After being placed on waivers a couple of days ago, Ruben Gotay was claimed by the Braves today. And bang your head against the wall.... now.

After agreeing last Thursday to a one-year contract with Ryan Church worth $2 million, the Mets shored up a weakness they didn't really have by inking Tony Armas to a minor league deal and inviting the former Expo to spring training.

Armas is still only 29 (ed. note: is that even possible?), but he has posted the following ugly inning/ERA+ combinations over the past four seasons.

Year	IP	ERA+
2004	72.0	93
2005	101.1	82
2006	164.0	85
2007	97.0	72

His three most comparable players are Scott Kamieniecki, Rich Gale and Pete Smith. That's a veritable "Who's Who" of nobody cares. I guess it could be worse, and there's nothing wrong with carrying a bit of rotation depth at the cost of nothing, especially if it means we never have to see Chan Ho Park or Brian Lawrence again. Still, I have to think that Mike Pelfrey and Jorge Sosa are both superior options to fill in should any of the rotation principals become unavailable for any period of time.

Mets salmagundi, umm, bullet list.

• John Beamer steps into his time machine and takes a look at the future of the Mets. He's gone all the way to the year 2009 to see what shape the roster and payroll will be in. This is over at The Hardball Times. His conclusion is that the Mets will be fine, despite committing an awful lot of money to Johan Santana and having to fill holes in left, at first, plus potentially three starting rotation spots.
• ESPN's Sunday Conversation was with Johan Santana. The whole thing is maybe ninety seconds long, so there isn't really much to sink your teeth into there. The interviewer asked some question about how Santana will feel about pitching with Pedro Martinez, and it still isn't clear to me what she was getting at with that one.
• Pitchers and catchers report in two days, so here's a little five questions by Mark Hale of the Post. Nothing crazy, but it'll kill a few minutes.
• Hide your women and children, Keith Hernandez will be back in the booth for the Mets in 2008. Terms of his deal were not announced, but it is said to be for multiple years.

Per Mets.com, Johan Santana passed his physical today, making official the deal that he and the Mets reached around 6:30pm Friday night. The Mets will make an official announcement at 4:30pm today.

According to the Mets.com report, the two sides agreed to dissolve the remaining year on Santana's current deal with the Twins that would have paid him $13.25 million in 2008. Santana will be guaranteed $137.5 million for six years -- 2008 through 2013 -- and the Mets have an option for 2014 with a $5.5 million buyout. We don't know the value of the option year right now, but the buyout is considered guaranteed money, so it sounds like the six years will be worth $132 million, or $22 million per season on average. The AAV (average annual value) would exceed the $18 million average that Barry Zito's deal -- signed last offseason with the Giants -- will pay him over seven seasons.

Marty Noble also indicates that some portion of the contract is deferred, reducing the present-day value of the deal.

Also, woot! Santana's a Met!

The Mets and their five remaining arbitration-eligible players have exchanged salary figures. We are constantly reminded that the Mets haven't taken a player all the way to arbitration since David Cone in 1992, when Cone asked for $4,250,000 and the Mets countered with $3,000,000. Cone won his arbitration hearing, and the $4,250,000 purse was a record at the time.

The Mets probably won't make it all the way to arbitration with any of their current players, but they're quite a bit apart with some of these guys.

Player	Mets $	Player $
Endy Chavez	$1,725,000	$2,075,000
Ryan Church	$1,750,000	$2,450,000
Pedro Feliciano	$880,000	$1,200,000
Oliver Perez	$4,750,000	$6,500,000
Jorge Sosa	$1,700,000	$2,750,000

Oliver Perez is represented by Scott Boras, but I can't imagine the Mets will let him get to arbitration. The Mets will make every effort to retain Perez when (or before) his contract expires after this season, and they won't do themselves any favors by putting him in front of an arbiter.

Jorge Sosa is a different story, because the Mets could get along just fine without him, and I think Sosa would have a tough time convincing anybody that he is worth nigh $3 million.

Arbitration hearings would be held between February 1st and the 20th.

