Money Sure Doesn't Go Very Far These Days....

....not even in baseball, and maybe ESPECIALLY not in baseball, as in our very own New York Mets.

I mean, take a look at who's making what, and tell me that any one of them is worth the money they're getting paid.

Let's start with our (quote, unquote) ace, Johan Santana, who's making a cool $137.5 million for six years, which roughly breaks down to $22,916,666.66 per year as a Met. Let's see, what's his record right now? 7-6, including last night's disgraceful performance in giving up a grand slam to the opposing PITCHER, fcol! The first time in 37 YEARS an AL pitcher has hit a grand slam in major league baseball. And of course, it happens against the Mets, with the (ahem) "ace" on the mound.

I know Santana's a "second half pitcher," or so they say. But you know what? For that kind of money, he has to find a way to be a FIRST HALF PITCHER as well. He certainly hasn't pitched like the guy we thought we were getting, at the very least. Sure, he's had some tough luck in a couple of starts, and very easily could have had another win or two. And sure, David Wright SHOULD have caught that ball properly last night. But pitchers who make what Santana makes have little or no excuse for failing to perform.

Now let's move on to Carlos Delgado. Early in 2005, he signed a four-year, $52 million contract with an option for 2009. This year, he makes $16 million. All this for giving the Mets lackluster defense 95% of the time, for failing to execute with runners on base even half the time, and for stirring up the shit in the clubhouse, if rumors are to be believed. And those rumors are far too numerous to discount.

And let's not forget the option for 2009, and the buyout figure of $4 million.

It's enough to make you slightly ill, if not violently sick.

And how about Moises Alou's two-year deal signed before the 2007 season, under which he gets $7.5 million this year, the Mets having exercised his option. And so far, he's spent at least half the time on the DL, if not more than half, and it's questionable whether he'll return at all. Fragile doesn't even begin to describe this guy, and it's not as if this fragility was something new with Moises.

And let's not forget, he's the oldest guy currently in the major leagues. But that's another subject for another post.

I'm not even going to start about the four-year $25 million deal Castillo inked with the Mets last year... or the Beltran contract for which the Mets overpaid, but which at the time was pretty understandable...

Old guys getting new money... what a concept. Sign me up, Scotty. You just have to wonder whether spending all of this money on free agent acquisitions is really paying off.