Mets expected to sign free agent Chan Ho Park

The 33-year-old right-hander will sign a one-year contract with New York, according to a Korean newspaper. He will compete for a job in the starting rotation.

Park went 7-7 with a 4.81 ERA (88 ERA+) in 24 appearances for the Padres last season, serving the final year of a notoriously bad five-year, $65 million contract he received from the Rangers in December of 2001. Although Park maintains a lifetime 113-87 record (4.31 ERA), he has been soundly below average for five consecutive seasons.

The good news is 2006 might have been his best concentrated showing in those seasons. He can still touch the low-90s on his fastball to go with good second and third pitches. He actually had a respectable first half before suffering intestinal problems which caused him to miss almost the entire second half. It will be interesting to see how he pitches under the bright lights of the Big Apple.

It’s a move the Mets probably had to do in some form. Odds are Mike Pelfrey and Philip Humber won’t be ready, Oliver Perez is a dice roll and Juan Sosa is better served in that Darren Oliver role of last season.

As for the Phillies, it's an opportunity to pounce on the Mets early. Twenty-two of the Mets' first 28 games are against NL East teams, including five against the Phils. A rotation of Tom Glavine, Orlando Hernandez, John Maine, Perez and Park could look completely different by the all-star break. If the Mets indeed line up that way, the Phillies would hit their 2-3-4 pitchers on April 9-12, then their 3-4 again the following week. That would mean a couple good looks at below average pitchers.

Update: According to the AP, the deal is worth a guaranteed $600,000, with $2.4 million in performance bonuses based on innings pitched.

Comments

[clout]

Jason: Excellent post. This early test will tell us a lot about this Phillies team.

[J. Weitzel]

Thanks. And by all means, feel free to continue the discussion about NL pitching from the previous thread.

The early test is huge. The Mets have what it takes to acquire someone like Zambrano at the deadline.

[Lake Fred]

I was over at Foxsports.com. THey have theor fantasy league profiles, so I checked out their Phillies write-up just for grins. I agreed with most of the stuff, except for their take on Flash Gordon. They have him listed in their top five Phillies Fantasy Picks along with Howard, Utley, Rollins and Myers. I think it is true fantasy to think Gordon will do anything approaching his first half of 2006 in 2007. Boos to Foxsports.

[RickSchuBlues]

Let me get this straight: the Phillies are supposed to fear a team desperate enough to sign Chan Ho Park in February?

Is Schmidt still a spring-training assistant for the Phillies? He'd better patch things up with Burrell if so. Seems like he's still upset that his would-be protege never listened to his gospel on hitting. Amazing that a guy who was so controversy-free during his career can't seem to resist stirring up trouble in his retirement - that is, if anyone's listening.

LF: I'm going to enjoy watching Gordon make you eat your words.

[Tony]

This is the best Phillies signing all off season.

[dajafi]

I have no idea what to make of the Mets rotation. I think the contenders are:

Glavine, El Duque--proven guys, one a future HoFer, but both well advanced in years.

Park, Aaron Sele--formerly very well regarded guys, now vets just trying to hang on

Maine, Perez--talented young starters, but not proven by any stretch

Pelfrey, Humber--top prospects who both probably need more seasoning

And of course Pedro waiting in the wings for a summer return. All things considered, it kind of reminds me of the Phils' rotation options a year ago at this time, and you know how that turned out... the Mets should be so unlucky.

[Tony]

Schmidt is jealous because he can't get the broads Burrell can.

[ae]

Glavine/Hernandez/Perez/Park? does Minaya know what year it is?

[zach]

I remember when Gordon was putting together his All-Star performance last year. Everyone in Philly was thrilled with it, but I remember talking to some Yankees fans who said "you just wait". And as much as it pains me to say it, they were 100% right.

I expect him to have a season similar to last year's. Great in the beginning and then a train wreck. Hopefully we'll get a good set-up guy/closer before the trade deadline, but I think at this point we've all resigned ourselves to the fact that the bullpen will not be a strength for the team this year.

[PhilliesCampAlumnus]

Park is garbage. The Mets are still crying inside about giving up Kazmir and giving a 4-year contract to a 1 1/2 year wash. Pedro will be a closer by next year if he's lucky.