A quiet offseason just got infinitesimally less quiet, as the Mets sent minor league outfielder Corey Coles (26) and right-handed pitcher Ryan Meyers (22) to the Cubs in exchange for outfielder Angel Pagan, who had been in the Mets' system from 2000 through 2005.

Pagan, a switch hitter, is a career .255/.306/.415 hitter in the big leagues. He was sold to the Cubbies back in 2006, and the Mets have brought him back for some outfield depth in New Orleans, presumably.

David Lennon has the scoop.

Per Steve Popper's blog, the Mets have signed free agent reliever Matt Wise to a one-year deal -- presumably a big-league one -- though the value of the deal wasn't announced.

Wise was non-tendered by the Brewers last week and I spoke briefly about him at the time. Here are his pertinent rate stats courtesy of FanGraphs.com:

Season	Team	K/9	BB/9	K/BB	HR/9	AVG	WHIP	BABIP	LOB%	FIP
2000	Angels	4.82	3.13	1.54	1.69	.275	1.42	.279	70.1 %	5.69
2001	Angels	9.12	3.28	2.78	2.01	.253	1.32	.288	77.5 %	5.29
2002	Angels	6.48	1.08	6.00	0.00	.230	0.96	.286	66.7 %	2.48
2004	Brewers	5.13	2.56	2.00	0.51	.256	1.25	.288	64.3 %	3.77
2005	Brewers	8.67	3.50	2.48	0.84	.169	0.96	.206	70.7 %	3.79
2006	Brewers	5.48	2.84	1.93	1.22	.265	1.33	.285	70.3 %	4.82
2007	Brewers	7.21	2.85	2.53	0.84	.287	1.45	.341	68.1 %	3.81
2008	Bill James	6.98	2.93	2.38	0.90	.252	1.28	.294		4.00

The final line represents Wise's 2008 projection from the Bill James Handbook. I'm ambivalent to the signing. Wise isn't anything special, but he's not really awful (his BABIP was .341 last year, which likely accounted to his jump in ERA). It'll be interesting to see how he performs relative to Guillermo Mota, whom the Mets dumped on the Brewers who, in turn, dumped Matt Wise.

UPDATE: The contract is for $1.2 million, or $750k if Wise is cut during spring training. Pretty low-risk move on the Mets' part. For the Brewers' part, Jeff Sackmann of Brew Crew Ball gives his take in a post amusingly titled "Omar Minaya 2, Doug Melvin 0, Brewers Fans -7":

Short version: the Brewers traded Matt Wise for Guillermo Mota and took on an extra $1.5-2MM to do so.

The only way this is defensible to me AT ALL is if the Brewers know something about Mota or Wise that we don't know. Maybe Mota is ready to bounce back (though he doesn't have that lengthy of a good track record) and maybe Wise really is done after hitting Pedro Lopez in the face. I guess we'll see. It's also possible that, when Melvin traded for Mota, he couldn't imagine that he'd be able to get three more superior relievers in Gagne, Riske, and Torres, and didn't think Mota's acquisition would mean we couldn't keep Wise.

But, regardless of the thought process, this doesn't make me happy. I wasn't happy about losing Wise before, but losing Wise to the Mets is even more obnoxious.

Additions to the MLB non-tender list are trickling in. Here's what we've got so far:

American League

Angels

• Dallas McPherson, 3B - Formerly a "can't miss" prospect, McPherson's stock has fallen incredibly after failing to establish himself in limited playing time with the Angels in parts of 2005 and 2006. He underwent back surgery last January and missed all of the 2007 season. Nevertheless, he is still just 27, is a career .301/.381/.578 hitter in 481 minor league games, and he showed decent power in the bigs, notching 39 extra-base hits in 384 plate appearances. I would definitely bring him on and see if he can get healthy again. There's no room for him at the hot corner, but his minor league track record is such that he could be a credible big league first-baseman.

