Veteran righty gets two-year deal to stay at Shea

By Jon Heyman, SI.com

NAPLES, Fla. -- The Mets have agreed to a two-year deal for about $12 million to bring back Orlando Hernandez, who was a pleasant surprise after they acquired him from the Diamondbacks in a trade last summer, SI.com has learned.

Hernandez, believed to be 41, took a physical Tuesday. It was largely a formality, as Hernandez's torn calf muscle had healed to the point where he was ready to pitch in the World Series had the Mets beaten the Cardinals in Game 7 of the NLCS last month.

Hernandez was one of general manager Omar Minaya's major coups last year, going 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA after coming to the Mets. Overall, he was 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA after an uneven start in Arizona. El Duque has an 81-60 career record with a 4.19 ERA in eight major league seasons with the Yankees, White Sox and Diamondbacks since leaving Cuba.

The Mets are continuing to seek pitching help here at the GM meetings. They are trying to re-sign Tom Glavine for 2007 and are pursuing a couple of free agents, most notably Barry Zito.