Nymet31
02-14-2003, 01:52 PM
Leiter, Franco and then Wilpon sold Cone on Mets
By David Lennon
STAFF CORRESPONDENT, Jon Heyman contributed to this story.
February 14, 2003
Port St. Lucie, Fla. - Toward the end of his days with the Yankees, David Cone would try anything to squeeze more life from his creaky body and tired right arm. From the newest muscle-stretching gadgets to altering his regimen between starts, Cone was always searching for a foothold on that slippery slope of advancing age.
But just when it seemed that Cone, who last pitched in 2001, had finally surrendered to retirement, the Mets - more specifically, owner Fred Wilpon - extended a lifeline to revive his career. Not only did the Mets coax the 40-year-old back from baseball limbo, they snatched him from George Steinbrenner's television network with the promise of a bright orange uniform top in Port St. Lucie and the possibility of pitching again.
For Cone, who earned $12 million from the Yankees in 2000, the minor-league contract ($550,000 if he makes the team) was an offer he could not refuse, his last best chance of reaching 200 wins. The Mets view the signing as a "no-risk" proposition. However long the odds may be, Cone, who spent yesterday packing up in Tampa, begins his comeback this morning.
"I think that David Cone's record speaks for itself," general manager Steve Phillips said yesterday. "I think having his makeup and tenacity and competitiveness in the clubhouse during the spring can only be a benefit. It's hard to know what we're going to get and what he has left, but it's an intriguing possibility and one we'll at least take a look at and see if there's a fit."
Cone, who has a 193-123 career record, went 9-7 with a 4.31 ERA for the Red Sox in 2001. In 25 starts and 135 2/3 innings, he allowed 148 hits and 57 walks and averaged 5 1/3 innings per start.
Unlike Tuesday's signing of Jay Bell, whom Phillips targeted as a possibility for the job at third base, the courting of Cone was done at a higher level. With Al Leiter and John Franco acting as intermediaries, Wilpon enticed Cone to rejoin his former team and then turned the negotiations over to Phillips to make it happen.
Even as Cone inched closer to the Mets this week, he was reluctant to burn his bridges with the Yankees. Hoping to smooth his departure, Cone spoke with Steinbrenner, GM Brian Cashman and manager Joe Torre, feeling out Torre to see if he had an opportunity, however slight, to pitch again for the Yankees. That was impossible, Torre said, but both the pitcher's former manager and Cashman rallied behind Cone's decision.
"I would never count David Cone out," Cashman said. "I know he believes he can still pitch. David's been wanting to come back for quite some time. With his mentality and heart, you can't count him out."
Cone also desperately wants to return, a feeling Leiter and Franco could sense during their conversations with him. Leiter actively recruited Cone at Franco's charity bowling tournament last month but wasn't convinced he could get him on board.
"I know that David had talked about someone having to rip the uniform off him," Leiter said. "You get one opportunity to play, and if you decide to walk away, that's it. Well, he decided to walk away last year and now he's getting another opportunity. He's seven wins short of 200. That's still a terrific feat."
Franco kept in contact with Cone during the past week, talking to him before boarding a plane for Port St. Lucie on Monday and then having another conversation with him Wednesday night shortly before the two sides came to an agreement.
"I basically told him, if you feel you can still pitch, why not try it?" Franco said. "But everything was his decision. As much as he's done for New York, with the Yankees and before that with the Mets, why not finish his career in a New York uniform?"
Phillips stressed yesterday that while Cone will compete for the fifth spot in the rotation he also could wind up in the bullpen. That seems unlikely, but Phillips still wanted assurances from Cone that he would be flexible.
"I wanted to get a feel about where he was physically and what his expectations were," Phillips said. "Was he locked into having to be a starter to make it fit? Was the bullpen OK? How important was [being on the roster] Opening Day to the consideration? Right now, he's got an open mind about everything."
Jon Heyman contributed to this story.
Prime, Then Decline - The Mets figured they had nothing to lose by coaxing David Cone out of retirement with a minor-league contract, but can he win again? His most recent numbers suggest that Cone is only a shadow of his former self.
Years, Team W-L Win % ERA
1987-92 Mets 80-48 .625 3.08
Highlight: Ties NL record 19 Ks vs. Ohi. (1991)
1992-95 Tor./KC 40-28 .588 3.16
Highlight: AL Cy Young (1994)
1995-99 Yankees 60-26 .698 3.31
Highlight: Perfect game (1999)
2000-01 Yankees/Bos 13-21 .382 5.70
Lowlight: 4-14, 6.91 ERA (2000)
2002 Did not play
By David Lennon
STAFF CORRESPONDENT, Jon Heyman contributed to this story.
