Carlos Delgado, 1B FLA

"The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good."

- W.H. Auden

That's right, Mets fans, the courtship has ended. There will be no honeymoon. Carlos Delgado is a Florida Marlin, and for the next four or five years, he'll be getting that Scrooge McDuck paper:

4-yrs/$52MM if his he doesn't meet his incentive clauses clauses (MVP voting, postseason performance, etc.), 5-yrs/$64MM if he does (or the team decides to pick up the fifth year regardless).

A tip of the cap to Kaley Davis at Flushing Local, who first made a compelling case for the Mets' aggressive pursuit of Delgado, and then this morning accurately read the tea leaves and predicted "we'll see Travis Lee at first on Opening Day while Delgado cleans up in Miami."

I'm afraid she's right about Lee, too, although I wouldn't mind a John Olerud homecoming.

It would have been nice to get him, but that's someone else's huge FA expenditure for once. Think "blessing in disguise." Our boys will be alright.