Nov 17 2011 10:00 PM
Mets celebrate Italian heritage by re-signing Val Pascucci and jumping on minor league free agen Vinny Rottino:
Rottino, 31, is sort of like Nick Evans in that he's a righthanded semi-slugger, proven at the AAA level, with the ability to play all the corners. The main difference is that he's sort of like Mike Kinkade in that he's done plenty of catching in the minors, but nobody really seems to want to give hims a chance behind the dish during his big-league callups.
He's a native Wisconser who first joined the Braves system after an open tryout, so he was kinda pissed to be let go by the team after 2009 with only 25 trips to the plate on his record. A long talk with the Fonz helped put things in perspective and he's moved on.
Mets also belatedly celebrate Bastille Day and Dominican Independence Day by re-signing Jean-Luc Blaquiere and Raul Reyes. Evans and Buchholz declare free agency.