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Though he might prefer to play for the Rangers, Jon Heyman of SI.com believes the Mets, Yankees and Dodgers are among the logical landing spots for soon-to-be free-agent RHP John Lackey, who will start Game 1 of ALCS for the Angels on Friday.
Heyman says Lackey rejected a three-year, $40 million contract extension last spring from the Angels that would have taken affect at the start of next season.
According to Heyman, “Lackey could double that as a free agent,” i.e., A.J. Burnett money, or $82.5 million over five years.
The 30–year-old Lackey finished the regular season 11–8 with a 3.83 ERA in 27 starts, while missing six weeks at the start of the season with a forearm strain.
He also missed the first six weeks in 2008 with a strained tricep, but finished the season 12–5 in 24 starts with a 3.75 ERA.
…i do not know enough about lackey… friends who love the Angels have told me he throws strikes, he’s a big-time competitor, and he is always in command of his stuff, but, though this serves him well most starts, because of it, he can get burned pretty easily and doesn’t seem to have the ability to adjust and work out of trouble…
…also, as i have said before, he looks a bit Peter Brady, see…
To read more from Heyman, regarding Lackey, as well as the future of Rick Peterson, Billy Wagner, Milton Bradley and Oliver Perez, who is moving to Arizona this winter, click here.
It looks like he’s going to want and get a big deal and the mets better suck it up and give him the money, either him or halladay better be on the team next year. I like halladay a little bit better but with lackey you don’t give up any prospects.
K-Rod was looking for a 5 year deal too when the offseason started. I’m sure Lackey’s demands will come down once the offseason really kicks off. Though it won’t be as much of a buyer’s market as it was last season, it will still favor buyers.
It’s funny how the Yankees seem to be involved in every FA out there. I think Heyman has a macro on his computer that automatically puts in “Yankees” into every list of interested teams.
I will admit i didn’t think of that, it’s a good point. I don’t know if the Yankees will be involved in this bidding, because they already have so much money invested especially in starting rotation.
Articles like this just freak me out a little bit because it seems like there will be a great big bidding war with so many people which def. lowers the chances of his signing him.
I just can’t believe that the organization is so clueless that they do not know that they need lackey or halladay – they have to know this and do what it takes
YES JOHAN keep talking. Completely agree w/ u.
The Mets MUST sign Lackey. He’s far and away the best FA out there.
He’s been very good in the AL and he should be even better in the NL. I know he’s had some health problems, but I still want him.
SIGN LACKEY. Mets fan should start demanding this.
1) 16million for Lackey
2) bedard or harden IF they come cheap, 5million
3)14-15million for Bay or Holliday and we’re reading to rock.
about 37million and we should be a lock for the playoffs and a likely for NLCS.
Right there. That’s it, what the team needs to do.
You sir, have my favorite name on this blog. Not sure I know what it means, but it makes me laugh every time.
I think it’s a play on the old nickname for the Pirates of the late 70s – aka the Pittsburgh Lumber Company
The Mets really don’t have any other choice but to sign Lackey this off-season. They’re trying to build from within, right? That means they need to develop whatever talent they have in the minors. So, essentially, any major trade that would involve top prospects would be out of the question.
That leaves the FA Market. They were burned last year with Lowe choosing the Braves at the last minute over the Mets. At that time, most SPs were off the market, so the Mets were essentially forced to sign Perez.
Lackey is an Ace. He’s got a solid arm and pitches well and for innings. Signing Lackey to a 4 or 5 yr contract gives the Mets a solid 1/2 punch for some time and immediately address the rotation need.
Slot in Pelfrey at #3 and you can play around with either going with the players you have Maine/Perez/Other minors, etc. or attempt to sign another high risk/high reward guy, like Harden or Sheets.
Either way, Lackey has to be in a Mets uniform next year.
I wonder if we could do 3 or 4 yrs at $15 per, with an option.
Lackey would be sweet following Johan. If healthy, in the NL and in our park he could win 16-18 games with a healthy team. Plus, if we could sign a Marquis or someone else, we could maybe deal Pelfrey and others to get an OFer?
fewer years would require a higher base salary, and the option buy-out would probably have to be a couple million
at top dollar (16 mill/year), and 3+ years, the injury issues have to be a bigger concern.
missing 1.5 months 2 years in a row with arm issues? yeah, that is a red flag.
Heck, 25 starts year with an ERA in the upper 3s? That’s John Maine!
anyway, yes he is a solid pitcher, if he stays healthy. and that is no guarantee, especially if you want to make this guy the major focus of the off season.
You are right it does feel like we could get that type of production from Joel Piniero. I also feel that Lackey might benefit from the NL. John Maine was actually on the shelf for an amazing 3 months, but managed to make 15 starts.
I don;t have career splits, but for 2009 and 2008 Lackey’s splits are:
California:
16G 8W 5L 3.54ERA 3.30K/BB 109.3IP
14G 7W 3L 3.03ERA 4.82K/BB 98.0IP
non-California:
11G 3W 3L 4.30ERA 2.50K/BB 67.0IP
10G 5W 2L 4.82ERA 2.09K/BB 65.3IP
Something to consider.
BTW, Derek Lowe had Calif ERA of 2.73 and an ERA of 4.28 outside Calif.
Wow where did you get those stats from? Do you work at Alias?
