Braves out on Ohman

The Braves are no longer pursuing Will Ohman, according to Dave O'Brien of the AJC.

Did that $1 million offered to Tom Glavine put them over the top?

Ohman posted a 3.68 ERA last season with the Atlanta Braves. He appeared in 83 games, 58.7 innings, with a 1.244 WHIP. He struck out 53 and walked 22.

He made $1.6 million last season after signing a two-year, $2.5 million deal with the Chicago Cubs before the 2007 season (he was traded to Atlanta after the '07 season).

I think Omar Minaya needs to go for him.

A right-hand bat or a left-hand arm?

The Mets may be targeting Rich Aurilia, according to Ken Davidoff.

Aurilia has seen time at all four outinfield positions over the last few years, with the bulk of his time being at first base with his range and speed now diminished. Last season with the San Francisco Giants, Aurilia hit .283, had an OBP of .332 and slugged .413.

He'd be a nice addition, but with all the people the Mets have brought on this off-season, where's that extra arm they so sorely need?

Davidoff goes on to note that they have some interest in the available lefties (Will Ohman, Joe Beimel, etc.) but believe they can fill the role internally, possibly with Casey Fossum or Tom Martin.

Though they shouldn't lean on either of those guys, hoping for a full, productive season out of them, the possibility of mixing and matching could work. It may not be the best move, but it's better than nothing.

Sign Ben Sheets, if and only if...

By bringing Oliver Perez back on board, the Mets rotation looks something like:

1. Johan Santana
2. Mike Pelfrey
3. Oliver Perez
4. John Maine
5. Tim Redding / Freddy Garcia / Jon Niese

With that rotation, and the surplus of possible No. 5 starters on the 40-man roster, I think the Mets should bring on Ben Sheets, if and only if he's halfway healthy.

The pitcher understands that he's injured, and from what we've seen with his career, if he can get out there, he will. Yes, he spends a lot of time on the disabled list, but I feel as though the Mets have enough arms to suffice in a time of need.

Say Sheets makes only 20 starts. That leaves roughly 13 more starts to fill in. I'm confident a rotating cast of Redding, Garcia and Niese could put together a bakers dozen worth of decent starts in his absence.

The Mets have seen, over the past two seasons, that every game is extremely important. If they can get 15 good starts out of Sheets, he might be worth the money. (Notice I haven't talked contract figures yet.)

I'm not quite sure what I'd be comfortable seeing the Mets offer Sheets. They still have a few more cogs to fit in the machine, such as a left-handed arm and possibly another bat, so I don't think they're chomping at the bit to sign him. Still, they should explore all their options and see how much he's really asking.

He'd be playing on a competitive team, much more so than Texas, a team he's been talking to of late, and would be on the big stage to try and set up for a nice payday after one or two years.

Sheets should adopt a lyric from ABBA: "Take a chance on me!"

Did I really just quote ABBA? Yikes.

Zeno's Paradox: 'Mets closing in on deal to keep Perez'

So says Ken Rosenthal:

The team is "trying to hold the line" on a three-year deal for Perez, one source said, but a vesting option for a fourth year remains possible.

Oh, just sign him already. This is getting ridiculous.

Or as Donna Chang would say, "ridicurous."

Zeno's Paradox: Signing Oliver Perez

If you're unfamiliar with Zeno's Paradoxes, one of them states that, "Before a moving object can travel a certain distance, it must travel half that distance. Before it can travel half the distance it must travel 1/4 the distance, etc. This sequence goes on forever."

That's how it seems the Mets are progressing with Oliver Perez.

Every time I hear a rumor, the Mets are "getting closer" or are "a bit closer" or "almost there."

With the market thinning, now with Jon Garland and Andy Pettitte off the market, it leaves really only Perez and Ben Sheets as viable options for the Mets.

They need a No. 2 or 3 starter, and though neither are a perfect fit, the Mets cannot enter the season and expect their current rotation to compete.

