This past weekend, Red Sox owner John Henry told 98.5 FM radio in Boston that he ‘personally opposed signing Carl Crawford to a seven-year, $140 million deal last winter,’ but he deferred to his baseball operations department.

The 30-year-old Crawford hit .255 with a .289 OBP, 11 HR, 56 RBI, 29 doubles and 18 stolen bases while playing left field and mostly batting towards the bottom of the order last year for the Red Sox (which was his first year of the new contract).

Matthew Cerrone: In talking to people around the game, I don’t think Crawford’s deal will impact the market for Jose Reyes as much as I initially thought. I figured seeing Crawford struggle might spook teams interested in Jose, considering both players rely so heavily on speed and are pushing 30. But, as more than one person told me (be it agents or front office people), each team will value these guys in different ways and they will reach those conclusions independent of one another. Plus, the popular buzz in Boston seems to be that Crawford struggled after putting a TON of pressure on himself to live up to his contract, and he was sort of taken aback by how intense that city’s fans and media could be. This could be good news for Boston, in that, after a year there, perhaps Crawford will be more comfortable next season and have a better sense of what to expect. The thing is, that is not likely to happen to Reyes (who was basically born and raised (as a baseball player) under the spotlight in New York City). Jose knows pressure. He knows rabid fans. He knows a relentless media. And so, the market seems to be looking at these two players in two very different ways, despite fans and media seeing them as similar because of their wheels and contract demands.

In a post to his blog, Patrick Flood looks 10 best and worst and  free-agent contracts ever signed by starting pitchers, as well as contracts signed by a whole bunch in the middle, and concludes:

“Signing [free agent starting pitcher] to a multi-year contract looks like a bad idea. For all the pitchers listed here, it has cost teams $12.4 dollars per win above a replacement-level pitcher. Outfielders signed to multi-year deals, over the same time period, ran at about $6.5 dollars per win above replacement. Some pitchers don’t pitch as well after they sign. Some are overpaid to begin with. Some get hurt and don’t pitch at all. Sometimes it’s all three. But the result is that signing a free agent starting pitcher to a multi-year deal is a massive risk, and one that usually burns the team.”

According to MLB Trade Rumors, Erik Bedard, Mark Buehrle, Chris Capuano, Bartolo Colon, Jeff Francis, Armando Galarraga, Jon Garland, Livan Hernandez, Edwin Jackson, Paul Maholm, Jason Marquis, Kevin Millwood, Roy Oswalt, Joel Pineiro, Javier Vazquez, C.J. Wilson are eligible to be free agents this winter.

Matthew Cerrone: I started writing this last winter, and I kept hearing it again and again this summer: The current Mets front office is more likely to give a lucrative contract to a hitter than to a starting pitcher – and I assume Flood’s research is exactly why, especially when you consider that the team plays in a ‘pitcher’s park.’ However, the theory goes, why compete on the open market for an arm when the average pitcher will perform slightly better in Citi Field because of the park’s dimensions? Instead, it is better to develop pitching in the farm system and sign guys with significant upside (compared to their market value), while spending free-agent dollars on hitting and defense (since the rest of the league tends to overvalue offense). The thing is, according to Flood, long-term deals for pitching is simply a bad investment (no matter what the market and no matter what team you are).

To read Flood’s entire post, in which he gives details on each of the 10 best and worst contracts signed by free-agent starting pitchers, click here.

There is speculation among fans and media that Terry Collins wanted one guy to be his bench coach, the front office wanted someone else, Ownership wanted another, and so on. But, in talking with people close to the team, I don’t get that sense at all.

In fact, it sounds to me like – though they were all very open minded towards the outcome, in terms of who to hire – both Collins and Sandy Alderson were looking for someone Focused, Prepared and Analytical, who is a Team Player (i.e., not a big ego), and has Experience Managing a Big League Team. I am sure they all suggested people who should be interviewed. For instance, I’m guessing Collins initiated Jim Riggleman (and hoped for Larry Bowa); I bet Alderson brought in Geren; and I’m sure someone from Ownership recommended Tim Teufel, and probably Dave Jauss. There were likely others on the list. However, knowing what they were looking for, and after conducting the interviews, and after talking to people close to the team and others familiar with the candidates, it sounds to me like they split the difference with Geren.

