Mets Sign Free-Agent Ventura
The New York Mets needed one day to answer almost all of the remaining questions about the makeup of next year's team.
The Mets outbid the Baltimore Orioles for free-agent third baseman Robin Ventura on Tuesday and also sent Todd Hundley and a minor-league pitcher to Los Angeles for catcher Charles Johnson and outfielder Roger Cedeno.
They then traded Johnson to Baltimore for reliever Armando Benitez, meaning Johnson and Mike Piazza -- who were traded for each other in May -- were teammates in New York for a few minutes in December.
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The last major move left for Mets general manager Steve Phillips this off-season is to acquire another outfielder, preferably one who can lead off. To answer that need, Phillips is expected to meet with representatives for free agent Rickey Henderson on Thursday.
The Mets agreed to a $32 million, four-year deal with Ventura, the former White Sox third baseman, a pair of sources familiar with his negotiations told The Associated Press on condition they not be identified. While the sides agreed on the total dollars, they still had to work out how to structure it.
The Mets confirmed the signing Wednesday, apparently ending their interest in B.J. Surhoff. Also, it means Edgardo Alfonzo will move to second base. Ventura hit .263 with 21 homers and 91 RBIs last season and will provide left-handed protection in the lineup for Piazza and a Gold Glove fielder at third base.
The acquisition of Benitez solidifies the Mets' bullpen. He joins right-hander Turk Wendell and left-hander Dennis Cook as set-up men for closer John Franco, giving New York one of the deepest relief corps in the league.
Benitez went 5-6 with a 3.82 ERA and 22 saves last season for Baltimore. The right-hander's 100-mph fastball enabled him to register 87 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings this season.
But he never qute showed the maturity necessary to handle the closer's role. His low point of last season occurred May 19 when he hit Tino Martinez of the Yankees with a pitch after allowing a homer to Bernie Williams. Benitez was suspended for eight games as a result.
"This allows Benitez to be in the best role for this stage of his career," Phillips said. "With the strength of our bullpen, he will not be called upon to close regularly. The incidents he has had are part of the maturity process that will happen."
The 24-year-old Cedeno, a switch-hitter long considered a top prospect, played in 105 games for the Dodgers last season and hit .242 with two homers and 17 RBIs. He will probably back up all three outfield positions.
"Cedeno has a tremendous upside," Phillips said. "He is a very talented athlete who can cover a lot of territory and gives us a lot of versatility as we proceed for 1999."
Hundley became expendable after New York kept Piazza with a $91 million, seven-year deal in October. Hundley struggled last season after returning from the disabled list in July following reconstructive surgery on his right elbow at the end of the 1997 season.
By the time he returned, he already had lost his job behind the plate to Piazza, who was acquired from Florida on May 22. The Mets failed in an attempt to convert Hundley to an outfielder, as he committed five errors in 34 starts in left field.
"It's a bittersweet day in Mets history with Todd Hundley leaving the organization," Phillips said. "Todd endured a lot with the injury and other situations and he handled it with dignity."
Hundley, a 29-year-old switch-hitter, hit just .161 with three homers, 12 RBIs and 55 strikeouts in 124 at-bats, limiting his trade value. Before the injury, Hundley was one of the most feared hitters in the league, setting a major-league record for homers by a catcher in 1996 with 41.
Hundley also hit .259 and drove in 112 runs that year. He followed that up with 30 homers and 86 RBI in 1997, when he was hampered by elbow problems.
The minor-leaguer the Mets gave up was right-hander Arnold Gooch, 22, who was 11-14 with a 3.90 ERA last season for Double-A Binghamton.
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