Mets offer more to O. Perez

The Mets have previously offered Oliver Perez a three-year, $30 million contract. That was too cheap for Scott Boras and his client. The Mets have now upped the offer, according to reports.

Andrew Marchand of ESPN 1050 reports that the Mets are willing to give Perez a contract for four years, likely worth $10 million per.

That is way too expensive. I wouldn't mind Perez back in orange and blue, but for that much, over that long of a contract just isn't worth it. He's honestly not that great of a pitcher to command that much money.

But thanks to an over-eager pitching market, other pitchers got more than they deserved, so Perez will as well. (Thanks, Atlanta!)

The Mets are better off signing Perez for two-years and giving him more per season. I don't think Perez is a reliable enough pitcher to sign for that length of time.

Update: I just wrote this in a reply to a comment...

I don't think there are any other teams! If there were, Boras would be parading them around like circus elephants trying to drive up Perez's price. But if that's not happening, I'm pretty sure no other team if willing to offer this much money to him -- and rightly so.

More stockpiling?: Garcia to choose team this week

Freddy Garcia will be able to take the pick of the litter. While the litter only contains three teams (White Sox, Rangers and Mets), it's still a nice position to be in.

According to the Daily Herald, Garcia will make a decision sometime this week. The Mets could be looking to Garcia to compete with Tim Redding for the fifth spot in the rotation, or possibly more.

I don't care where he fits into their plans right now, they should sign him anyway. We know all too well that pitchers are going to get hurt and land of the disabled list. The more pitchers you have waiting in the wings, the better.

Mets Rumor: Freddy Garcia

Freddy Garcia has been drawing interest from the Mets for a while. As a free agent, coming off surgery and, well...right now.

The Mets have been in contact with his representatives, a baseball official confirmed. The righthander, who will be 32 on Opening Day, is a candidate to be signed by the Mets even if they sign one of the players ahead of him on the list. He could compete with recently signed Tim Redding for the No.5 spot.

He's another one of those low-risk, high-reward guys the Mets rarely sign. Stockpiling pitching should be the No. 2 priority right now, behind getting a front-line starter.

Go for it.

Papers abuzz with Ben Sheets and Andy Pettitte rumors

The Sunday papers are filled with column and articles making the case for the Mets and Ben Sheets (and Andy Pettitte too.)

John Harper thinks Sheets and the Mets should happen:

If they're going to try and win a championship with a pitching-dominant formula, then they need to think hard about signing Ben Sheets.
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The righthander, who turns 31 in July, was 13-8 with a 3.08 ERA last season, and was mostly injury-free until injuring a flexor tendon in his elbow in September that rendered him ineffective late in the season and sidelined him for the Brewers' playoff series with the Phillies.

Still, Sheets did throw 198 innings last season, four more than Perez, and consistently flashed the combination of mid-90s fastball and killer curve that make him one of the best pitchers in baseball when healthy.

I agree with Harper. When healthy, he's one of the best. The Mets need to take a chance here and sign Sheets if they want to compete in 2009.

David Lennon confirms that Sheets is and Pettitte is not on the Mets radar:

Two of the most intriguing names still available are Ben Sheets and Andy Pettitte, with the Mets only recently showing interest in the former Brewers ace. A person familiar with the situation said yesterday that Sheets is now being discussed, but it's unclear what the parameters of such a deal would be.

The oft-injured Sheets is a calculated risk, and in this market, so late in the offseason, he could wind up being a relative bargain. As for Pettitte, a person familiar with the club's thinking said the Mets are not involved with the former Yankee.

At least Minaya remembers there are other pitchers besides Oliver Perez. I think I would actually prefer these two pitchers over Perez.

Finally, the reason to sign Sheets may not be to just get him on the Mets' staff, but rather to keep him out of the Phillies hands. From Boston.com:

2. Ben Sheets, RHP, free agent: While Texas appears to be considering Sheets, don't be shocked if Philadelphia has interest as well. The Phillies have been arbitration-strapped, with a huge outlay likely headed Ryan Howard's way. The Phillies are trying to find a way to get someone of Sheets's caliber on their staff.

