Last week I asked who should fill the last spot on the Mets Bullpen. There were 3 votes for Will Ohman, 2 for Brian Stokes and 1 for Jonathan Niese.
Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal reported “Ohman, 31, has offers from the Pirates, Marlins and Padres, and is waiting for possible interest to develop from the Phillies, Mets and Dodgers.”
Ohman’s agent, Page Odle, adds, “We’re offering flexibility, too. Will is willing to pitch for a good chunk for his money. We feel that Will is a shutdown lefty who strikes guys out and gets righties out as well. We’re hoping one of the playoff teams will want that shutdown lefty.”
However, according to Joel Sherman, “If Sanchez is right, the Mets will not feel big pressure to put a second lefty reliever in the pen in tandem with Pedro Feliciano.” Yet, Sherman believes Sanchez could be released or traded for a “righty-hitting outfield bat.”
I think the Mets are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with one of their Spring Training Invitees, like Valerio De Los Santos. It’s also possible that if Freddy Garcia wins the 5th spot in the rotation, Livan Hernandez could fill the last spot in the rotation. As of now the Mets Bullpen consists of Franciso Rodriguez, J.J. Putz, Sean Green, Pedro Feliciano, Duaner Sanchez, and most likely Tim Redding.
What do you think?
As I’ve said before, the Mets need pitching depth. Seems like Omar Minaya thinks so too. On Saturday, Christian Red of the New York Daily News, reported that the Mets had signed Livan Hernandez to a $1 million minor-league deal with $1 million in performance bonuses. When asked about Pedro Martinez, Minayaresponded that they are set with the pitchers they have. However, “as long as Martinez has yet to sign with a team” David Lennon of Newsday won’t count the Mets out.
This news is very exciting. Last year, I and many others were hoping the Mets would sign Livan for the #5 spot. Turns out they could’ve used him with all the injuries to the rotation. This year, Livan will be competing with Freddy Garcia, Tim Redding and Jonathan Niese for the last spot on the rotation.
The downside to the minor-league deals given to Garcia and Livan is that Garcia has said he expects to be in the rotation or will pitch somewhere else. So we’ll have to wait for Opening Day to see whether the Mets will have strong pitching depth.
The best case scenario for the team would be to have Garcia make the rotation, with Redding in the bullpen and Livan in the Minors as the 6th man. Since Niese is still a rookie, it’s pretty much guaranteed that he’ll be starting in AAA.
As for Pedro, like David Lennon, until he signs somewhere else, I still see Pedro returning to the Mets. However, I think he’ll sit out the cold months (maybe in St. Lucie) and possibly get a call in June.
In my last segment of State of the Mets Rotation, I argued that the Mets should sign either Ben Sheets or Pedro Martinez. Two days later, Jon Heymanreported that Sheets would have elbow surgery. So it seems like Pedro’s path to the Mets just got a little clearer.
The Mets have a very good rotation with Johan Santana, Oliver Perez, John Maine, and Mike Pelfrey. Then there’s Tim Redding, Freddy Garcia, and Jonathan Niese all vying for the last spot on the rotation. I still think we need one more starter to add for pitching depth, and that person is Pedro Martinez.
As we’ve all come to learn over the past couple of years, you need pitching depth in case of injury. Do you remember last year when Pelfrey our #6 pitcher became our #4 pitcher? That’s why I propose the Mets bring back the Godfather of the Modern Mets for one more year on an incentives laden contract, to deepen the rotation.
I know there’s a whole bunch of reasons why that sounds crazy, but he can’t be worse than either Redding, Garcia or Niese. With Sheets scheduled for surgery, Wolf, Garland, and Looper signed, Pedro is the best option on this free agent tracker (and no, we’re not trading for a starter). Plus, he’s practically begging the Mets to bring him back.
So let’s think about it for a second. I’m not talking about Pedro as a #2 starter getting paid $12 million. Instead, I’m suggesting we bring Pedro back as a #5 starter getting paid $5 million guaranteed. That’s a high ceiling low risk move.
The added benefit is that Redding can slot in to the long man position, Garcia can get some starts in AAA (remember Garcia just pitched 3 games for the Tigers last season), and Niese can pitch a full season in AAA getting ready to take over the spot in 2010.
