Mets Continue To Sign Mediocre Players

The Mets have signed left-hander Chris Capuano and right-hander Taylor Buchholz to one-year contracts.  Both are coming back from elbow surgery, but only one has one of the most dubious baseball records of all time.

We knew that this off-season was going to be a tricky one for the New York Mets.  With almost no money to spend, and about five bad contracts to overcome, it has been hot-stove on a budget, just as most assumed that it would be.  The off-season began with the underwhelming news that the Mets had signed Ronny Paulino, DJ Carrasco, and Russ Adams and this week the Mets have announced the signing of pitchers Chris Capuano and Taylor Buchholz.

Taylor Buchholz has a career record of 19-21, with a 4.39 ERA.  Buchholz missed all of 2009 after Tommy John Surgery, and weeks after his 2010 debut, he was placed back on the DL with lower back stiffness.  Don’t look now Mets fans, but that’s the exciting of the two signings.

The other is Chris Capuano.  Capuano was an 18-game winner in 2005 and an All-Star in 2006 but those days are way, way behind him.  Capuano currently holds a streak that only three other people have accomplished in the history of baseball.  Chris Capuano’s teams have lost 19 consecutive games in which he was the starter.  Over 3 years of baseball, and 19 starts, his team has NEVER been the victor in a game where he threw the first pitch.  Ironically enough, the streak began on May 13, 2007 against the Mets.

In an off-season that has left very little room for hope, this isn’t good.