Starting Pitcher: Mets up Offer to Oliver Perez
Last night, on MLB Network’s Hot Stove Show, 
SI.com’s Tom Verducci said Omar Minaya would like to reach an agreement with Oliver Perez by the end of the weekend.
According to Jon Heyman, also of SI.com, the Mets have increased their initial offer, believed to be worth $30 million over three years.
Yesterday, Andrew Marchand of 1050 ESPN Radio said: “The Mets will eventually be willing to go to four years for Perez.”
Verducci believes Minaya would prefer to sign Perez to a three-year deal, worth roughly $10 million per season.
Minaya is willing to guarantee a fourth season, like Marchand said, but only if the annual salary is reduced.
…i have been against bringing back perez, for fear he’d be locked in to a hideous contract, like $15 million per season… however, if the Mets are able to get him for around $10 million per season, maybe less, i’m fine with it… because, let’s say he’s a bust, there will always be another team willing to take on a, say, 29–year-old left-handed pitcher, with his potential, especially if the Mets would pick up the tab on a portion of the, say, two years and $20 million remaining on his deal… however, if he’s earning $15 million a season, on a four– or five-year deal, he’d be like a lead weight…
Heyman concludes by writing: “Minaya would love to import Perez, so the Mets are not likely to take one of the other pitchers unless he feels his chances for Perez are gone.”
…the question remains: if the Mets are able to get perez at a perceived discount, will they still be in play for Ben Sheets… from what i can gather, the Mets were encouraged by what they saw in sheets’s medical records, but are still concerned about relying on him to make 30 starts… i don’t blame them… however, like i noted last week, in reality, perez, Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey and John Maine would be counted on to make 120 starts or so, meaning sheets, Tim Redding, Freddy Garcia and Jon Niese would be only needed to make a realistic 40 or so starts…
