The Mets, a team that once had two Bobby Jones on its roster (Bobby M. and Bobby J. in 2000, not the defensive specialist from the Sixers though), apparently makes its roster moves as if playing Monopoly. Now the are locking up 47-year-old Julio Franco a year after losing then 43-year-old John Franco. Next, they will re-sign Matt Franco and will start building hotels on their heads.

Franco is so old that he was part of the Fergie Jenkins deal in Sixties (actually, the five-for-one Von Hayes trade but the facts were changed for comedic effect.) However, it is well established that the man keeps himself in tremendous physical condition, but $2.2 M? And a two-year contract, yet? And I thought the B.J. Ryan signing was ludicrous, though it did give added nuance to the connotation for his chosen nickname.

Apparently, Omar Minaya, the Mets GM, was a former minor-league teammate of Franco's or maybe his mentor, and remember that Franco apprenticed at the knee of Alexander Joy Cartwright—get it? He's old! (These are the jokes, folks.)

Can Franco be effective as he approaches fifty? Well, what he did last season was without precedent, so who knows? I don't think I would pay that much to find out, however.

In 2005, Franco played 108 games and maintained a respectable 105 adjusted OPS. No other 46-year-old ever played more than 63 games, No other 46-year-old position player ever played more than 8 games, and none have played in a single game since 1926. Here are all the 46-year-old major-leaguers:

As for players over 46, no one has played over 100 games in total, let alone in a single season. The most were by pitchers, with Jack Quinn's 95 games leading the pack. The only position player to play multiple games in the field past age 46 was Arlie Latham, who played 2 games at age 49 at second base (and four in total).

Here are the most career games after age 46:

Now, here's the breakdown by season. The most games by a player over 46 was 53 by Hoyt Wilhelm in 1970:

Player	Yr	Age	G	POS
Hoyt Wilhelm	1970	47	53	P
Jack Quinn	1932	48	42	P
Jack Quinn	1931	47	39	P
Phil Niekro	1986	47	34	P
Phil Niekro	1987	48	26	P
Hoyt Wilhelm	1972	49	16	P
Jack Quinn	1933	49	14	P
Hoyt Wilhelm	1971	48	12	P
Arlie Latham	1909	49	4	2B
Kaiser Wilhelm	1921	47	4	P
Minnie Minoso	1976	53	3	DH
Minnie Minoso	1980	57	2
Charley O'Leary	1934	51	1
Deacon McGuire	1912	48	1	C
Gabby Street	1931	48	1	C
Hughie Jennings	1918	49	1	1B
Jim O'Rourke	1904	53	1	C
Jimmy Austin	1929	49	1	3B
Johnny Evers	1929	47	1	2B
Nick Altrock	1924	47	1	P
Nick Altrock	1929	52	1	OF
Nick Altrock	1931	54	1
Nick Altrock	1933	56	1
Satchel Paige	1965	58	1	P
Total			261

Note that there have been just 261 games in total played by men after the age of 46. Franco potentially will double with his new Met contract, if he can 130 games a season in New York. Whatever happens, it can't be a worse deal than the Mo Vaughn signing.