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In a post to his blog for SI.com, Jon Heyman writes:
“The Mets made an offer of about $36 million over three years to Derek Lowe… However, indications are that Lowe isn’t seriously considering that proposal, and that several other teams are currently leading the chase.”
According to Heyman, the Braves and Phillies also have shown interest, as have the Red Sox, and ‘the Brewers and Angels may also be lurking,’
However, Brewers GM Doug Melvin told reporters today, “We’re not in on him,” when asked about Lowe, according to MLB.com.
And, according to Ken Rosenthal, at FoxSports.com, the Braves have yet to speak with Scott Boras about the free-agent starting pitcher.
Mark Bowman of MLB.com recently wrote that the Braves are unlikely to exceed Minaya’s initial three-year, $36 million offer.
Rosenthal also believes the Phillies and Brewers continue to be concerned with Lowe’s price tag, like the Braves – and the Cubs feel the same, reports Gordon Edes of Yahoo! Sports.
I realize people in baseball and in New York seem confident that Lowe is within arm’s reach of Queens, but I just don’t trust Boras.
Seriously, you just never know what sort of sorcery he is going to pull, while working to create a new market for his client.
The Mets could end up being in the best possible position for Lowe, then, uh oh, what happened, Lowe signs with the Yankees for four years and nobody ever saw it coming.
That’s the type of thing that always seems to happen with his clients, especially when his back is against the wall. This is why I am trying to not to get to wrapped up in any rumors and information surrounding Lowe. It’s just all hard to fully believe until the guy is actually wearing a new jersey.
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And we should at no point buy the Boras hype and think that this guy is “the answer”, “the missing piece”, or anything other than Derek Lowe, 36 year-old (by the end of the season.)
Boras is evil……pure evil. Pure him into some of the new concrete at Citi……Hoffa Style
I don’t fault Bora$ for trying to get the most money for his clients. I just depise the way he goes about doing it. The way he pumped up Zito as the second coming of Sandy Koufax based on some highly skewed stats should earn him a special place in Hades.
Of course, GMs like Cashman and Sabean are responsible as well for falling for Bora$’ ridiculous demands. I give Omar credit for trying to inject some sanity into the contract offers.
Good point. But don’t you just cringe at the sight of him? Come on, admit it
I cringe whenever I hear a good player is repped by Bora$, but the GMs/owners who buy his malarkey need to be held accountable as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bora$ gets aroused everytime he here’s the word “Yankees”.
How can we be “behind” when we are the only bidders and no one will meet or beat our bid?
such spin.
derek lowe will be a MET.period!!
No he wont, he will be an Angel or Philly PERIOD…
2009 Mets rotation
Santana
Pelfrey
Ollie
Maine
Wolf.
any takers on a bet? lol
The one good thing about Boras is that he typically will give everyone a chance to beat an offer he has from another team. I doubt Lowe signs without the Mets being told about an offer that is out there and that they have xyz amount of time to match and exceed it or lose out.
Right, but he could say that and be bluffing. I think Omar already has a number in mind (besides the 3/36) that he’s willing to counter with. Take it or leave it. It really doesn’t seem like anyone else is jumping at the chance to give him 50mil
I definitely think Omar has a higher figure that he’s holding in his pocket.
But gimme a break, since when is Derek Lowe the missing piece? Is he that much better than OP?
Yes, actually, he is. Lowe’s ERA was almost a full point lower than OP’s in 2008 (3.24 vs. 4.22). Plus, Lowe doesn’t dog it against bad teams and is extremely reliable, whereas the best word to describe OP is “enigmatic” and he is somewhat prone to injury.
Matt – I hope you are right since Ollie will be a better pitcher than Lowe over the next 3 years.
Yes, but Ollie is repped by Boras too so the same thing will go for him.
Maybe Boras will give us a two for one discount? OK, NOT
Exactly. Since when is Lowe this “ace” that we must pay any amount for. If we get him at our reasonable price, cool. If not, I for one won’t lose any sleep.
Lowe is right though, he is better than Silva. I would expect the Mets to to end up somewhere around $42M/3 years as a best and final.
The Silva contract was absurd…….just irresponsible to give him 4/40
Yep. I’m glad most GMs – except Cashman – are attempt to restore balance ot the market by not offering ridiculous contracts to average pitchers.
I was watching MLB TV last night – yeah, I’m that guy – and they discussed how all the arbitration-eligible guys on the Phillies are going to jack up their payroll by about $20 million, so they might not really be in the picture for Lowe. In the end, I think the Mets just might wind up bidding against themselves,
lol, good line with that:
“yeah i’m that guy”
Is Heyman on the Boras payroll? I’d love to get paid to write baseball fiction too.