The Mets are opening the doors for the Phils by not building their pitching staff. The Marlins are older, the Phillies are better, and the Mets' starting pitching is fluttering at best.

Mets will most likely make playoffs, maybe repeat the division, but they better hit the crap out of the ball if they even hope to contend for the pennant.

[PhilliesCampAlumnus]

Park is garbage. The Mets are still crying inside about giving up Kazmir and giving a 4-year contract to a 1 1/2 year wash. Pedro will be a closer by next year if he's lucky.

The Mets are opening the doors for the Phils by not building their pitching staff. The Marlins are older, the Phillies are better, and the Mets' starting pitching is fluttering at best.

Mets will most likely make playoffs, maybe repeat the division, but they better hit the crap out of the ball if they even hope to contend for the pennant.

[J. Weitzel]

A comment on Metsblog says Park is only slightly worst than Eaton for a fraction of the cost. I'm prepared to be pleasantly surprised by Eaton.

[ae]

well, sure, except Park is 34 and Eaton is 29...

[Will]

excellent post JW, it definitely amplifies what we already knew: That April is VERY important to the phils' prospects this year.

[Tom G]

Park might be slightly better than Eaton, but Eaton has the potential to be fantastic if healthy. The ceiling on Park is not nearly as high. All things being equal, I would take my chances with Eaton.

[yt]

This is obviously off subject; although the clear theme of the majority of posts here is we need BP help. And hey it isn't about Chris Coste.

Since I stopped paying attention to the Phils from about 10/5/06 until Andy decided to punt on 4th and 15 I assume I missed quite a bit. Can anyone tell me what happened to Yoel Hernandez? I seem to recall he was killing in AAA, but I haven’t heard anything about him all winter. Was he traded?

[J. Weitzel]

Sure. Yoel signed a new contract about a week ago along with a group of about 12 others, including Coste, Ruiz and Mathieson. He's on the 40-man roster.

[Billy Mac]

The Park signing (along with Sele and Sosa) are signs of a desperate GM. Good points Jason about the importance of those early April series.

[yt]

Thanks Jason, I didn’t see him on the Yahoo Phillies page, and on ESPN there is a Yankees logo over his head (I think because Scranton was the last team he played for).

I never see him named as a high prospect, is that because he’ll be 27 by the start of the season? His numbers look good. Although the move from AAA to The Show is always a crap shoot.

[J. Weitzel]

Yeah, if you power ranked the 40 man roster, Yoel would be down there with Ryan Budde because of his age and injuries.

[Bix]

Interesting comments from the METS side of Park vs Eaton as I was thinking the same thing.

One of my buddies played minor league ball with Park and said had some of the best stuff he had ever seen but no one was home upstairs.

The EATON signing still could be decent as I remember when he was in a nice groove a few years ago and looked pretty dominating and as previously mentioned is still under 30.

Better than paying Pedro multi-millions to sit on the bench to spit sunflower seeds & dream of Don Zimmer.

[That Dude]

If the mets have 22 of their first 28 games against the NL East they could end up starting real hot.

[Juan]

kind of random but Bobby Abreu will go 30-30 .300 this year with the yanks enroute to the 300-300 club

[Juan]

I love Bobby

[Bix]

Clout - I think Garcia is still a #1 pitcher and would be for alot of teams, both in talent & mentality and under pressure.

He admitted the 2005 season where he pitched deep into the playoffs & WS had some affect on his 2006 . He then pitched for Venezuela in the WORLD BASEBALL Classic which he believes hurt his velocity.

LakeFred - From the previous post you said that you thought the rotation was not star-studded.

Myers, Garcia, & Hamels is not what any opposing line-up wants to see to start a series. Impression and perception is part of your reasoning I believe but Moyer, Eaton, and Lieber all could be considered #3s but in days gone by they would be our top 3.

Bullpen is still under construction but this team will be exciting and dangerous.

[zach]

It'll definitely be one of the most fun teams to watch in baseball. Whatever apprehensions people have going into the season, the fear that this team will be boring shouldn't be one of them.

