The problem: Perez’s agent is the infamous Scott Boras. With conversations likely to start at $15 million annually, the Mets may opt to look elsewhere, and early indications have them interested in landing former Red Sox and Dodger Derek Lowe.
This would leave the Mets with top four of Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine and either Perez or Lowe (assuming they land one of the two).
The best value on the market is clearly Ben Sheets. An injury-plagued second half will give a team the opportunity to acquire him way below his true value. With all of the dollars that New York is likely to shell out, this could be a great low-investment, high-reward addition to their rotation.
Orlando Hudson – I think it’s fair to conclude that the Luis Castillo experiment has been a complete disaster for New York. His injuries and underproduction have the Mets in quite a bind at second base heading into 2009.
Orlando Hudson would be the perfect way to solve this problem. However this would surely require that the Mets move Castillo’s albatross of a contract. Though costly, considering the Mets would still be paying some of Castillo’s contract and all of Hudson’s, this would bring the 2005, 2006 and 2007 gold glover, with a career .282 batting average to New York. The Mets will have serious competition, as teams are already lining up for Hudson’s services, but we can’t under estimate Omar Minaya when he wants a player. And all signs point towards Omar wanting Orlando Hudson.
Guts– All the Mets have to do is peer 100 miles down I-95 towards Philadelphia to see what a gutsy team looks like. The Mets, on the other hand, seem to be mired in an ongoing, two-year identity crisis. Unfortunately for Omar Minaya, you can’t buy guts for $15 million a year on the open market—if it were only that simple. With all of the magic and momentum from the 2006 season completely evaporated, the Mets, more than anything else, need to find themselves some guts. Adding the right type of new blood to the mix will help, but ultimately the task will fall on the core already in place. Somebody, at some point, will need to step up and say enough is enough, not with their words but in the way they play.
The outline above may seem like a lot. But before you go saying “Why don’t they just sign Sabathia and Teixeira and call it a day,” think about it. They definitely need a closer. They definitely need at least one starter. They will definitely be looking to bolster the bullpen. And, like most big-market clubs, they will exercise their due diligence with anyone else who can help.
Money will be spent with caution, but make no mistake, money will be spent. Unlike Willy Randolph, Omar Minaya survived the team’s recent struggles, to put things mildly. He’s armed with over $26 million that just fell off the Mets books. His relationship with ownership remains strong and this time of year their checkbook is always a phone call away.
What are the Mets restrictions?
Well, C.C. Sabathia and Mark Texiera will not be discussed. Even the Mets, who just made Johan Santana the highest paid pitcher in history last off-season, will refrain from playing at the high-stakes table two years in a row. Aside from those two, Omar will be a shark in the water over the next few weeks, preying on every other free agent fish in the pond. When it’s all said and done, Omar is hoping that a change of scenery, some new players, and a dash of guts will be final ingredients needed to complete his championship stew. Only time will tell.
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