Jan. 19.10: The Mets Hall of Fame.

John Delcos — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:56:04 +0000

STRAWBERRY: Leads four into Mets' Hall.

The Mets will announce today that Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, Davey Johnson and Frank Cashen will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame. All good choices, all deserving.

Cashen was the architect, Johnson the manager and Strawberry and Gooden the hitting and pitching faces from the 1986 team.

Do you agree with the choices? I, for one, am glad to see the Mets honoring their past. There will be a Hall of Fame and team museum in the Rotunda in what used to be the team store.

Strawberry, Gooden, Johnson and Cashen join Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter and Mookie Wilson from the 1986 Mets in the team’s Hall of Fame.

In other news:

* Jeff Francoeur avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $5 million contract. The Mets and Francoeur aren’t done as they are considering a contract extension. The Mets traditionally avoid arbitration and continue talking with Pedro Feliciano, Sean Green and Angel Pagan.

* NESN.com reported the Red Sox and Jason Bay agreed to a four-year, $60 million extension last June, but it fell through when a MRI showed problems with both knees. The Mets signed Bay to a four-year, $66 million contract with a vesting fifth-year option. Does that give the impression the Mets were truly bidding against themselves?

* Carlos Delgado is batting .280 in winter ball with one extra base hit and two RBI in eight games. Reports are he’s still sluggish running. But, with Carlos Beltran out, there’s need for left-handed power and that enhances the chances of him being re-signed.

Davey Johnson goes to work for Nats ….

John Delcos — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:53:53 +0000

Davey Johnson is back in the majors, hired as a front office adviser to GM Mike Rizzo. One of his specialties is recognizing and working with young talent. That would be minor league players. That would be a Mets’ weakness.

JOHNSON: Now with Nationals.

This would be about a lost opportunity. If the Mets are really serious about strengthening the ties with their past, Johnson would have been a good place to start. Johnson had previously worked with the Nationals before under Jim Bowden. You would think the Mets would have kept tabs on his baseball interests just in case.

All this talk about bringing Bobby Valentine back? How about a little love for Johnson, who managed the Mets’ last championship team? Valentine has a core group of media in his corner, but not Johnson.

Johnson has been working with the US WBC and Olympic teams. He spent the summer managing amateur players in the Florida Collegiate Summer League. He’s already watched draft pick Stephen Strasburg pitch.

“When I first laid eyes on him, I really got nervous,” Johnson said. “He threw so good. … He reminded me of a little bit more advanced Dwight Gooden. … I love to see young talent,” Johnson said. “I know what a good prospect looks like.”

Said Rizzo: “He’s a deep thinker, and he’s done every aspect you can do in the game. Just to be around a person of his knowledge and his database, it just helps me out that much better.”

The John Delcos New York Mets Report » Davey Johnson

Jan. 19.10: The Mets Hall of Fame.

Davey Johnson goes to work for Nats ….