[rob]

This team will probably win 91 games.. The only reason it wouldn't win more lies with Cholly.. He'll be responsible for 4 losses

[The Ghost of Bobby Abreu's past]

Juan, Abreu will hit about .290 13 HR, 88 RBI, and will prove that he is old.

[parker]

Chan Ho Park and and the 1996 All star pitching staff doesnt worry me too much. And I look for a big dropoff for Delgado this year. Alby, I'm going with your logic on that prediction. He is old and should break down, but we shall see.

[AWH]

dajafi, as inexperienced as Maine is, he dominated the Phils last year in 3 starts. He won all three. I hope they solve him.

[CY]

FYI -

Bernie Williams turned down the yanks minor league deal. Maybe he is still willing to come aboard if we give him a guar contract.

I would feel a whole lot better about trading Rowand for Linebrink if Bernie is in the mix in RF/LF

[The Iron Pig]

Bernie will retire if he is not a Yankee this season.

[CY]

Gut feeling or has he stated that?

[The Iron Pig]

RSB – It seems that one of the rites of spring now is Mike Schmidt mouthing off to any reporter who will listen. I seem to remember Schmidt as a very controversial player (perhaps you are being sarcastic and I did not pick that up). He is arguably one of the greatest third basemen to every play the game. However, his career was over-shadowed (at least here in Philly) by his battles with the fans and the media.

[The Iron Pig]

CY – A gut feeling. He is an articulate and talented (outside of baseball – he plays classical guitar) person who will move on to other things. He doesn’t need baseball. I think Bernie will retire.

[RickSchuBlues]

In his last few seasons, Schmidt became a little more outspoken - hence the wig-and-sunglasses incident, for one - but generally he still was not what anyone would consider controversial. Before that, though, the fans never had reason to get on him for anything except the disdain they had for his 'cool' style of play and frequent strikeouts. And I don't think Schmidt ever really had problems with the media.

For all his accomplishments, Schmidt has sounded like a guy with genuine regret that he didn't get more out of his playing career. He has said at different times that he wishes he would have 'appeared' more hard-nosed to appease the fans, that he would have enjoyed himself more, that his style of hitting prior to 1985 would have been vastly different. It's pretty clear that he's still not at peace with the game of baseball.

Turning attentions back to the present: I can't remember another year when both papers had reports about the *equipment truck* leaving for Clearwater! Seems people are getting more geared up for this baseball season than any in quite awhile.

[Alby]

AWH, I've been busy for a couple of days, and you beat me to the punch -- John Maine has owned the Phillies, at least toward the end of last season.

Clout, I don't see all that much difference between Zito and Garcia. Yes, Zito is better, but not so much that I'm worried. The only reason to fear is that he's a junkballer, and the Phillies have long been susceptible to such pitchers.

Iron Pig writes, "He is arguably one of the greatest third basemen to every play the game." In fact, he is widely considered the best by those who study the issue.

[Alby]

Oops. "He" is Schmidt. And his spring outbursts, quickly dubbed his "State of the PHillies Address," date back to his emergence as the best player on the late 70s Phillies. He held forth routinely every spring. Indeed, it was Schmidt's shoes Curt Schilling was trying fill when he did the same thing every year at spring training.

[ROA]

Iron Pig - I have the same gut feeling as you regarding Bernie. But Boras may be able to talk him going across town to the Mets. And a little Phillie rumour would help increase the asking price.

[Lake Fred]

Bix, when I said the Phillies rotation is not star studded, I meant that none of these guys are stars. Maybe Garcia is a semi-star and Myers is a near star and Hamels is a potential star. I personally feel good about all three.

RSB, I hope I have to eat my words about Flash, meaning he'll have a good season, but I doubt it. He will break down during the season. He may not even be any good at all. I have no confidence in him.

[Lake Fred]

A football comment: I'm watching the NFL Pro Bowl on CBS. They have the sound all messed up. You can barely hear the announcers (probably a blessing. The crowd sounds are louder than anything else. Piss poor job by CBS.

[kdon]

Zolecki speculates in the Inky today that the final two bench spots will be a competition between:

Dobbs
Garcia
Coste

Unless Karim found some special medicine in Japan, this shouldn't be close, with Dobbs and Coste making the team.

