So Long, Soler- We Hardly Knew Ya!

The Mets released pitcher Alay Soler today, ending their experiment of nearly 4 years. Soler, from Cuba, had to sit out a year of organized ball upon leaving Cuba, waiting for his visa to enter the United States. It was one heck of a story while it was happening, and, in the version that would have made for a great screenplay, Soler would have made an excellent transition to the majors and could have been an integral part of the Mets winning the World Series last season. In reality, he has never reached anywhere near his promise, posting an 8.22 ERA this Spring. He did come into camp in better physical shape (lighter) than in years' past, but the Mets would have been on the hook for over $800,000 this season if Soler made it to the bigs, or around $650k if he stayed in the minors, where he would have been blocking the path of a more promising prospect, and it seemed as though he was just never going to pan out. It's unfortunate, as we all wanted Soler to succeed, but he never had the kind of speed (95 mph) that he was rumored to have, instead floating in the 88-91 mph range, average for a set-up man or a non-prospect. We'd bet that Soler will become a member of the Orioles organization shortly, as former Mets GM, Jim Duquette, is the O's GM and he's the one who originally signed Soler with the Mets. Whatever happens, we wish him luck and success, except if he pitches against us!!!