The Mets have signed 35-year old lefty swinging Frank Catalanotto to a minor league deal. He played in 77 games for the Brewers last season and he was 40 for 144 (.278 avg, .728 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 1 homer, 9 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Catalanotto has now played in 1,240 games in his major league career and he is 1,109 for 3,799 (.292 avg, .804 OPS) with 560 runs scored, 84 homers, 456 RBIs and 45 stolen bases. I love this signing for the Mets’ bench which looks like it will be improved for 2010.

The Mets have signed 33-year old righty starter/reliever Josh Fogg to a minor league deal. Fogg pitched in 24 games (1 start) for the Rockies last season and he was 0-2 with a 3.74 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He has now pitched in 243 games (194 starts) in his major league career and he is 62-69 with a 5.03 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Fogg could either be a long reliever or a starter if he makes the Mets out of spring training.

Dwight Gooden burst on the scene with the Mets in 1984 when he was 19 years old. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in the National League that year. He pitched in 31 games (all starts) in 1984 for the Mets and he was 17-9 with a 2.60 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Gooden only allowed 161 hits in 218 innings as a rookie while leading the majors in strikeouts with 276 which shows how nasty his fastball (which was blazing) and his curveball (knee buckling) were. He took his game to a new level in 1985 for the Mets when he won the Cy Young Award by having one of the best seasons for a starting pitcher in the majors of all-time. Gooden started 35 games in 1985 and he was 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. He only allowed 198 hits in 276 2/3 innings while whiffing a major league leading 268 batters. He got a couple of nicknames like “Doc” and “Dr. K” but little did anyone know he was seeing a doctor who would ruin his career. The Dr. he was seeing was drug dealers. Cocaine ruined Gooden’s career as he couldn’t handle all of his fame and fortune. It showed in his performance as he never came close to the level he pitched his first two years in the majors. Gooden pitched 11 years for the Mets appearing in 305 games (303 starts) in which he was 157-85 with 1 save, a 3.10 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Gooden finished his career tied for 8th in Mets’ history in games pitched (305), #3 in games started (303), #2 in wins (157), #5 in ERA (3.10), #3 in complete games (67), #4 in shutouts (23), #2 in strikeouts (1,875) and #3 in innings pitched (2,169 2/3). Drugs totally ruined Gooden’s career as he had Hall of Fame talent.

24-year old lefty swinging Daniel Murphy and 35-year old righty swinging Fernando Tatis are going to platoon at 1B in 2010 for the Mets. Murphy played in 155 games for the Mets last season and he was 135 for 508 (.266 avg, .740 OPS) with 60 runs scored, 12 homers, 63 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Murphy doesn’t have much of an upside as a hitter and he is a butcher at 1B defensively. He made 10 errors in only 101 games at 1B last season for the Mets. They better be hitting him a ton of ground balls this spring.

Fernando Tatis played in 125 games for the Mets last season and he was 96 for 340 (.282 avg, .777 OPS) with 42 runs scored, 8 homers, 48 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Tatis is a decent hitter but his production will also be below average for a 1B in the majors. He does play better defense than Murphy as he only made 1 error in 41 games at 1B last season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 1B IN 2010: D+

The Mets have re-signed 35-year old righty swinging 1B/OF Fernando Tatis. Tatis played in 125 games for the Mets this season and he was 96 for 340 (.282 avg, .777 OPS) with 42 runs scored, 8 homers, 48 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He has now played in 908 games in his major league career and he is 795 for 2,986 (.266 avg, .790 OPS) with 421 runs scored, 111 homers, 442 RBIs and 50 stolen bases. Tatis will likely platoon at 1B with Daniel Murphy in 2010.