A's

• Kiko Calero, RHP - Acquired by the A's in the Mark Mulder deal three offseasons ago, Calero had a rough 2007, posting a sub-8.00 strikeouts-per-nine for the first time in his career (6.86 K/9). He turns 33 in January and has seen his walk rate increase each of the last three seasons. He's probably worth at least an invite to spring training, but some team will offer him a big league contract.
• Jose Garcia, RHP - I have no idea who he is.

Blue Jays

• Josh Towers, RHP - Not a terrible starting pitcher, and could benefit from a switch to the National League. He has very good control and, despite unimpressive strikeout marks, has a very solid 3.17 K/BB for his career. Might be an interesting guy to bring in for a crack at the fifth starter spot.

Mariners

• John Parrish, LHP - Meh, nothing to see here.

Rangers

• Akinori Otsuka, RHP - Otsuka was shut down in August of this year with elbow soreness. He began throwing again at the beginning of November and expects to be ready for spring training. He has been a very good reliver over the past four seasons with the Padres and Rangers, and the Mets should definitely be in on this one.

Red Sox

• Brendan Donnelly, RHP - Turned 36 in July and isn't as dominant as he once was, but he might be a decent middle-innings guy for some clubs. He made $1.4 million last year and the Red Sox had no interest in giving him any more than that this year.

Royals

• Emil Brown, OF - Brown was surprisingly not terrible for a couple of seasons with the Royals, but he turns 33 in a couple of weeks and is a career .262/.329/.401 corner outfielder. He made $3.45 million in 2007 and figures to make far less than that now that he's a free agent.

Tigers

• Chad Durbin, RHP - Durbin turned 30 last week and has never posted an adjusted ERA better than the league average. He split time between the rotation and the bullpen with the Tigers in 2007 and wasn't particularly noteworthy in either capacity.

Twins

• Jason Tyner, OF - Originally a first round selection by the Mets in 1998 (21st overall), Tyner has shown zero power or on-base ability over the course of his 439 big league games. He'll probably get a minor league deal somewhere, but he really doesn't have much in the way of marketable baseball skills.

White Sox

• Andy Gonzalez, IF - Showed decent plate discipline as a minor leaguer, but hit for neither average nor power. He didn't hit a lick in 189 at-bats with the White Sox this year.
• LHP Heath Phillips, LHP - Not much here. Phillips had a solid season in Triple-A in 2006 but wasn't very good in either the minors or the majors (7.1 innings with the Sox) this year.

National League

Astros

• Adam Everett, SS - Winds up on the short end of the shortstop stick after the Astros' acquisition of Miguel Tejada on Wednesday. Everett is a phenomenal fielder who has never been much of a hitter. His career .248/.299/.357 batting line will render him as little more than a defensive replacement on some team.

Braves

• Willie Harris, IF-OF - Harris draws a decent number of walks but is otherwise replaceable as a hitter. He lacks the offensive skills to make any kind of impact as a big league outfielder.

Brewers

• Kevin Mench, OF - I talked about Mench couple of days ago; not much else to say on that particular topic.
• Matt Wise, RHP - Wise isn't a terrible reliever, but he isn't especially good, either. He doesn't strike out a ton of batters, but he doesn't kill himself with walks, either. His BABIP was .341 last year, but he also just turned 32.

Cardinals

• Aaron Miles, 2B - Larry Borowsky gave Miles a eulogy even before he was cut; Miles is pretty much terrible at everything. He might be a great fielder; I don't know because I didn't look it up. I care that little about Aaron Miles.

Cubs

• Mark Prior, RHP - This is the one everyone was waiting for. Prior was going to get a raise over his $3.65 million salary despite not even making a start last year and appearing in only nine games since the 2005 season ended. Prior was phenomenally good in 2003 as a 22-year-old, striking out 245 batters while walking just 50 in 211.1 innings. Since then he has mostly been phenomenally injured, and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his pitching shoulder last April. He began a throwing program in September and is expected to return no sooner than mid-May of 2008. He's probably worth signing to a low-risk, high-reward type deal, though I have a feeling that some team is going to overpay for him based on his once-greatness.

