't dominate his opposition, but he has the skills to pitch effectively, and though he wasn't allowed to hold onto the job, he had some success as a closer for the Marlins. I expect Looper will perform satisfactorily for the Mets, however I question the club's decision to sign him to a deal of this size given their other pitching talent. David Weathers would have been a fine alternative to close, and New York has several candidates vying for a spot in the pen. I still believe Orber Moreno has the potential to develop into an excellent reliever, and he may not even have a place in the pen when the team breaks camp.

Meanwhile, the Mets non-tendered Scott Strickland and then signed him to a one-year, $650,000 contract in late December. The deal includes up to $300,000 in incentives based on games. Strickland reportedly will earn $25,000 at 35 and 40 games, $35,000 for 45 G, $40,000 for 50 G, another $25,000 for 55, and then $50,000 at 60, 65, and 70 games. Seldom have I seen a contract include incentives this complex for achievements so unlikely.

Strickland underwent Tommy John surgery in late June of 2003, and while relievers can usually return to their roles faster than starting pitchers, I certainly don't expect the 27-year-old to be ready to break camp with the club. I'd be surprised if he was back before late May, and relievers who spend the entire season in the majors infrequently appear in 70 games. Similar concerns about the speed of his recovery cause me to question his salary, since it wouldn't be shocking for him to miss the entire year. Logically, New York should have built a more reasonable incentives package on top of a base salary two or three hundred thousand dollars less. Teams can find bargains among pitchers returning from major arm surgery, but in this case, the Mets will be lucky if Strickland proves equal to his salary.