Look, I know Pedro hasn’t looked the same since 2005, but even he’s admitted that he has something to prove. Pedro has cojones, and that’s what this team needs more of. So let him come back for one year and prove that he’s still the man.
On Friday, Joel Sherman reported that the Mets avoided arbitration with John Maine. Maine will earn $2.6 million for 2009 and can earn $25,000 by pitching 200 innings. Maine earned $450K in 2008. That’s great for Maine and the Mets. I wonder if Maine’s late season injury had an impact on the Mets not signing him to a long term contract similar to what the Mets did with Mike Pelfrey, Jose Reyes and David Wright.
On Monday, Joel Sherman reported that the Mets “have reached agreement with Oliver Perez on a three-year, $36 million contract”. Perez earned $6 million in 2008. This signing is good for both parties. The Mets get the pitcher they wanted for three years and Perez now becomes one of the top paid pitchers in the league and will be eligible for free agency when he’s 30.
The Mets have a very solid rotation now but still may be able to improve it by signing Ben Sheets or Pedro Martinez. Both are risks, Sheets because of his injury history and Pedro because of age. It has been reported that Sheets is still looking for a multi-year deal with guaranteed money while Pedro has said he prefers to return to the Mets. The biggest difference between the two is that when healthy, Sheets is a true ace while Pedro would be competing for the last spot in the rotation.
I’d like to see the Mets sign Sheets to a 1 year $6 million contract with incentives reaching up to $12 million (similar to Andy Pettitte’s deal with the Yankees). Or, I’d like the Mets to sign Pedro Martinez to a 1 year $5 million contract with incentives reaching up to $10 million (similar to John Smoltz’s deal with the Red Sox). Signing one of these two will push Tim Redding to the long man/6th starter role, with Freddy Garcia and Jonathan Niese as the 7th and 8th pitchers.
On Thursday, Adam Rubin reported that the Mets agreed to a Minor League deal with Freddy Garcia. According to Jon Heyman, Garcia felt that the Mets gave him a better opportunity to start.
On Friday, ESPN Radio reported that the Mets were willing to offer Oliver Perez a four year contract and had a growing interest in Ben Sheets. That same day, Jon Heyman reported that the Mets improved their offer to Perez, but it wasn’t certain what the offer was.
The Mets current rotation would be Johan Santana, John Maine, Mike Pelfrey, Tim Redding, and either Freddy Garcia or Jonathan Niese. If the team is able to sign Oliver Perez or Ben Sheets, then Redding would compete with Garcia and Niese for the 5th spot. Were the team to sign two more free agent starters, then Redding could pitch from the bullpen as the long man.
These are the free agent starters the Mets have been linked to: Jon Garland, Pedro Martinez, Oliver Perez, Ben Sheets and Randy Wolf.
Here’s how I’d rank them:
Ben Sheets – 30, Type A (GS-31, IP-198.3, W-13, WHIP-1.15, ERA-3.09, SO-158 )
Oliver Perez – 27, Type A (GS-34, IP-194, W-10, WHIP-1.40, ERA-4.11, SO-180)
Jon Garland – 29, Type B (GS-32, IP-196.2, W-14, WHIP-1.51, ERA-4.90, SO-90)
Randy Wolf – 32, Type B (GS-33, IP-190.1, W-12, WHIP-1.38, ERA-4.30, SO-162)
Pedro Martinez – 37 (GS-20, IP-109, W-5, WHIP-1.57, ERA-5.61, SO-87)
I’m hoping the Mets can sign Oliver Perez for four years-$40 million and then sign Ben Sheets for two years-$20 million. If signing both isn’t possible, I’d prefer a combination of Sheets and Wolf, over Perez and Garland.
Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal wrote, “The Mets and Yankees have emerged as the leading contenders for free-agent right-hander Freddy Garcia.” He also cited a major league exececutive here who predicts “the price (for Ben Sheets) will be in the $6 million to $8 million range for one year, with incentives that could push the total value past $14 million. A lucrative club option also might be part of the package.”
Meanwhile, on Monday, Jon Heyman wrote “The Mets currently have no offer on the table and believe Oliver Perez is still seeking about $60 million (for five years). Perez remains by far the Mets’ first choice for their final rotation spot and are surveying other viable starters, including Ben Sheets, as well as Randy Wolf and Jon Garland.”