Seriously! I think all these “reporters and bloggers” are just as bored and impatient as the fans.
GET BEN SHEETS!!!!
word
to your mother
I would have liked to have decorated my tree with Sheets and Garland . . .
CAN WE GET A SIGN MANNY POST? honestly, no reason for this amazing hitter not to be on the METS! whos with me
SIGN MANNY!
I think that Manny already has a home in LA just like Lowe has a home in Queens but Boras is hoping someone else jumps in to jack up the price on both. We can make a deal with him that we agree on 3 for 40k on Lowe and we will pretend to bid on Manny to jack up his value. Everyone is happy.
Web and Lackey are free agents next year
Great point
I’d be shocked if either one hit the open market.
Lackey will.
They are FA should their options not get picked up
Webb has an option, which the Diamondbacks would be crazy not to pick up. He, Beckett and Halladay are free agents after the 2010 season. Next year’s best free agent starters are John Lackey, Justin Duchscherer, and Brett Myers.
If Webb does so poorly this year that the D-Backs don’t pick up his 8.5 mil option for 2010, we’re not going to want him here. Lackey will be available, but will require a ridiculous contract unless he bombs next year too. We can’t just wait around hoping that guys like that become available.
Webb is too good to stink enough to not be worth 8.5m the way the market is nowadays. How bad would Webb have to be (by his standards) to be worth less than Ollie Perez?
I feel as time goes on, more and more GMs are calling out Boras for his “sorcery.” The whole A-Rod opt-out fiasco last year was a joke for him and his client. Quite frankly, I think the only team that still seems to be taken by Boras is the Yanks. If they sneak in and steal Lowe, so be it. I want Lowe, but not that badly and I believe his production can be replaced with some creative thinking by Omar.
Meanwhile, can someone name me one instance where Heyman was right this off-season? The guy is the epitome of a hack.
“Creative thinking by Omar.” LOL!!!!
Sure. He could swing a deal for Halladay or Duchscherer.
Or sign some combination of Wolf, Garland, Sheets, whoever for as much per year as Lowe is asking for, without forfeiting a draft pick.
I still think we’re a much better rotation with Lowe slotting behind Santana, but he’s not the only option that would make this team better.
I still can’t believe Boras wasn’t fired by ARod for that opt out mess. All said and done, ARod just gave some money to Texas.
I doubt Lackey gets to free agency. The Angels have paid everyone and they know he is key to their team.
Boras should open up the market for other pitchers as the Lowe game has gotten stale. See what they can get for Perez and then make a case that Lowe is worth more. He’s holding up everything with Lowe right now.
The Angels didn’t keep Mark Teixeira…they will have to decide whether they want to lock up Lackey of Vladimir Guerrero. Whoever they don’t chose hits the open market. I’m betting that’s Lackey, considering they have Nick Adenhart coming up.
Brandon webb,
in 2009 you will be a new york met..
thanks
I wouldn’t bet on it.
he has a club option for 2010 at 8.5 million. pretty sure the d’backs are gonna exercise that
0% chance.
just wante tdo see you guys reaction..
That would be great…..But do you think that Freddie Coupons will open up his little pocket book??? We may end up with the second coming of Steve Balboni instead….
Brandon Webb a met, on the form of Mike Pelfrey. Work that sinker baby!!!
People make it seem like the longer the Mets wait, the chances are better of signing him. I, for one, think the longer we wait, the less chance of signing him we have. If the rumors are true about the Mets not going over the 3/36 million dollar offer, mark my words, Lowe will not be a Met, the guy is worth more than 36 million. Offer him 2 years at 17 million with a 3rd option, he might bite.
“if the rumours are true”….LOL
“mark my words”…LOL
What is this? High school?
LMAO, i swear the good i thought the same thing!!! lol
No, this is Metsblog.com, a site where people can state their opinions.
Anyways. Give him 2 years at 17 million with a 3rd year club option.
i apologize if i offended you man.. i just thought it was funny..
I don’t think the Yankees are going to sign Lowe. I do think the Mets need him, but there doesn’t seem to be any other teams in. I think Omar is handling this perfectly. The fact that so many reports have been coming out about it shows that Boras and Lowe are getting antsy.
Forget Lowe. 3/40 final. Then move on. I would not mind Garland Wolf instead of Lowe anyway.
You wouldn’t mind two vastly inferior pitchers to Lowe?
