Three minor signings for the Mets

The Mets today signed three players to minor league contracts. Reliever Jose Santiago was re-signed, and catcher Bobby Estralella and reliever Jeremi Gonzalez were also signed. Jose Santiago was solid in the four games he appeared in this year, but I'd be shocked if he appeared in as many games next season. He seems to be running out of gas, he had a 4.26 era with the Tides (AAA) last season. Gonzalez may have an impact on the season, on the other hand. He should be a decent reserve in the minors in case of injury. Should any reliever go down during the season he appears to be the first candidate to get the call. He could also provide some extra insurance should a starter go down, as he's a former starter and his best year was in 2003 with the Devil Rays. In 2003 he had a 3.91 era in 156.1 innings pitched, he should get into a decent amount of games this year. Lastly, Bobby Estralella seems to be the backup of the backup catcher. Should Castro or Lo Duca get hurt this year then Estralella should be promoted to take over the backup catcher role. The 31 year old missed most of last season due to Tommy John surgery. He has never been a full time starter, however in 2000, with the Giants, he played in 106 games and had a nice .357 OBP, a percentage that was .83 points higher then his batting average.