When the Astros traded him to the Mets, he still had a year left on his contract (around 6 million). The Astros attempted to sign him to a multi-year deal but he refused to negotiate until after the season. The Astros decided not to take the chance of losing him to free agency and traded him essentially for Dotel and Roger Cedeno. They also got the Mets to take Derek Bell and his contract off their hands.
