Mets Should Trade for Peavy !

The Mets have been quiet which makes me believe they are waiting for the pearly gates of free agency to open, after the World Series.

The Mets who have Santana, Maine, and Pelfrey under contract next year, they need another starter. While teams like the Braves, Cardinals, and other teams like the Yankees have been mentioned in possible rumors to explore a trade for Jake Peavy, the Mets are no where in sight.

The Mets have to let go of this being scared attitude and jump in and be aggressive. Omar and his posse owes it to the fans to put themselves in a better position to win next season after a second collapse in two years. The bullpen that has been overused because the Mets had no starter besides Santana, Pelfrey and sometimes Perez (when he is on) to get them to/or passed the 6th inning. If they had a pitcher of Peavy's quality that would add another arm that goes into the later innings and take the pressure off the bullpen.

If I was the Mets, I would definitely inquire about him and use Fernando Martinez as the main chip here. They don't have time to waste and wait for him to develop.

They also have Dan Murphy who is hitting in the AFL without a primary position on their roster. Maybe they can include a Murphy and a pitcher like Heilman who retains some value and probably would perform under a stress-free environment. The Mets have to get creative here and use what they have to get a this big time starter.

Peavy wants to stay in the NL and he can hit. He has made some preferences that he wants to go somewhere close to San Diego because of family issues, but he has also suggested that he wants to win.

Why not, NY? Well he may not think of himself as a big city guy, but one thing is the Mets Fans and the city would embrace him and make him feel wanted. After pitching here with Santana, he may think differently.. Going into a new ballpark might not hurt either.

Peavy will make $11 million in 2009, $15 million in 2010, $16 million in 2011 and $17 million in 2012. There’s also a big ol’ $22-million team option for 2013, with a $4 million buyout. He is a steal at that price and he is only going to be 28 next year!

Here is Peavy's numbers for the last 3 years plus career:

Last 3 years	Team	G	GS	W	L	SV	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
2006	SD	32	32	11	14	0	2	0	202.1	187	93	92	23	62	215	4.09	1.23	.242
2007	SD	34	34	19	6	0	0	0	223.1	169	67	63	13	68	240	2.54	1.06	.208
2008*	SD	27	27	10	11	0	1	0	173.2	146	57	55	17	59	166	2.85	1.18	.229
Career		199	199	86	62	0	6	3	1261.0	1089	484	455	128	407	1256	3.25	1.19	.232

*Please note that the Padres were a dreadful team (63-99) and his record should of been better.

The drawback or red flag would be his pitching elbow.

• He had an elbow scare in May that sidelined him four weeks, but an MRI showed no ligament damage and Peavy bounced back from that to record 13 quality starts in his last 18 games.

• In seven of his 13 starts after July 4, he allowed one or no runs in seven or more innings, including an Aug. 31 start against Colorado in which he threw eight scoreless innings of five-hit ball with 13 strikeouts and two walks.
  

• He only made two starts in September, missing some time to witness the birth of his third child. The Padres were cautious bringing him back from that slowly, since they were out of postseason contention and because of the earlier elbow problems.
  

• Peavy also missed six weeks for a strained flexor tendon in that forearm/elbow in 2004, when he went 15-6 with a 2.27 ERA in 27 starts with 177 strikeouts in 163-1/3 innings.
  

• But in each of the next three seasons, he recorded over 200 innings and at least 215 strikeouts, including 223-1/3 innings with a league-high 240 strikeouts in 2007, when he finished 19-6 with a 2.54 ERA and won the Cy Young Award.

The only other option to get a pitcher of his quality would be CC Sabathia. But that as we all know will cost them plenty and much more than Peavy. He is looking at 6 yrs at $150 Million. The Mets can use that other money to get other needs, possibly a second basemen, left fielder and a desperately needed closer.

Taking a look at Sabathia's body of work this year and he has been great. He pitched for the Brewers when they needed him to pitch and even on three days rest. He is a workhorse. The thing that scares me is his physical makeup. This guy is close to 300 pounds and some say that his arm will not last under his present physical condition.

Hey, all I'm saying is the Mets have to get stronger in the rotation before they stronger in the pen. Why not get a guy like Peavy with his credentals and ability. It would look good in Citi-Field to have Santana/ Peavy going 1 and 2. Maybe even Fuentes to close them out, LOL.

What do you think?  - Make comments or suggestions!