The Mets made a flurry of moves tonight, including trading Angel Pagan to the Giants for Andres Torres and Ramon Martinez, signing Jon Rauch to be the setup man, and Frank Francisco to close. Let’s knock down my reactions one deal at a time.
JON RAUCH SIGNING: The Mets signed Rauch with a cheap, one-year, $3.5 million contract to be a setup man for the Mets. Rauch is 
an experienced closer, who intimidates people on the mound. At 6’10″, 290 pounds, he intimidates people on the mound, resulting in some dominant outings. Rauch was 5-4 last season with a 4.85 ERA, after a fantastic 2010 in which Rauch went 3-1 with a 3.12 ERA and 21 saves. This is a great move, getting a pitcher who would be a solid closer for most, but to sign him as a setup man is great. He is cheap, and in my mind, will be a big help for the Met bullpen, especially down the stretch when they need someone to close a game here or there.
PAGAN TRADE: This deal made sense for both sides. The Mets got rid of a guy in Angel Pagan who really
needed a change in scenery. Mets fans, as well as the front office, was disappointed with the sub-par 2011, after impressing in years prior. Torres is an older center fielder who still has some speed. He is a 20-30 stolen base guy if given a full season. He isn’t quite as good of a hitter, but his defense more than makes up for it. Also in the Pagan deal, the Mets acquired Ramon Ramirez, who is actually very underrated in my mind. In 359 career games, Ramirez is 20-17 with a 3.16 ERA. Last season with San Francisco, Ramirez was 3-3 with a 2.62 ERA. Plus, he’s only 30, so it’s not like the Mets are getting a washed-up has-been. He will be a great help as a middle reliever, while Torrws will be a decent starting center fielder.
FRANK FRANCISCO SIGNING: The last move of the night made by the Mets was arguably the most important of them all: the
