Fargo's Chris Coste is headed to the Big Apple.
The catcher agreed to terms with the New York Mets on Monday on a contract that guarantees him a spot on the 40-man roster.
"It's going to be a bit of a gamble," Coste said. "They have money to spend and they could go out and get a couple more catchers."
Coste said the Mets were the only team to give him that guarantee, although he said it isn't a given that he'll be on the opening-day roster. Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but he said he was offered more money from other teams.
"Money was not the deciding factor," he said. "It was a combination of the opportunity to be on a team that has a chance to win and to be in an area that is just as intense as Philadelphia was."
ADVERTISEMENT
The 36-year-old Coste, who started last year with the Philadelphia Phillies before the Houston Astros claimed him off waivers, said he was not contacted by the Minnesota Twins.
"I didn't expect a call," he said. "It would have been nice but they never did."
So, he'll remain in the National League, something he said was not a priority. As of Monday, the Mets had starter Omir Santos and backup Josh Thole on their roster, although Thole is considered the Triple A catcher.
Santos hit .260 last year with seven home runs and 40 runs batted in. After a successful stint with the Phillies, Coste had a down year last year at the plate hitting .224 with two home runs.
"They'll find at least one more," Coste said of the number of Mets catchers. "Who knows, they they'll find two more and that would make things interesting for me."