That would be a horrible circumstance. It’s not all about the money. There is a very significant opportunity cost if we give two rotation spots to below average pitchers.
Lowe is a good pitcher. He isn’t worth more than $12M per year IMO, but he is certainly a much better option than Garland and Wolf. That’s putting too much mediocrity out on the mound too many times per week.
I think the Mets are playing a very dangerous game here. The Mets need Lowe and need him badly. If they lose out on Lowe, they will lose out on Ollie since he is also Boras. It’s time for the Mets for once to just get the player. The penny pinching is getting ridiculous and its bad enough that they are not going after Manny. Yes, Manny has a bad attitude but hitting cures all of that. One more thing, I would not be shocked to see Ollie in the Bronx, and that will be worst then Kazmir.
Mets please get Lowe, pay him the money or else it is going to be another long year in Flushing
I’m totally with you on signing Lowe, and the need they have to sign Lowe, but they’d be idiots to bid against themselves. They might be playing a dangerous game of chicken, but considering the fact that there simply are not a lot of suitors for the guy, they ought not simply just offer him everything he wants right at the outset. Even if they save just a few million bucks per year, that’s more money for a fifth starter, middle reliever, or utility guy.
i dont like the idea of the Mets bidding against themselves either, but I also don’t trust Broas. Plus I think as a franchise they need to just get this done,… Yes, we got K-rod and Putz, but we all know the lineup has issues and another good starter is needed. The Mets fan base has been put through a lot the last 3 yrs, not to mention having to watch the shopping spree in the Bronx, and i just think it would be smart to get this done sooner or later. Besides, last I checked they are not lowering ticket prices, so don;t penny pinch on the good players.
The Mets are not playing a dangerous game. Bidding against yourselves is playing a dangerous game. It’s obvious that nobody is beating the current Mets offer, contrary to Heyman’s “rumors”. Because if a team was willing to beat that offer and start a bidding war with the Mets who have said they badly want him, Boras would shop that offer directly to Omar saying so. He hasn’t. Omar will get every chance to match any offer because that’s how Boras operates. The longer it takes, the more obvious that Lowe is getting desperate seeing nothing else come his way
Before the Brandon Webb in 2010 chatter starts, AZ has a $8.5M club option for 2010 for him that will certainly be exercised.
Garland / Sheets or Garland /Perez would be fine too.
Garland isn’t that good, and certainly doesn’t compare to Lowe.
Garland is #5… Sheets would be #2 or Perez #3. With the new bullpen, that should suffice so long as we get a better bat at LF and/or 2B.
guys, relax, look, we fix the bullpen, i agree that we need a good solid #2, but we discounted that fact that pelfrey might even do better, and maine can come back, relax with this lowe situation, he’s not that good, and for all those ppl comparing him wit ollie, ollie was a #4 last year, #3 when mayne got hurt.. relax, the mets are playing this safe, they will either get him or sheets i guarantee..
Oh you guarentee, thank goodness i was getting nervous
lol, got u nord ok..
lol, got u nord ok..
I disagree that the Mets are approaching this incorrectly. Lowe IS the best remaining pitcher on the market, hands down, but there is no need to rush or overpay. I think they are handling this fine. In the end however, they need to sign him. And I think they will.
Spot on.
uh.. saber.. he’s the most reliable/stable based on healthy issues and stuff.. not the best.. sheets is better but is injury prone and perez got better stuff but is a knucklehead..
Lowe is the best pitcher, you re-stated that with different words.
how did i do that???
he’s the safest bet.. but if healthy all season he wouldn’t touch ben sheets!!! even last season, check who had better numbers..
TOP 10 REASONS TO SIGN MANNY RAMIREZ:
10) To stick it to the yankays.
9) To increase marketing opportunities around the Major Leagues. The Phillies and Braves would undoubtedly be frequented with offers from adult diaper companies.
8) The Wilpons can display that Madoff may have took some of their money, but he couldn’t take their Manny.
7) Jerry Seinfeld would have something more interesting to talk about than a Bee movie sequel.
6) Jealous of the impact Manny would have on the Mets, Citi-bank tries to ‘bank’ on his popularity by changing their name to – “Manny-Bank”. There by making Citi-Field – Manny-Field.
5) Decent chance Hank Steinbrenner is coerced into saying several stupid things through out the year. …. Well, even more so than usual.
4) Manny in a Mets uniform is only one step away from Chuck Norris in a Mets uniform.
3) I can finally reply in the affirmative to Christopher Walken as The Continental when he asks me if I’d like some cham-pagnia….
2) This would please Viggo Mortensen greatly.
