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Chris Coste Signs with Mets

John Cougar Lunchbucket Nov 30 2009 07:12 PM

Take that Robinson Cancel! Meanwhile, the Mets signed catcher Chris Coste to a contract that guarantees him a spot on the 40-man roster, The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead (N.D.) reported on Monday. Coste, a Fargo native, told the newspaper that the contract guarantees that he'll be on the 40-man roster but that he's not guaranteed a spot on the Opening Day 25-man roster. The 36-year-old hit .224 with two home runs and 18 RBIs in 88 games with the Phillies and Astros last year. In four Major League seasons, Coste is a .272 hitter with 23 home runs and 108 RBIs in 299 games. mlb.com, which also sez the Cora deal is done.

metirish Nov 30 2009 07:15 PM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Dec 01 2009 07:31 AM

Is this the guy that was the career minor leaguer until the Phillies called him up? Has had a few hits against the Mets IIRC

Edgy DC Nov 30 2009 08:07 PM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Hey, we're all career minor leaguers until we get called up. Big day for the Fargo Forum, scooping the New York press. Plays some first as well, and bats right. Mets need a lefty bat in the catcher mix as well, to replace the awesome productivity of the Schneid. Maybe somebody getting a minor league dealio.

Nymr83 Nov 30 2009 09:00 PM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

he seems to hit lefties pretty well, not a bad move

bmfc1 Dec 01 2009 05:02 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Author:

Edgy DC Dec 01 2009 05:42 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Well, there's another peripheral addition to my bookshelf. Got to find the $.01 edition. When I write my bio, I'm definitely putting my ass on the cover also. Class move.

bmfc1 Dec 01 2009 07:49 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Is it too soon to cut Coste? http://theropolitans.com/2009/11/i-will ... quote.html

Edgy DC Dec 01 2009 07:53 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Well, it's not like Pedro didn't give the Mets ten pounds of love when he signed with the Phils.

metirish Dec 01 2009 07:56 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Much ado about nothing....can't blame the guy for his close ties to the Phillies.....really if anyone remembers this by opening day inttroductions then we have bigger problems.

Edgy DC Dec 01 2009 08:00 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

I hope he wears his jersey backwards to show how fly he is. Jump! Jump! The Mac Dad will make you... Jump! Jump! The Daddy Mac will make you... Jump! Jump! Chris Coste will make you... Jump! Jump!

bmfc1 Dec 01 2009 08:36 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Wait a second: the Mets sign a guy, give him a space on the 40-man roster, and he declares his loyalty to the Mets rival but this doesn't bother you? You know what--F Coste. If he wants to be a Phillie, then cut him and have him wait outside CBP to be signed. If he loves the Phillies so much and they don't sign him, he can use the royalties from his ass-covered book to buy a ticket. It's not like he said "I will always treasure my time with the Phillies but now I am a Met." There are numerous non-entities like Coste out there. Omar didn't have to sign this one.

Edgy DC Dec 01 2009 08:50 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

You can also make hay with his description of how he responded to the offer initially. “It was the Mets. It’s the last team I ever saw myself playing for. I knew I was going to accept it, but had to think about it for a few days.” In the broader context of the "always" quote, it's clear that it was about being still hurt about getting waived last season. He's got a few months to get used to being a Met. Sure I'd like them to come down hard on him, but I know the way the world works and know they're not going to. So I chalk it off to the reality that the guy showed his heart a little bit, that business realities tend to trump the heart in such situations, and people tend to convert the allegiance of their hearts as the realities and needs of their day-to-day grind kick in. If he doesn't, we'll know soon enough.

metirish Dec 01 2009 09:00 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

It's Chris fucking Coste owner of a .272 avg. with 23 home runs and 108 RBIs in 299 games. Now if our brand spanking new LF who signs for 8 years and $200 million starts yapping like that then I'll be midly concerned.

Edgy DC Dec 01 2009 09:03 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Cliff Floyd took time during his hello to give Bobby Valentine the finger. Within months, he was as Metly as they come. Every time now that I hear mention of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, I think "Cliff Floyd --- I wish you were here."

