And he's been saying it for several months according to the New York Post. He was born on and still lives on Staten Island. He likes the ballpark. He's buddies with former Brave and current Met Jeff Francoeur. Makes sense for him.
Does it make sense for the Mets? His late fade in 2009 might give them pause, but Marquis has been a pretty reliable if unspectacular starting pitcher for several years now. You're probably going to get 30+ starts and close to 200 innings of at or around league average quality from him. He's going to induce a ton of ground balls and he's not going to give up many home runs. He'll go through stretches where he gets shelled, sure, but he takes the ball when it's his turn and he can even hit a little.
If you're in on the Joel Piniero and Randy Wolf sweepstakes, you should probably be considering Marquis as well. And if you're the Mets, any and all of them would constitute a massive upgrade from the non-Santana portion of their current rotation.
as a bonus, he comes pre-programmed with a native NY'ers accent.
WHEN U CAN'T MAKE IT IN NYC YOU LEARN TO HATE......
BUH BYE
WHEN U CAN'T MAKE IT IN NYC YOU LEARN TO HATE......
BUH BYE
31 years old with a career ERA of 4.50,if that's what you want.
Nitpick, but he was born in Manhasset which is on Long Island, AKA Strong Island!
And the poor guy's used to being left off the playoff roster, so not getting to the playoffs won't be as sad for him as it might be for others.
Another advantage to playing for the Mets is that Citi Field is just down the street from one of the largest cemetaries in the world, and after a year or two he can have what's left of his career interred there.
I want to sign with the Mets, too. In fact, it's my lifelong dream.
I'm 31, as well. I'm also not a strikeout pitcher, for whatever it's worth. I'm willing to give the team a hometown discount -- I'll play for the league minimum, and I'll even give the a Tim Wakefield-like perpetual option.
Craig screwed up again.......
If Marquis is your number 4 starter you have good staff. If he is your number 5 starter you have a great staff. Jason's track record is always to fade in the second half. His problem is a lot of 5 inning starts as he fades. But at $21 mill for 3 years (like he got last time) he would be a good deal. I'm pass on 10 mill or more per year.
"If Marquis is your number 4 starter you have good staff. If he is your number 5 starter you have a great staff."
The problem is, of the NYM's top 5 IP pitchers, only Santana had an ERA of less than 5.00, in a pitcher's park. So if Marquis is your #2, you have issues. Even at $7M per, he's a commitment to mediocrity.
The Mets team ERA last year was 4.45. Do you really want to continue with this trend. Better go looking for some good pitching or give up. Even minor leaguers can do better than this. Save your money or get somebody that can really pitch. Good luck Mets fans. Put some fire under your GM.
There are some posts with a disparaging tone that actually hit it on the head, though I would spin the tone differently. Adding Marquis to the team, with the intent of him slotting into the 4th spot is a pretty good move. That means the team needs to actually get a 2 and 3, of course - I like Maine definitely as a 5, and I do think over the course of his career he will prove out as a 3/4 level pitcher. Hard to count on that in 2010 based on his recent health record, but that is what I see longer term.
Sign him! You can never have enough mediocre pitching. Actually, mediocre will be a big improvement over last year. Hey, he pitches 200 innings a year, may not be great, but other than Santana (if he's healthy), who else do the Mets really have. Maine? Pelfrey? While they've shown flashed of ability, neither of them has produced much yet.
The part of this story that bothers me is that Marquis still lives in Staten Island - BY CHOICE??????
One thing to mention, he's a great hitter. I think I read somewhere that his run production with his bat would be akin to taking .50 off his era for the season. Not a huge deal, but something to keep in mind.
Um no he's not, he's actually terrible. He has a lifetime triple slash of .202/.223/.295 for an OPS+ of 32. In '07, he somehow had a negative OPS+. Last time you could consider him a good hitter was '05 when he won a silver slugger award (hehe).