Minaya, please sign Sheets, just so the Mets don't have to face him five times a year.

Too much talk, not enough doing. It's been a good off-season so far, but the Mets need to make a few more splashes before they're ready for 2009.

More Jon Garland and the Mets rumors

A-ha! Someone seems to be listening.

Peter Botte in the Daily News:

The Mets have maintained regular contact with the representatives for free agents Randy Wolf and Jon Garland as fallback options if they don't retain Perez.

Get one of them and either Oliver Perez or Ben Sheets, and I will be a very happy Mets fan.

Mets make offer to Ollie?

Update: The deal is apparently for three-years and an unknown amount of money. Sorry Mets, that's just not going to get it done. I think they'll have to go for a five year minimum to even get him to the table.

Thanks to Brian Decina for shooting me an e-mail about Oliver Perez.

Decina writes that he was watching the MLB Network and Jon Heyman noted that the Mets have made an offer to Perez. The numbers are unknown as of right now, but I'm guessing it will be for a long-term deal.

Perez, 27, has been the second choice all for the Mets all off-season, behind Derek Lowe.
I'm out and about right now, so again, thanks to Brian for the e-mail.

In the quest to sign every Reyes playing baseball

Here's a nugget from Ken Rosenthal:

Free agent Dennys Reyes is attracting interest from the A's and Mets as well as the Dodgers and other clubs.

They have Jose, and he's not going anywhere. They had Argenis and Al last season, though Al never made it to the big club. Dennys is next. Also out there, Anthony and Jo-Jo.

Good luck with that.

The Mets need a left-handed starter

The Mets are sorely lacking southpaws on their pitching staff.

As the depth chart stands right now (sans Tim Redding), the Mets only have three lefties between their rotation and the bullpen. Johan Santana and Jon Niese on the starting staff and only Pedro Feliciano in the bullpen comprise the lefties on the team.

To be successful, the Mets need to sign or trade for some more.

The team has focused on two free agent starters to fill the void in the rotation. Derek Lowe, a righty, and Oliver Perez, a lefty, seem to be atop the Mets wish list, in that order. With Redding now a New York Met, and likely becoming the fifth man in the rotation (or at the least the long man and spot starter), should the Mets look to Perez first and Lowe second?

Friend and fellow blogger Josh Levitt brings up this point on his blog Jorge Says No!:

I think that Omar Minaya should back off his pursuit of Derek Lowe. With rumors swirling that the Braves are going all in on Lowe, now would be a good time for the Mets to step aside and focus their efforts on Oliver Perez, who is only 27 and great against lefties. Lowe would be a wonderful addition to the Mets rotation, but at this point I'm skeptical about giving him a fourth year or another $10-$15 million more than the Mets original offer (3 years/$36 million).

Levitt absolutely hits the nail on the head here.

Though I'd love Lowe on the Mets, I think the smarter play here if for Perez, at least given their current situation. Perez has shown his ability to win in big games (even if he couples that with loses against sub-.500 teams) and would provide the Mets with another lefty arm on the staff.

With guys like Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley all batting left handed, the Mets need another southpaw. (Yes, I realize these are all Phillies, but the rest of the teams in the NL East don't really have any feared left-handed hitters. Plus, these are three of the biggest boppers the Mets will face in any division, so it just makes sense.)

The Mets should shift focus to signing Perez. Lowe would be nice, but Perez seems like the better fit right now.

Mets still confident

Ken Davidoff:

The Mets remain confident that they'll eventually land one of their top two choices to upgrade the starting rotation - either Derek Lowe or Oliver Perez.

He then goes on to look around baseball for teams that were searching for starters this year, and brings up quotes and signings that show the market for these two isn't very good.

Still, I'm yet to hear any Ben Sheets rumors for the Mets. Obviously, no team would sign this guy long term, due to his knack for getting hurt, but a two-year deal may make sense for a few, the Mets being one of them.