John Cougar Lunchbucket Dec 01 2009 09:06 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Adam Rubin suggests Coste is about bolstering the options at C because he senses the Mets' decision on Molina will come down to whether the Giants offer him arbitration or not. Seems like Molina and his 280 OBP is the guy they like. I wish they'd trade for Ryan Doumit.

metirish Dec 01 2009 09:14 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Davidoff thinks the Giants will offer arbitration, thinks the Pirates are open to trading Doumit but he is not a major target for the Mets....he also says that Henry Blanco is close to signing with the Mets as a backup.

Ashie62 Dec 01 2009 09:19 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Chris Coste? Good Lord. I hope he is not needed beyond the herd. How about Doumit? Its not like the Pirates don't like to move people Shit..A package deal to bring back Milledge to play LF Jackpot!

attgig Dec 01 2009 09:50 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

[quote="Edgy DC"]Cliff Floyd took time during his hello to give Bobby Valentine the finger. Within months, he was as Metly as they come. Every time now that I hear mention of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, I think "Cliff Floyd --- I wish you were here."

cliff floyd and bobby valentine? were they on the mets together? and what finger are you talking about?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Dec 01 2009 09:54 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Floyd was signed shortly after Valentine was canned and when asked, said he would not have signed with the Mets were Valentine still there.

MFS62 Dec 01 2009 10:13 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

The Mets are also in talks with catcher Henry Blanco. http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/10357594 To paraphrase the Ol' Perfessor, if you don't have a catcher, you're gonna' have a lot of passed balls. They'll at least be needed in spring training for those split squad games. The Mets are pretty thin at that position in the organization. Then, I one of them as a player/ coach backing up Thole in AAA and, as Yogi said about Bill Dickey, "Learning him his experience". Later

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Dec 01 2009 10:38 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

If Blanco can convey 1/3 of his defensive smarts to Thole effectively, he's worth the league minimum just for that.

MFS62 Dec 01 2009 10:53 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

[quote="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr"]If Blanco can convey 1/3 of his defensive smarts to Thole effectively, he's worth the league minimum just for that.

I don't think Thole is that far away defensively. He threw out 30 % of baserunners last year. But I read in Inside Pitch (subscription site) that he is not consistent with his arm angle when throwing. This could be an area where an experienced catcher like Blanco could help.

Later

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Dec 01 2009 10:57 AM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

[quote="MFS62"][quote="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr"]If Blanco can convey 1/3 of his defensive smarts to Thole effectively, he's worth the league minimum just for that.

I don't think Thole is that far away defensively. He threw out 30 % of baserunners last year. But I read in Inside Pitch (subscription site) that he is not consistent with his arm angle when throwing. This could be an area where an experienced catcher like Blanco could help.

Later

The throwing was what I was thinking about, specifically-- Blanco's still up there among the league's elite in terms of mowing down/holding baserunners.

Thole's definitely got the tools (most importantly, an ability to pick up/improve himself better than most, it seems). But stuff like that-- consistent throwing motion, developing sense memory for reacting to wild pitches anywhere around the plate-- is the thin difference between Blanco/Yadier-quality D and "I can't believe they have him back there."

Frayed Knot Dec 01 2009 12:38 PM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Blanco's def up there among the best defensive catchers in either league. I recently read a piece that referred to him as the catcher people think Jose Molina is. As long as he's not looked at as a #1 guy he's worth a look-see. Hard to get a definitive read on Thole's defense in such a short time - but he certainly looked to be boxing a bunch of pitches around over those last few weeks.

metirish Dec 01 2009 12:39 PM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Blanco has a big head IIRC...something weird about him.