1) THE METS WOULD WIN THE WORLD SERIES!!!
I believe in #1, #10, #5, #9..
very good though.. lol
Great list!
LMAO at #3!
I was just talking about that SNL skit!
# 5 is knee slappin’ hey haw funny
The Citi that Manny built. Beee yooo tee ful.
What ever happened to wanting to play for a specific team or city? Greed has stepped in and made it more of a business which is understandable, but if Lowe wanted to play for NY, he would take the offer. I’ll say it again, I read in the Post that he was quoted as saying that he doesn’t want to play for the Mets. Let him walk, the bum!
if he really said that, i got 3 words for you:
GO F******* YOURSELF!!!!!
3 words for you buddy, F__k your mother
Mets need to get Lowe – no doubt. I cannot see how they can go into this season without adding to their payroll either. The time is now for them to win.
I hate Heyman. He appears to know nothing and just about everything he has this offseason has been false or from his little pea brain. Angels are not in for Lowe, neither is Boston, Phillies, or Brewers. Braves are possible, but that would be it.
Agreed. He is never right. About anything. Ever. Only person I dislike more than him is Fatscesa
Francessa just did all of us Mets fans a HUGE favor with his diatribe of how the Mets should sign Manny…..he didn’t have to do that…although, I think he might have used it to back-handedly call the Wilpons cheap…I harbor that belief because he ended his segment by shouting the word CHEAP into the microphone several times, lol…he didn’t directly direct it towards them, but…it sure did seem like that’s what he wanted to say to them….
well, if they listen (which i hardly doubt) then they might consider it.. but as i said before, we can trade delgado for a pitcher if we get amnny and then we can sign another pitcher cheap to be our #5 to compete wit neise for that spot..
Honestly, if Francessa told me the sky was blue, I’d bet the house it wasn’t.
well, he’s not stupid for certain, he mentions like 8 teams for lowe inclufding the mets, if someone sign him from those teams they can say he reported it.. ;-)
Heyman in this article sounds like he’s on retainer from Boras. What a tool!
Of course Lowe is better than Garland and Wolf. However those to in a rotation compared to Lowe Niese is just as good.
I agree. I would even prefer Garland/Wolf.
As I said, I don’t care if Boras has a rabbit to pull out of his hat so to speak. Lowe is not worth what he’s asking for.. Let him go to the Phillies or Braves. As long as Omar turns around and signs Sheets, Garland, Ollie, or Wolf or any combination thereof, I’ll be happy.
I think talk of these other teams is BS. Both the Red Sox and Braves hate Boras and are not on the best of terms with him now. And the Phillies face a steep arbitration price tag. There is little chance any of those 3 teams are serious suitors for Lowe right now. And if he wants to go to some place like the Nats, well then god bless him.
I hate Boras. Stand pat, Omar.
Is it just me? If you are driving down the road and no one else is on the road are you leading a race.
Don’t bring that “logic” stuff here!
yes but you are also in last place…
Huh? Not really? Logically you can’t be in last if you’re the only one in the race. Last place connotates you finished behind others. And either way, it’s a stupid comment
I think its a half full vs. half empty thing. Either way, its making my brain hurt.
here’s the thing, we need to sign somebody with leverage, either sheets (who’s been a good pitcher but gets hurt) or lowe (very consistant) to back up santana.. then if pelfrey and mayne be #3 & 4 our rotation would be deep enuff to live with a garland at 5.. our bullpen is way better already so we shouldn’t worry too much if lowe doesn’t wanna come here..
Lowe needs us and the Wilpon money just as much, if not more, than the Mets need him.
We should make a formal 3 year/30 mill offer to OP and tell each pitcher that first one to tale their deal us a Met and the other can go fishing for less with someone else.
It’s called leverage.
uh.. encino.. no we shouldn’t say that.. has anybody heard about an offfer to ollie perez yet? at least we offer lowe some but perez hasn’t gotten nothing from nobody.. although i heard the yankees might give him a 3 year deal
Has anyone expressed any interest in Delgado yet? I think the Mets should try to unload him for a couple of decent prospects to replenish their farm system. I for one don’t believe he has it in him to have another year like last year, not because his head isn’t in it, but because he has that degenerative hip problem that everyone seems to have forgotten about from last Spring. Ship him out of town now and sign Dunn to play first. Then continue to groom the young guys.