February 14, 2003
Port St. Lucie, Fla. - Toward the end of his days with the Yankees, David Cone would try anything to squeeze more life from his creaky body and tired right arm. From the newest muscle-stretching gadgets to altering his regimen between starts, Cone was always searching for a foothold on that slippery slope of advancing age.
But just when it seemed that Cone, who last pitched in 2001, had finally surrendered to retirement, the Mets - more specifically, owner Fred Wilpon - extended a lifeline to revive his career. Not only did the Mets coax the 40-year-old back from baseball limbo, they snatched him from George Steinbrenner's television network with the promise of a bright orange uniform top in Port St. Lucie and the possibility of pitching again.
For Cone, who earned $12 million from the Yankees in 2000, the minor-league contract ($550,000 if he makes the team) was an offer he could not refuse, his last best chance of reaching 200 wins. The Mets view the signing as a "no-risk" proposition. However long the odds may be, Cone, who spent yesterday packing up in Tampa, begins his comeback this morning.
"I think that David Cone's record speaks for itself," general manager Steve Phillips said yesterday. "I think having his makeup and tenacity and competitiveness in the clubhouse during the spring can only be a benefit. It's hard to know what we're going to get and what he has left, but it's an intriguing possibility and one we'll at least take a look at and see if there's a fit."
Cone, who has a 193-123 career record, went 9-7 with a 4.31 ERA for the Red Sox in 2001. In 25 starts and 135 2/3 innings, he allowed 148 hits and 57 walks and averaged 5 1/3 innings per start.
Unlike Tuesday's signing of Jay Bell, whom Phillips targeted as a possibility for the job at third base, the courting of Cone was done at a higher level. With Al Leiter and John Franco acting as intermediaries, Wilpon enticed Cone to rejoin his former team and then turned the negotiations over to Phillips to make it happen.
Even as Cone inched closer to the Mets this week, he was reluctant to burn his bridges with the Yankees. Hoping to smooth his departure, Cone spoke with Steinbrenner, GM Brian Cashman and manager Joe Torre, feeling out Torre to see if he had an opportunity, however slight, to pitch again for the Yankees. That was impossible, Torre said, but both the pitcher's former manager and Cashman rallied behind Cone's decision.
"I would never count David Cone out," Cashman said. "I know he believes he can still pitch. David's been wanting to come back for quite some time. With his mentality and heart, you can't count him out."
Cone also desperately wants to return, a feeling Leiter and Franco could sense during their conversations with him. Leiter actively recruited Cone at Franco's charity bowling tournament last month but wasn't convinced he could get him on board.
"I know that David had talked about someone having to rip the uniform off him," Leiter said. "You get one opportunity to play, and if you decide to walk away, that's it. Well, he decided to walk away last year and now he's getting another opportunity. He's seven wins short of 200. That's still a terrific feat."
Franco kept in contact with Cone during the past week, talking to him before boarding a plane for Port St. Lucie on Monday and then having another conversation with him Wednesday night shortly before the two sides came to an agreement.
"I basically told him, if you feel you can still pitch, why not try it?" Franco said. "But everything was his decision. As much as he's done for New York, with the Yankees and before that with the Mets, why not finish his career in a New York uniform?"
Phillips stressed yesterday that while Cone will compete for the fifth spot in the rotation he also could wind up in the bullpen. That seems unlikely, but Phillips still wanted assurances from Cone that he would be flexible.
"I wanted to get a feel about where he was physically and what his expectations were," Phillips said. "Was he locked into having to be a starter to make it fit? Was the bullpen OK? How important was [being on the roster] Opening Day to the consideration? Right now, he's got an open mind about everything."
Jon Heyman contributed to this story.
Prime, Then Decline - The Mets figured they had nothing to lose by coaxing David Cone out of retirement with a minor-league contract, but can he win again? His most recent numbers suggest that Cone is only a shadow of his former self.
Years, Team W-L Win % ERA
1987-92 Mets 80-48 .625 3.08
Highlight: Ties NL record 19 Ks vs. Ohi. (1991)
1992-95 Tor./KC 40-28 .588 3.16
Highlight: AL Cy Young (1994)
1995-99 Yankees 60-26 .698 3.31
Highlight: Perfect game (1999)
2000-01 Yankees/Bos 13-21 .382 5.70
Lowlight: 4-14, 6.91 ERA (2000)
2002 Did not play