Mets have Indians in their corner

The Mets want to sign Francisco Rodriguez. The Indians want the Mets to sign him as well.

Why, you ask?

Because they think they'll get a deal on Brian Fuentes, the closer they want. The Mets had wanted to stay away from setting the bar for the market, but it looks like their hand is forced in this situation.

The Indians are waiting for the Mets to sign a closer, their hope being that once the big-market Mets are out of the closer derby, the prices will fall. In particular, the Indians hope the Mets take Francisco Rodriguez out of the mix. Multiple officials from other teams say they believe the Indians are particularly intrigued if Brian Fuentes' dollar demands plummet to an acceptable level for them.

The move is yours, Omar Minaya. Let's kick this off-season off with a bang.