So the Mets may not be signing
Cubs pugilist Carlos Zambrano anytime soon, but they did sign a guy who did try to kick Zambrano's butt.
Ron Hunt flagged this deal last night. The Mets have signed
journeyman catcher Michael Barrett to a minor league deal.
Ron wrote: "I like this small deal. It seems pretty obvious that Santos is s terrible pitch-calling catcher, he never gets recalled, and Thole is young and the jury is out but either way should our two experienced catchers, who have made a huge difference this year, get hurt, we now have some veteran protection."
Here's the full story:
The New York Mets have signed former major league catcher Michael Barrett to a minor league contract, a club official confirmed on Tuesday.
Barrett, 33, has not played since 2009, when he went into the season as Rod Barajas' backup with the Toronto Blue Jays before injuries cut short his season. He will report to the Mets' Class A team at Port St. Lucie, Fla., and after a few weeks he's expected to move up to Triple-A Buffalo. If Barrett can play, the move will give the Mets additional security, as Barajas and Henry Blanco have both battled injuries at the major league level.
During his 12-year career with the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Blue Jays, Barrett batted .263 with 98 homers and 424 runs batted in. The fiery Barrett is probably most famous for brawling with A.J. Pierzynski of the Chicago White Sox in 2006 and with his Cubs teammate, Carlos Zambrano, in 2007.
"Some of the things that happened are a circumstance of the way baseball is, and what kind of competitor I am," Barrett said after the Cubs traded him to the Padres. "I play on the edge, a lot."