When Sheets is healthy, he's a top-notch pitcher, but that is a big "if." Still, a two-year deal, worth, say $8 million per year. He made $11 in 2007, but his injuries should limit the amount of money he gets paid.

Lowe, Perez and Sheets are still on the market, and the Mets absolutely need another starting pitcher. As of right now, Lowe is far and away the most popular choice in the current poll, garnering 43 percent of the overall votes. Sheets is in second with 25 percent and Perez has picked up 18 percent.

I'll take any of them.

Mets, Redding close to deal

According to sources, the New York Mets and free agent Tim Redding are closing in a one-year deal.

Jon Heyman believes the deal to be worth $2.25 million. Ken Davidoff has it costing the Mets another $250,000.

Smart move, Mets. Maybe this isn't the exact order you'd like to sign your free agent pitchers, but it's better than nothing.

I like it. Now where is my Honeymooners-Redding post...

Link: Hot Stove Daily: New York Mets

Jeff Passan takes a look at the Mets off season moves and gives them a bit of a reality check. Read the article here.

Braves emerge as suitors for Lowe

After catching the short end of the John Smoltz stick, the Atlanta Braves are looking to make a splash and add to their weak rotation.

Derek Lowe and the Braves brass met at Turner Field down in Hot-lanta in an effort to woo the free agent sinkerballer.

Here's the report from the AJC:

“We had a nice talk, went pretty good,” [Bobby] Cox said. “Derek’s in great shape, ready to go. Who knows? Hopefully we can get close with him.”
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Cox has known Lowe since managing an all-star team that toured Japan eight years ago. Lowe was on it, and Cox left quite an impression with him. Boras said Sunday that the pitcher had great respect for the manager and was sincere in his interest in the Braves.

On Wednesday [Frank] Wren arranged the meeting with Lowe, a Florida resident, and Cox. Hours later, Wren was notified that Smoltz would sign with the Red Sox. Chipper Jones called Lowe on Wednesday to make a recruiting pitch, shortly before Smoltz called Jones to tell him he was leaving the Braves.

Great, so now if the Mets lose out on Lowe, they'll likely be forced to face him at least five times a year. Figures that would happen...

The Mets need to make a move, and quick. No more waiting around for something to happen. Blitzkrieg Boras and Lowe with another $2 million per and a fourth year. Let's get this over with, Omar Minaya & Co. There are still more holes to fill.

Maybe someone is listening

REDDING MULLS OFFER FROM METS

"[Minaya's] thinking is he would like to bring in six or seven starters this spring because of what happened last year," the source said.

Yay.

They ate at Citi

Well, I was wrong.

Here I proposed coffee and biscotti, maybe a nice sandwich or even a pricey sit down feast. Steve Popper reports things went a little different.

The Mets - GM Omar Minaya, C.O.O. Jeff Wilpon and assistant GM John Ricco - met with Boras and his assistant, Mike Fiore at Citi Field. They brought the power agent and his assistant on a tour of the new stadium and hosted a lunch for them at the stadium.

According to Popper, the chit-chat focused on Derek Lowe. The Mets are standing pat with their offer, as expected (for now).

Mets and Boras to do lunch

Scott Boras is in town for this. The Mets convinced him to stick around another day with the offer to buy him lunch. Apparently it worked, and the two sides will sit and chat about Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez -- both Boras clients.

As stated before, the Mets have already pitched digits to Tim Redding and will soon be dealing with Randy Wolf. Both of those players are for the back of the rotation, while Boras' clients could fit anywhere from the No. 2 spot back to No. 4.

I wonder where they will go to lunch...Coffee and a snack at Starbucks is too cheap. Maybe a stop at Pret A Manger? What about Tavern on the Green? It will probably one of these places, knowing Boras' taste for the extravagant (at least when dealing with contracts).

Five bucks says the Mets sign Alex Cora out of all this, another Boras client.