As I wrote last week, it seems to me that if the Mets wanted to, they could afford both Perez and Sheets while remaining under $160 million. Click here for the updated 40 man roster with salary projection and here I’ve added Perez and Sheets.
Given that all teams (except the Yankees) seem to be saving for a rainy day, I’d guess the Mets will only sign one of Perez and Sheets. I’m okay with that, as long as they also sign one of Jon Garland and Randy Wolf who have been reported to be requiring a $6 – $8 million deal. Ideally, the Mets would also sign one of Freddy Garcia or Pedro Martinez for $5 million on incentives based contracts (to give the team pitching depth similar to the Red Sox’sBrad Penny and John Smoltz deals).
That would give the Mets the following rotation depth:
I think we can all agree that signing Oliver Perez is a must for the Mets and that it will cost between 10 and 12 million per year. The real question now is, “Do the Mets need to make any other additions to the rotation after signing Perez?” I’ll go ahead and say Yes and that addition must be Ben Sheets.
Some might argue that a rotation of Santana, Maine, Perez, Pelfrey, and Redding or Niese would suffice. Others will say that the Mets should sign the dependable Jon Garland to anchor the rotation.
The biggest argument I’ve heard over signing both Perez and Sheets is that the Mets can not afford it. Using salary figures from Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the current 40 man salary stands at approximately $137.3375 million . If Perez signs for $12 million and Sheets for $15 million, the salary would increase to approximately $165 million. However, these figures include projected arbitration salaries for Church, Feliciano, Maine, Reed and Sanchez that seem to be very high. So more likely, the roster salary would be close to $160 million.
Therefore, if signing both Perez and Sheets would most improve the rotation and the Mets are willing to increase the 2009 salary to $160 million, then the Mets can and should sign both Perez and Sheets.
Here’s a link to the current roster with salaries and here’s a link to my projected roster with salaries.
David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal has reported that the “(Braves) have agreed to terms with veteran pitcher Derek Lowe on a four-year, $60 million contract.”
Original Post:
On Sunday, Newsday’s Ken Davidoffwrote, “the Mets remain confident that they’ll eventually land one of their top two choices” for their rotation: Derek Lowe or Oliver Perez.”
Yesterday, on MLB Networks Hot Stove Show, Jon Heyman reported that the Mets made a three-year offer to Oliver Perez worth $30 million. Today, Heyman reports that the Braves made a four year offer to Derek Lowe worth close to $60 million.
I’m glad that offers are being made, I was worried this would drag out until February. The Mets offers to Lowe (3/$36M) and to Perez (3/$30M) seem fair initial offers considering the market. The Braves seem determined to make a splash this off-season, especially after failing to trade for Jake Peavy and after A.J. Burnett signed with the Yankees. If Lowe does sign with the Braves, the Mets will most certainly be able to sign Perez for close to what they are asking. Maybe a three-year $36M offer with a mutual fourth year option making it four-years and $50M will get it done.
The criticism against Oliver Perez is that he is inconsistent. If the Mets believe this to be true, will they want to compensate the lack of consistency by signing an innings eater for the 5th spot like Jon Garland? I’d rather spend less money on low monetary risk and high reward pitchers like Pedro Martinez and Freddy Garcia to compete with Jon Niese and Tim Redding for the last spot.
Yesterday, Jack Curry of the New York Times reported that the Mets have made an offer to pitcher Derek Lowe for a three year contract worth $36 million.
Today, John Harper of the Daily News writes, “it seems it will only be a matter of time before the Mets sign Derek Lowe“.
If the Mets do in fact sign Lowe, they still need to fill another spot in the rotation. Phillies fan Eric Seidman of fangraphs.com takes a statistical look at next year’s potential starting rotation.
According to his analysis, if the Mets sign Lowe, their rotation, “places the Mets right in the thick of perhaps sporting the best rotation in the senior circuit.”
In an ideal world, I’d like the Mets to sign both Derek Lowe and Randy Wolf, giving them a +15.1 wins (compared to the Giants +15.4 wins) and a combined 96 quality starts (In 2008 Santana 28, Lowe 20, Pelfrey 19, Wolf 18, Maine 11). If Maine can return to his 2007 form, that’s an additional 6 QS.
Daily Mets 