Catcher At The Crossroads

By Susan M. Kelly

Mike Piazza has been in many places throughout his career, from the glitz and glamour of his early years in L.A. to the struggles, and triumphs, of life in New York. But now, some thirteen years after he picked up Rookie of the Year honors with the Dodgers, he finds himself in the one place he's never been before - the free agent list. His seven year deal with the Mets concluded, he's suddenly looking for a job. And at the advanced age of 37 the prospects may not be all that exciting.

Though popular speculation holds that Piazza's only choice for extending his career is a move to the American League and the DH, the man himself has not committed to anything for the future, at least not publicly, except to state that he has no desire to stop playing just yet. Despite the bumps and bruises of the catcher's trade, despite a back so sore at times that it even hurts to bend over and tie his shoes, he still has the baseball bug in him and has instructed his agent to find him a home in the coming weeks. Just where that home will be remains a mystery, but there is no doubting where home has been for the last eight years.

Perhaps no other player in the history of the game has had the kind of instant and indelible impact on a team that Mike Piazza had with the Mets. With his arrival in late May of '98, the team was immediately transformed from fodder for jokes to food for thought. Suddenly, the Mets were a team who were serious about winning, a team that forced its opponents to sit up and take notice. Queens became a destination worth considering for other players and the Mets began attracting a level of talent they could only have dreamed about before. Such was the impact of the soft-spoken, hard-hitting catcher with the Hall of Fame credentials.

The dramatic details of his Met career were played over and over again on the Diamond Vision board at Shea Stadium throughout the final weeks of the season, a prolonged tribute to a truly great player. There was Seaver, there was Hernandez, and now there is Piazza. Players who helped define an era and shape a team and have made themselves a part of its fabric.

Yet now, Piazza and the Mets find themselves at a crossroads. Where to go from here? Despite considerable improvements over the last year, the Mets still have several holes to fill. GM Omar Minaya has to ask himself whether he wants to take the time and make the effort of shopping for a new starting catcher or take the easy route and retain the combination of Piazza and Ramon Castro, which had considerable success at the plate this season. Piazza, on the other hand, must decide whether he wants to finish out his career as a part-time player in New York or search for greener pastures elsewhere.

Early word has already begun to leak into the New York press that the Mets have made an initial offer and Piazza's agent has, at least temporarily, turned it down. Apparently, the Mets have made it clear that their intention would be to use Piazza in a limited role, as they did this past year. A reasonable enough position under the circumstances - at 37 there is only so much you can expect from any player, much less a catcher, yet Piazza seems intent on making the most of his remaining years. It would seem that the one person who doesn't buy the popular criticism that Mike Piazza is too old to keep catching is Mike Piazza.

His agent, Dan Lozano, in reaction to his early discussions with Minaya, stated that Piazza is interested in being a starting catcher and that several teams, including three in the National League, have expressed possible interest in him. For now, Piazza and his agent will wait and watch. There will be plenty of time to weigh his options and make a decision once the post-season is over. Having never experienced the unique freedom of free agency, it's hardly surprising that Piazza wouldn't want to rush into anything. After 13 years in the big leagues he's still a rookie, at least when it comes to being a free agent.

Throughout his career Piazza has been that rarest of birds, a professional athlete who doesn't like to move around all that much. After his tremendous start in L.A. it seemed unimaginable that he'd end his career anywhere else. Yet, early in the 1998 season, he found himself traded to the Florida Marlins for five minutes before ending up in Queens, where he settled down for another long tenure. Now, with a limited amount of time left in his career, he's faced with the possibility of moving again. It's a prospect that has never made him very comfortable but at least this time he's calling his own shots. He wants to be sure that he makes the right decision as this will undoubtedly be the final move of his career. At least until he makes the ultimate move - straight to Cooperstown. But if Mike Piazza has his way, that one will have to wait just a little bit longer.