Starting Pitcher: Mets confident in One of Two
On Friday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said the Braves meeting with Derek Lowe lasted five hours on Thursday, complete with a video presentation and a recorded message from country music artist Alan Jackson.
…last week, people connected to the Mets seemed very confident in Omar Minaya’s ability to sign lowe…i have no idea how they feel now, since news of Atlanta’s involvement hit the wires…so, i’d love to now how they feel now…
Later that night, Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com said the Mets are now pessimistic about their chances of signing Lowe, though they are reluctant to offer him a guaranteed fourth year.
Nevertheless, “The Mets remain confident that they’ll eventually land one of their top two choices to upgrade the starting rotation - either Lowe or Oliver Perez,” writes Ken Davidoff in Newsday.
…there had been conflicting reports last week about whether the Braves made lowe an offer…from what i understand, the two sides discussed basic parameters during their meeting, but the Braves are expected to make a formal offer early this week…
The Braves are considering a deal worth $14 million per season, Dan Graziano recently wrote to his new blog NY Baseball Hack, while citing people familiar with Atlanta’s thinking.
…in the end, as it always has been, this situation is going to come down to that fourth year, and getting as close to $16 million as possible…whomever blinks first, will get lowe…
…the thing is, if lowe signs in atlanta, Scott Boras will have the Mets in a corner with perez, who they’re going to feel a ton of pressure to sign…and so, i would not be surprised to see the Mets asked to give four years to perez, because i trust boras to show up with some mystery team in those negotiations as well…in other words, if the Mets are going to have to dish out a four-year deal, like it or not, i would just give it to lowe - get the better, more stable pitcher and be done with this…because, i just have a feeling that is where this is all going anyways…
