PORT ST. LUCIE — Omir Santos has gone from probable Opening Day catcher to potential Triple-A backup, but hasn’t lost hope he’ll find his way to the major leagues this season.
“They want experience — they didn’t think I was experienced enough,” Santos said yesterday, a day after the Mets agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Rod Barajas. “They got Barajas, and I think that’s the right guy.”
The Mets will not officially announce the signing until the 34-year-old Barajas passes a physical. His deal is for $1 million, but he could double that total if he reaches certain incentives.
Gary Matthews Jr., a former teammate of Barajas with the Rangers, said the Mets are getting a quality addition both on and off the field.
“He’s going to be a welcomed addition to this clubhouse,” Matthews said. “He’s a great character guy. People use that term and assume it doesn’t come with a lot of quality as far as play, but you get both of those in Rod Barajas.”
With Barajas in line to become the starter and Henry Blanco the backup, Santos figures to begin the season at Triple-A Buffalo behind Josh Thole.
* Sean Green’s new drop-down delivery has caught manager Jerry Manuel’s attention. Green used a sidearm delivery last season, but now is more pronounced in that motion.
“The thing he was able to do toward the end of last year was really have a high ratio of ground balls,” Manuel said. “He was even able to get [lefties] to hit balls on the ground. It gives us something of a crossover guy.”
* Jon Niese is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a torn hamstring. The lefty has shown no reservations, according to Manuel, and appears to be almost 100 percent healthy. Niese is locked in a battle with Fernando Nieve for the final spot in the rotation.
* The Mets announced that single-game tickets for this season will go on sale March 7 by phone and Internet. Tickets will go on sale at Citi Field the following day. The team is planning more than 50 promotional giveaways this season.