Or ship out Delgado and sign Manny, but if the Mets are looking to reduce payroll, they can get Delgado off the books and sign Dunn for a year or two – his value (along with many other hitters’) has plummeted this offseason and would be a great value pickup in this market. Then we would be freed up to spend a little more to get both lowe and perez perhaps.
delgado and wagner 22 million+ will be off the book next year.. why not use that money on reality to sign manny? for real.. just give him 2/50 millions with a club option for a 3rd.. i don’t get it.. whoever they’ve gotten this offseason has come cheap.. even putz.. why not go all out to see what happens this year
Maybe they should put us in the front office. Delgado needs to go. Anaheim would be a perfect destination – they need a slugging first baseman, the Mets need good young pitching. Make it happen Omar.
MANNY PLEASE!
WHOS WITH ME??????
Give it up, son. If we get anyone, it will be Bobby Abreu for 1/10 with an option for 2010, not Manny. I’m with you, but it’s just not worth it anymore.
i was gonna throw up in my mouth but got dizzy and fell and now i’m cover in vomit… ABREU???? is that the best we can do???
In his live chat on MLB Trade Rumors, the reputable Tim Dierkes believes the Braves will end up with Lowe at 4/48. Absurd thought?
let him have him.. we will then turn to sheets (who’s better) and manny ramirez.. ;-)
If it was a choice between signing lowe and abreu or sheets (at a one year guaranteed deal) and manny, I would easily choose the latter. No question. I don’t think anyone is going to offer more than that to sheets. Except maybe the rangers. He needs to prove he can stay healthy for a full season. (i.e. Burnett never had a chance at his current contract with all of his previous injuries prior to this season).
That sounds silly, because if they offered 4/48, I’m sure we would up our per yr, and maybe go 3/39 or 3/42 (which is tops) and I would think he would take our offer over theirs…just my opinion
Lowe is reaching the bottom. I like Ollie’s fire and younger arm. Remember the Nolan Ryan trade my Met brothers and sisters!
i’m sorry.. did you just… no hold on let me check again.. ..
….
nolan ryan….. ollie perez.. yep u did,, are you serious???
for real.. are you????
yeah, mario, whatever you’re smoking, please share.
We’ve now had Ollie compared to Nolan Ryan. I’ve heard it all here.
At least we have some balance in this thread.
The Mets are playing this perfectly. They established a good, solid bid for Lowe and have not seen any teams counter. Boras will then play his “mystery team” (or teams) card, and then the talk will get serious. If there is a serious suitor, the Mets could get outbid, and they will obviously have internal parameters as to how far they will go. If not, you will see a 3 year deal around $40-44 yrs with a possible 4th year option. (If there are a lot of bidders, you will might see the 3 yr deal worth closer to $50, or a 4 year guarantee.)
I get the feeling that the you will see the former (deal closer to the original offer), and it will be another real win for Omar and co.
You’re absolutely right. This could be the best job Omar has ever done as far as bidding on a FA. I love watching this evolve.
i wish he would’ve did that las t year with castillo!!!!!
yea, its almost as action packed as watching snow melt…
Yeah, all of these “teams” that are supposedly not only interested, but AHEAD of us, according to heyman, have not made one offer….I definitely dont see the red sox or phillies going for him, the braves said they probably wouldnt go above our “initial” offer, the brewers gm just said they are NOT interested, so, exactly what am I missing?
We made our initial offer, and I’m sure omar has his ceiling # in his head, which I would guess would be 3/39 or 3/42, but until someone else actually makes an OFFER, why would omar do anything right now?? If offers start coming in, I’m sure omar will throw his highest one into the ring, and then let the chips fall where they may, but until then, we should all just chill….only the yankees get into bidding wars with themselves.
just look at this like a car auction, you just put the highest bid on the block no one is bidding against you, are you going to up your bid just because you really really want the car?
If Lowe goes to another team with a different offer which clearly everyone agrees with Omar at 3/36. And Boras does not allow the Mets to counter then I say thats their lost not ours.
For all you fans of Lowe over Ollie, how about this.
Lowe will turn 36 near the start of the season while Ollie is still 27. Traditionally, this is the time that a pitcher starts to come into his prime while 36 is the age when you can begin to expect a decline; possibly a sharp decline.
Wildness you say? Ollie walks too many hitters? So did Randy Johnson up until his 30th birthday. Go look up the stats. A K/IP and then POW!, the Big Unit hit the next level and never looked back. The anology another fan made about Nolan Ryan is not far off. Granted, Ollie will probably not hit those levels but still far better than Lowe. I say offer the same contract to Ollie and let’s move on.
Forget Derek Blowe. Get Ben Sheets. He’s going to be a monster at a discount price because everyone is worried he’ll get hurt.
I’ll take Ben Sheets for 2 years, 20 million, Alex.