Starting Pitcher: Perez’s Offer, Sheets’s Reports
On Friday night, SI.com said the Mets increased their initial offer to Oliver Perez, with whom they hoped to reach an agreement with during the next few days.
…from what i can gather, the Mets upped the offer by only enough money to slightly raise the annual salary… so, i’m guessing three-years, $32 million or so, maybe less, maybe more – instead of three years, $30 million… like i have said before, i believe Mets have no intention of paying perez more than $12 million per season… like i have said before, i bet they knock down the annual salary, while adding a fourth year, before raising the annual salary above $12 million…
…also, while they’d like to sign him sooner than later, they’re comfortable waiting for his decision, since, the word from around baseball suggests Randy Wolf, Ben Sheets and Jon Garland will not make a decision until perez makes a decision…
…in the end, i bet the Mets best offer to perez is something like three years and $11 million per season, with a fourth-year team option and a buyout, though that’s a total guess…
…and i can live with this… i’d still prefer sheets… and i hope there is a way to sign both… but, like i said over the weekend, on a deal like this, if perez is a bust, if the Mets eat some money, there will always be a team willing to take on a 29–year-old, left-handed 
pitcher with potential earning less-than $10 million per season with just two years left on the deal… but, at $15 million each of four seasons, perez would be dead weight…
Speaking of Sheets…
The Orioles are not interested in signing Sheets, reports MASN.
T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes, “A marriage (between Sheets and the Rangers) may seem inevitable, but the process is moving slowly and a resolution is not likely to come about anytime soon.”
According to Sullivan, “The Rangers remain deeply concerned about the medical reports.”
The Star-Telegram explains that an MRI from last September revealed a tear in a muscle near his right elbow.
…the buzz in new york last week suggested the Mets were comfortable with his medical reports, though that is admittedly vague… the thing with sheets is that, even if he delivers 20 top-quality starts, that’s three months or so of having both him and Johan Santana in the rotation, which is worth considering…
…however, like i said last week, the Mets are not likely to give a two-year deal to sheets, which is what he is said to be seeking… naturally, that second year will be the sticking point with whomever he is negotiating with…
