On the same day that R.A. Dickey's two-year deal became official, the New York Mets came to terms with outfielder Angel Pagan on a one-year, $3.5 million contract, avoiding salary arbitration.
In a season that saw Carlos Beltran miss major time with injury and Jason Bay struggle mightily, the 29-year-old Pagan was the Mets best outfielder and really a very nice story. Pagan hit .290 with 11 homeruns, 69 RBI and scored 80 runs. He also swiped 39 bases.
Primarily filling the void in center field, Pagan, who has always had a decent amount of raw talent but also lots of injury problems, batted mostly first and second in the lineup.
With a .340 on-base percentage last year, he doesn't particularly fit the bill of a top-of-the-order guy because of just okay on-base skills; he's also not going to hit for a ton of power (.425 slugging percentage last season), but he's an extremely valuable glove in the outfield and a very nice complementary piece as well. His 97 strikeouts last year are a bit high, so the Mets would probably like to see him cut down on them a bit next season.
As the Mets roster is currently constructed, however, if Pagan can stay healthy this season and produce at a minimum just what he did last year, that contract will be a bargain. Between no set right fielder (or center fielder depending on Beltran's position) and Beltran's wobbly knee, Pagan should be a lock to reach 400-500 at bats.
Pagan had requested $4.2 million and the Mets countered at $3 million. The Mets have now signed all three of their arbitration-eligible players: Dickey, Mike Pelfrey and Pagan.
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