The way I understand it, the Mets feel Geren has the necessary experience, systematic approach and dedication to game preparation needed to replace Chip Hale. Also, I talked to people this weekend who are familiar with Geren’s time in the big leagues, and they all said he is very serious about baseball; he believes in a team having a hierarchy; and that players should know their roles and be disciplined in doing their job. And so, while there are players who this will rub the wrong way (like in certain circumstances in Oakland, it seems), it is consistent with Collins and what the Mets are trying to build. Also like Collins, they say he has a positive personality (which was not historically the case with other people interviewed for the bench coach job). What’s more, Geren is familiar with New York (having played four seasons with the Yankees in the early 90s). Lastly, he’s said to be a very good catching instructor.

In the end, he strikes me as one of these baseball guys who is more cut out to be a coach than a manager. Here, based on how he’s been described to me, it sounds like he’s best suited being Terry’s top lieutenant; where he can be charged with keeping people focused and on the same page; where he can work with catchers in Spring Training; and help organize game preparation for players and coaches throughout the season.

Mets 20-year-old 3B prospect Jefry Marte broke an eighth-inning tie with a two-run home run this weekend in the Arizona Fall League.

Last week, MiLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo ranked Marte as the team’s No. 10 prospect.

“He makes consistent contact and doesn’t hurt himself by chasing, but he hasn’t shown much power to date,” Mayo said in his write up. “He’s also struggled a bit defensively at third, so his defensive home is still up in the air.”

Marte hit .248 with 41 extra base hits in 483 at bats in Single-A St. Lucie last season.

“He’s a young kid with a lot of potential with pretty good strength and good bat speed,” his AFL hitting coach, Alonzo Powell, told MLB.com. “I see a kid that has got really good bat speed and gap-to-gap power. He just needs to be more confident.”

Also representing the Mets in this year’s Arizona Fall League are pitchers Robert Carson (3.38 ERA, 5.1 IP); Colin McHugh (9.00 ERA, 8 IP); Erik Turgeon (3.60 ERA, 5 IP); Tyler Whitenton (5.40 ERA, 5 IP); catcher Juan Centeno (.091 AVG, 11 AB); infielder Wilfredo Tovar (.269 AVG, 26 AB); and outfielder Juan Lagares (.389 AVG, 18 AB).

To get more updates about the minor leagues, check out SNY’s Mets Minor League Blog.

In case you missed it this past weekend:

Wally Backman told WFAN he will be returning to the Mets in 2012, though he has yet to talk with the organization about where he will be working.

“I started at 17 years old with the Mets and I’m gonna stay with the Mets,” Backman explained to host Ed Randall. “I think with the new regime we are heading in the right direction and I want to be a part of it and help them.”

Last week, the New York Post said Backman had been considering whether to become Davey Johnson’s third-base coach with the Nationals. However, according to MLB.com, “Backman was never offered a Major League position with the Nationals.”

In a report for ESPN, Buster Olney suggests the Diamondbacks could “join the parade of teams expected to ask the Mets about the availability of third baseman David Wright.”

Though there were conflicting reporters about whether the Orioles have interest in Mets assistant GM J.P. Ricciardi, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com said Baltimore has yet to seek permission from the Mets to speak with Ricciardi about their vacant General Manager position.

The Mets interviewed their minor-league infield instructor Kevin Morgan and their outfield instructor Jack Voigt to be the team’s first base coach.

Friday, the team hired Bob Geren to be their new bench coach.

Matthew Cerrone: The people I’ve talked with about him Geren say he’s a pretty serious guy. He loves the game. He loves teaching and working with players. He’s tough, as he was a catcher, and, much like Terry Collins said about himself when taking the top job last winter, it sounds like (if he needs to work on anything) it’s his communication skills – which is will be important, since that will be one of his primary responsibilities as bench coach (communicating messages from the manager to the players, and the players to the manager).

LHP Mark Buehrle is eligible for free agency this winter, and he is coming off a season in which he went 13-9 with a 3.59 ERA, marking the 11th consecutive season he has won at least ten games, thrown at least 200 innings, and made 30 or more starts.

Michael Baron: I’ve always liked Buehrle. He’s a gamer, he’s durable, and he seems to be consistent year after year. He pitches to a lot of contact which would benefit him at Citi Field (even if the dimensions are changed) and he’s a strike thrower, which is something the Mets need more of from their starters going forward. 

I’m not sure what he will be asking for this winter or if if he would consider moving from the midwest. He’ll be 33 on Opening Day and is coming off a four year, $56 million deal and he might be looking for his last contract in the major leagues. But if he’d consider a two or even three year deal, I wonder if Sandy Alderson would consider him as an option this winter.