Of course, Cholly will almost assuredly go with the veteran Garcia, he will be terrible, and everyone will blame Burrell.

[clout]

Why is there this bizarre fascination with Bernie Williams? The guy has no value for the Phillies except as an overly expensive pinch hitter.

Look at his stats last year: Useless against RHP and unusable on defense. If he still has value it's as a DH vs. LHP only.

kdon: Neither Karim Garcia nor Dobbs is a major league player. That one will make the roster is quite telling.

alby: Zito and F. Garcia are both on the downsides of their careers. But you're right, Zito is better. Still, Garcia is a nice bargain for this year and I'm glad the Phillies got him.

[clout]

RSB: Schmidt was an intellectual, introspective player who went to Ohio University (the school for smart kids, not the sports factory of Ohio State).

That kind of player will never be popular in Philly. A guy like Dykstra or Rose, profane, full bore, corrupt, is perfect.

[J. Weitzel]

Defensive versatility may be the deciding factor for those final bench slots, so I'd have to give a small edge to Dobbs, who can play corner outfield, third and first. He's also a lefty bat. Chris Coste may need to prove he can play not only third, but outfield if he is to stick.

[GM-Carson]

I agree defensive versatility is a must when filling the bench spots. Roberson's speed is nice, I just wish he could be useful as a pinch-hitter too. I truly hope Coste doesn't get the shaft. Hopefully he'll get the shot to show he can handle spot duty at catcher, 1st, 3rd, and possibly corner outfield this spring.

[Parker]

Kdon,

"Of course, Cholly will almost assuredly go with the veteran Garcia, he will be terrible, and everyone will blame Burrell."

Lol, that about completely sums up the schyzophrenic blame game that goes around when thinking of the Phillies. Its like "Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail."

Also, my Delgado deflation prediction has wheels. Hust got the new SI and there is a personal piece about Delgado. Nothing spells down year like Sports Illustrated writing a personal piece about a player. Color it done.

[Lake Fred]

In the Dobbs, Garcia and Coste competition for the last two bench spots, do you think Coste will have an advantage due to catchers reporting earlier than position players?

[J. Weitzel]

Hard to say. I also don't think we should count out Chris Roberson. His chances are as good as anyone.

[joe]

But, Roberson can't hit.

I think that Bourn has a better chance of making it that Roberson.

[CY]

Clout - you would rather have Garcia and Werth as our only options if we trade Rowand?

Personally I would like to have Bernie in the mix.

[Phighting Mad]

But, of course, the real question is how does the Phils' rotation line up against the Mets 2-3-4 and 3-4 in those successive meetings... you can only lick your lips at less-than-stellar pitching when you feel like what you bring to the table is better... who knows, though, just maybe this year it is...just maybe...

[Bedrosian's Beard]

I loved Bernie over the years, but I don't really want him on the Phils. He's an AL player who's sun has set.

[Lake Fred]

Phighting Mad, don't count those Phillies victories over the Mets until they happen. The Phils have an inordinate ability to make so-so opposition pitchers look so great. Remember Maine killing us last year. I don't care what the match-up is, these games will be nail biters. Remember, even if the Phillies have good leads late in the game, Cholly will go to the bullpen, then all bets are off!

[let's go Mets!!]

Enjoy your Feb. day dreaming Phils fans. We all know the Phillies are NOT good enough. Aside from Howard and Utley, where are the hitters? You may have a good rotation, but no pen to back it up. And if Leiber goes, and an injury develops, there is zero SP depth. Gordan will go down again. Manuel is an idiot. I can't wait for another 10-14 April from the joke that is your baseball team..

Let's go Mets!!

[let's go Mets!!]

Enjoy your Feb. day dreaming Phils fans. We all know the Phillies are NOT good enough. Aside from Howard and Utley, where are the hitters? You may have a good rotation, but no pen to back it up. And if Leiber goes, and an injury develops, there is zero SP depth. Gordan will go down again. Manuel is an idiot. I can't wait for another 10-14 April from the joke that is your baseball team..

Let's go Mets!!