Dodgers

• Mark Hendrickson, LHP - He's 6'9", so he's got that going for him. Little else, unfortunately.

Marlins

• Miguel Olivo, C - Good power, swings at everything, never walks.

Mets

• Johnny Estrada, C - Never played a game for the Mets after being acquired for Guillermo Mota back in November. Figured to make $4 million or more, which is a bit more than the Mets were hoping to pay for a third-string catcher. He will catch on somewhere else for less money.
• Ben Johnson, OF - Now the Mets officially have nothing to show for practically giving Heath Bell to the Padres last offseason. Bravo.
• Juan Padilla, RHP - Hasn't pitched in two years, and the Mets clearly didn't want to stick around to find out what he could do. No big loss here.

Nationals

• Nook Logan, OF - Logan is a burner, but he doesn't really have the hitting chops to cut it as a big league outfielder, even in center field. He has no power to speak of and doesn't walk enough to make up for the lack of punch.
• Mike O'Connor, LHP - Many Met fans will remember this game on May 2, 2006, in which O'Connor allowed just two hits over seven innings in his second career start. Most forget this start four-and-a-half months later, also at Shea Stadium, when O'Connor allowed eight hits and six runs in 4.2 innings. He made just one more start in the big leagues that season and spent all of 2007 in the minors. He actually has pretty solid numbers as a minor leaguer, excepting his disastrous 2007 in which he posted a 7.07 ERA in 71.1 innings. Could be an interesting pickup.

Padres

• Jack Cassel, RHP - Nondescript mostly minor league pitcher with pretty good control and underwhelming strikeout numbers. Turned 27 in August.
• Ryan Ketchner, LHP - Turns 26 in April, never played a big league game, but has pretty okay numbers as a minor leaguer. Dominated the lower levels with the Dodgers before struggling at Triple-A with the Padres last year.
• Morgan Ensberg, IF - Another interesting name, Ensberg has two terrific seasons and one solid season with the Astros on his resume to go along with a couple of stinkers. He turned 32 in August, but he has pretty good power and very good plate discipline. Might be a good fit in Philadelphia.
• Jason Lane, OF - Once a hot commodity, Lane clubbed 26 homeruns with the Astros in 2005. He hasn't done anything since.

Wednesday is the big MLB deadline for teams to offer their own players salary arbitration or send them down the river in a basket to Non-tenderland, the latter of which renders said players free agents with the privilege of signing with whomever they choose (or who chooses them). The Mets have nine players eligible for arbitration:

• Endy Chavez (3rd year of eligibility), who is almost certain to return for something more than the $1.7 million he made in 2007. I'm a big Endy fan, but it isn't clear that he is worth the $2.5 million or so he might be awarded in arbitration to provide great defense and little else. That said, I don't think there's any chance the Mets don't bring him back for 2008.
• Pedro Feliciano (1st year), who could make $1-$2 million and figures to be a key component of the Mets' bullpen again
• Aaron Heilman (1st year), who is in the same boat as Feliciano in most respects. Some actually believe this will be the year Heilman gets another crack at the starting rotation, but I think that's a pipe dream. I don't really know if he would be any good as a starter, but I do know that he is very good as a reliever. I wouldn't have a problem with the Mets giving him a rotation tryout but I don't really see it happening.
• Duaner Sanchez (2nd year), a guy the Mets are really hoping can return to anything that remotely resembles his pre-cab ride 2006 form. Filthy didn't pitch at all in 2007 so his return to the back end of the Mets' bullpen is anything but a guarantee.
• Juan Padilla (1st year), who knows? Some are penciling him into the bullpen already, but the guy hasn't pitched since 2005 when he posted a 1.49 ERA in 36.1 innings with an uninspiring 17/13 K/BB ratio. I'm not holding my breath.
• Oliver Perez (3rd year), made just $2.3 million last year and should get a bump up to the $5 million range in his final year of arbitration. He is a Scott Boras client and will be a free agent after 2007 2008, and the Mets will try awfully hard to lock him up long term. Boras doesn't normally swing that way, so the Mets have their work cut out for them if they expect to ink him to an extension before he is released to the wolves.
• Jorge Sosa (3rd year), earned $2.2 million in 2007 and may get bumped up to $3.5 or $4 million. He was a jack-of-all-trades last year, and his role on the 2008 staff is opaquely-defined at this point. I don't think he has any business in the starting rotation (outside of a spot start here and there), and I don't have a lot of faith in him in short relief. His niche may turn out to be long relief/swingman, filling the role that Darren Oliver left behind after 2006 and that Aaron Sele did little to claim as his own last year. You could certainly make the argument that Sosa isn't worth $4 million (I know I would), and the Mets might be better off not tendering him a contract and finding a swingman elsewhere; perhaps via some other team's discarded personnel after the dust settles on Wednesday.
• Dave Williams (3rd year), is going to pitch in Japan next season for the Yokohama BayStars of the Central League. The Mets actually outrighted Williams to AAA New Orleans back in November so he didn't figure in their plans.
• David Newhan (3rd year), like Williams was sent to New Orleans at the beginning of November and opted for free agency in lieu of the minor league assignment.