Frayed Knot Dec 01 2009 12:51 PM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Blanco was also one of the early reciptients of the CPF Anglicized nickname trend; I think only Jose Mesa being tabbed as 'Joe Table' preceded Blanco's handle of 'Hank White'

G-Fafif Dec 01 2009 02:02 PM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Here's the full article from which the offending quote emanates. Sounds to me as if Coste has forgotten that, despite always being a Phillie, he was most recently an Astro. Also seems they take this "hated Mets" stuff a lot more seriously down there than we take this "hated Phillies" stuff. When the call came, no more than a few hours after he officially filed for free agency, Chris Coste knew the offers weren't going to be overwhelming. Still, that didn’t make it any easier. Rather than jump at a split minor league/major league deal, Coste asked for a couple of days to mull it over. Of all teams to come calling, Coste wasn’t expecting to sign a free-agent deal with the hated New York Mets. But that’s just what he did on Monday afternoon, agreeing to a one-year split deal. “It was the Mets,” Coste told CSN. “It’s the last team I ever saw myself playing for. I knew I was going to accept it, but had to think about it for a few days.” Certainly if anyone understands the business aspect of baseball it’s Coste. Having spent the past decade kicking around in the minors in a dozen different organizations, Coste never got a shot at the big leagues until he hooked up with the Phillies. So when the Phillies waived him last July in order to go with Paul Bako as the backup catcher, Coste knew the best chapter of his baseball odyssey had come to a close. Understandably, after parts of four seasons where he fought for every inch gained and was never given anything more than a chance to prove himself, Coste never wanted to leave Philadelphia. “I will always be a Phillie,” Coste told CSN this evening. But next season Coste will be with the Mets—his third team since general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. waived him on July 10. That is Coste will be a Met if he makes the team. Once again the backup catcher, right-handed pinch hitter, and infielder will have to show up at spring training in February ready to compete to earn a spot. After all, according to Coste the Mets probably are not finished accumulating backup catchers. Veteran backstop Henry Blanco is reported to be on the Mets’ radar. Additionally, the Mets have a bit of a logjam on the 40-man roster at catcher in the young-talent department. Omir Santos caught 96 games in 2009 in his first real taste of big league ball and Josh Thole hit .321 during a September call up. Once again Coste will be swimming upstream. “It it wasn’t my choice to leave Philly,” Coste said. “I never wanted to leave Philadelphia, I will always consider myself a Phillie.” Philadelphia is where it all went right for Coste. Not only did he make a big league club for the first time, he also earned a World Series ring as the backup catcher to Carlos Ruiz in 2008. In parts of four seasons with the Phils, Coste slugged 23 homers and batted .283. However, in 45 games with the Phillies in 2009, Coste struggled with a .245 average in 102 at-bats. When ex-Phillies GM Ed Wade picked him up on July 10, Coste’s struggles continued when he closed out the season with a .208 average in 43 games and 103 at-bats with no homers. Strangely though, one of Coste’s best big league games came for the Phillies against the Mets during the 2008 season when he entered the game in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter, remained in to catch and went 4-for-4 with a clutch double and the game-winner in the 13th. So yeah, the Mets know all about Coste (and vice-versa) considering he has faced the Phils’ hated rival more times than any other club (36 games, .286 avg., 2 HRs in 98 ABs). And just like the Phillies did for four straight springs, the Mets stacked the odds against Coste and told him to compete.

Benjamin Grimm Dec 01 2009 02:03 PM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

[quote="G-Fafif":3iu720rd] Also seems they take this "hated Mets" stuff a lot more seriously down there than we take this "hated Phillies" stuff. [/quote:3iu720rd] That is absolutely true.

Edgy DC Dec 01 2009 04:28 PM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

I'm predicting the almost-kinda-tradey-thing of Schneid and Coste may also turn out to be an almost-kinda-number-swappy-thing, with Coste ending up in the Schneid's 23. Costco wore 27 in Philadephia, but I'm thinking that Figgy isn't quite done with it. He switched to 41 in Houston, but that's naturally right out.

Edgy DC Dec 01 2009 04:57 PM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Chris Coste, the ballplayer with more books than triples.

Ashie62 Dec 01 2009 05:53 PM Re: Chris Coste Signs with Mets

Costes "I'll always be a Phillie" comment reminds me of how Todd Pratt might have felt about the Mets despite being well traveled. Dioneer Navarro may be available..he does play everyday..