Mets Brass Meets With NLCS MVP Jeff Suppan
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A day after dining with Barry Zito, Mets officials met yesterday with another free-agent pitcher, Jeff Suppan.
The NL East champions are seeking to boost a rotation led by Tom Glavine and Orlando Hernandez.
Pedro Martinez is recovering from rotator cuff surgery and hopes to return during the second half of the season. John Maine, Dave Williams, Oliver Perez, Mike Pelfrey, and Philip Humber also hope to start.
Zito and agent Scott Boras dined with the Mets chief operating officer, Jeff Wilpon, general manager Omar Minaya, assistant GM John Ricco and vice president Tony Bernazard in the Los Angeles area.
The Mets took a low-key initial public stance on their recruitment of the pitcher: Wilpon and Minaya didn’t respond to messages about the meeting. Boras was traveling yesterday and could not be reached for comment.
Four teams currently appear to be in the competition for Zito, the top available free-agent pitcher. Zito and Boras met Monday with Seattle general manager Bill Bavasi and manager Mike Hargrove. Zito and Boras traveled to Texas for meetings with Rangers executives on November 30.
Suppan, 32 next month, was 12–7 with a 4.12 ERA for St. Louis this season. He was MVP of the NL championship series in helping the Cardinals to the World Series title.
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Japanese left-hander Kei Igawa is still waiting to sign a contract with the Yankees.
Yet judging by the smile and the Yankees jacket he wore yesterday after an hour-long meeting with general manager Brian Cashman, it should come soon.
“The deal is not done, but it will be nice if we can do it,” Igawa said through a translator.
Igawa and the Yankees have agreed in principle on a five-year, $20 million contract. Igawa and agent Arn Tellem, expected to arrive in New York late yesterday, are still working on the year-to-year breakdown of the pitcher’s salary and performance bonuses.
The 27-year-old Igawa is scheduled to take a physical today. He arrived in New York early yesterday and spent much of the day looking around New York, including a tour of Yankee Stadium.