There are usually a handful of interesting names in the non-tender bargain bin, so we'll have to wait and see who other teams deem to be unworthy of the mandatory arbitration salary bump that might be worth taking a flier on.

UPDATE [11:34am]: Johnny Estrada is also arb-eligible (3rd year), and will probably be non-tendered. The Mets will try to find somewhere to trade him, but with Ramon Castro and Brian Schneider already on the ledger for 2008 it would seem that there is no room for Ponch.

Local area papers are aflutter with news that Ramon "Hippo" Castro will return to the Mets after agreeing to a two-year, $4 million deal.

It also appears that we will have an answer from Norbit Yorvit Torrealba today, as his agent Melvin Roman said, "All I can say is Omar (Minaya) and the Mets have done a tremendous job". Roman was also overheard muttering, "Three years, fifteen mill for this guy? Really?".

Castro and Torrealba are set up to split time at catcher next year, hopefully with Castro getting at least half of the playing time if not more. Castro is clearly the superior hitter while historically Torrealba has been a strong defender. Such a tandem would represent a perfectly reasonable catching platoon, with Torrealba manning the plate against high-speed opponents while Castro would play whenever the Mets wanted any actual offensive production from the position.

No official announcement has been made regarding Castro, as he is likely to take a physical before anything is set into stone. Castro had some back problems last year and his overall health is his biggest concern going forward.

Mets transactions, per Rotoworld:

Dave Williams and David Newhan were outrighted to Triple-A New Orleans. Williams declined the assignment and Newhan will likely do the same.

These are nothing transactions. Williams might be reasonable as a long-man, but he only appeared in two games for the Mets last year, allowing 11 runs in 4.1 innings. Newhan stunk up the joint at every opportunity and, though the Mets will surely miss his Jewishness, they certainly won't miss his putrid offense.

Mets declined their $4 million option on Brian Lawrence for 2008.

No-brainer here. I had high hopes for Lawrence for some reason, and he looked good in most of his starts for an inning or two. After that everything fell apart and he rarely gave the Mets a reasonable chance to win. Good riddance.

Mets declined their $4.3 million option on Jose Valentin for 2008.

The Mets may still look to bring Valentin back next year as a bench player/pinch hitter, though a lot really depends what they decide to do at second base. If they bring Luis Castillo back (or something similar) they will already have Damion Easley and Ruben Gotay on the bench capable of manning the middle infield, so Valentin's presence would probably be extraneous.

Mets agreed to a two-year deal with Marlon Anderson worth $2.2 million; $1.05 million in 2008 and $1.15 million in 2009

It's a pittance in the grand scheme of thing, but I find it amusing that the Mets let Anderson walk after the 2005 season because they didn't want to go to two years. Here we are two years later, Anderson is two years older, and now the Mets go that extra year. Anderson hit .319/.355/.551 in 69 at-bats with the Mets last year.