WHATTA YA HEAR, WHATTA YA SAY, WILPON WON’T LET GLAVINE SKATE AWAY

In the middle of the heaviest snow fall New York has seen in several years, the Mets dealt the gelt, and got their man, signing Tom Glavine to a 3-year deal reportedly worth $35 million (with an option for a fourth year, which could bump the money up to $42-44 million). The Mets outbid division rivals, Philadelphia and Atlanta for the veteran lefty, just when everyone had Glavine joining Jim Thome and David Bell with the Phillies. Nothing like a little winter suprise, huh?

This move may not put the Mets over the top, but as Bill Madden writes today in the Daily News, it does keep them competitive and respectable. Bob Klapisch has this to say in The Bergen Record.

I don’t have a strong initial gut feeling about how Glavine will do with the Mets, but I don’t see why he wouldn’t perform admirably. Now whether that results in 11 wins or 18, I can’t say. Will he help attract other free-agents to the Mets? I don’t know. But this much is certain: in a world where perception is as important as reality, Fred Wilpon has snatched the morning headlines away from the Yanks (who resigned Robin Ventura to a one-year deal worth $5 million yesterday), and restored a sense of credibility to his franchise.