It always seems that when the FA starter’s market hits, there is one guy that sticks out from the rest, yet is overrated because most legitimate options are locked up by teams long term. Last year it was Lowe and Burnett, this year it is Lackey. I am not saying he is bad, but he is not as good as we think he is. I rather suck it up, gut our already crappy system that cannot get much crappier, and make a push for Halladay. If not, pick from the cheaper or less long term Hudson/Harden/Sheets tree, and compliment it with a Chapman. The former guys are cheaper and might not produce at as significant of a drop off rate as you might think. This is not 2004-2005 anymore, Santana/Lackey is not as formidable of a 1-2 punch as we all think. Could they unquestionably beat the following: Lincecum/Cain, Webb/Haren, Beckett/Lester, Ervin Santana/Scott Kazmir, James Shieleds/Jeff Niemann/ David Price after another year, Carpenter/Wainwright, Billingsley/Kershaw, Hamels/Lee, etc. Obvioualy this is just a laundry list or 1-2s, but my gut tells me Santana/Lackey would not match up as well as we hope. Hence, the need for a Halladay, or a 1-1-2 trifecta.
I understand what you are saying I really do, and for a while I was not on the Lackey wagon, i still have not completely jumped on but he is the best option out there in the FA agency.
That being said i still think we need to get HALLADAY, we won’t have to “empty the farm” it will take probably one of our top prospects and a few lower level prospects, one of davis or fmart? I’m not sure but I have heard numerous sources say that riccardi should have taken the philly deal because halladay will go for much less now, he isn’t going to be traded within his own division and the mets are in the NL, it gets him out of the AL. Plus the move to the NL can only be good for him (of course the same can be said of Lackey). I want Hallday, he’s my number one choice, but either one of them makes the lineup so much better, maybe we weren’t completely content with our lineup at the beginning of this season but johan/lackey/pelf/maine/ollie looks so much better than johan/pelf/ollie/maine/livan
Maine/Ollie/and Pelfrey have all had bad years and they can only (hopefully) be better than they were last year. If they all pitch like number 3’s the team will really be rolling. I think Maine is going to have a really big year and Ollie should be okay, (good enough to be slotted in number five) if somebody gets hurt we have Neise. i also like the idea of adding Sheets but I am torn on who to drop in the rotation – would one of them go to the bullpen?
Long post I know, I still hope and push for Halladay but I’m glad that the decisions are not in my hands. (although Idk if Omar’s hands are much better although his back is against the wall and this is when he makes the big moves, the smart moves we hope)
I would love Holliday as our #2, but I am pretty sure you are wrong. There is no way we will get Holliday without a package that begins with Pelfrey and Ike Davis. It will probably need to have at least 1 more to pprospect. Problem is….other teams will be able to beat that package because they have a #1 starter waiitng in the minors to deal.
I think trading for Holliday is a better option than signing lackey. Except..Holliday will empty our system of top, almost major league ready talent and once again we will be back where we started, no true talent ready.
good point but the way I see it, the team that trades for halladay will have to pay him and the mets are in a situation where they can do that if they want too. They have to pay him and give him prospects so it may not be ideal
as i said i don’t know what it will take to get him but i don’t think it will empty the farm and i wouldn’t include pelf but i don’t know, it’s worth checking out though
Pretty scary that we are going to pay lackey 16 million for 5 years assuming thats what he gets. I dont think thats smart investment but then again as a Met fan I am not sure I want to wait another year or 2 to be good.
I know people say, who cares its not our money. And I agree. Problem is….outside of the Yankees who overspend….teams dont usually win throwing money around. I mean seriously. Our #1 and #2 starters will combine for 40 million?
If I thought the Mets would spend 200 million, I would be all for it because I do think, in terms of spending to win, 200 million seems like “the nunber” that guarantees competitiveness,if not the playoffs. But we will spend 50 million less and I doubt we are going to spend 30 million a year in holliday AND lackey.
Then again….I have no idea what the alternative really is.
Off topic, I know, but I just turned on Dodgers/Phillies and watched Kershaw strike out Howard twice in one at-bat, but both pitches (a check swing that broke the plane and a slider right on the corner) were called balls. Neither were close. One blown strike call? Yeah, that happens. Usually when that happens, though, on the check swing, shouldn’t you get the borderline strike 3? And the slider that walked Howard wasn’t even close to borderline. It was a perfect pitch.
Thankfully Werth hit a long fly next AB… but can someone name me one ridiculous break the Phillies HAVEN’T gotten in the past three years? The umpiring in this postseason has been atrocious…
Er… Werth flew OUT next AB, inning over.
and did u see victorino get picked off and try to run his elbow into beliard? .. it was the first time in about 4 months that i yelled at my tv when a baseball game was on..he is the dirtiest player in the game, and i cant wait until it all comes crashing down on him and the phillies
I thought of that Victorino/Reyes awful play and call in the Phillies/Rockies series. Fowler jumped over Utley and the announcers started talking about how Folwer could have been called for interference because the runner has to give way to the fielder. And I’m thinking, “Then why the hell was Victorino given second base when he ran out of the basepath to elbow Reyes in the ribs?”
Oh, and Victorino wasn’t making a “heads-up play” there, you smarmy Reyes haters. He was making a “dirty play” and inexplicably got away with it.
yup,
wasn’t for those darn empires
we woulda won it all this year!
Stupid guy only hit like 50 HR and had 900 rbi’s.
What a loser; did’nt even go on the DL!
(and I’m a Mets fan, not a troll!)
I like posts like this that don’t actually have anything to do with the post they’re referring to.
i still remember the Rose-Harrelson fight, and it seemd like evry other day the 86 Mets were getting into it. Yeah, we’re role models for the 2009 Phillies.
Maybe we can get some Canadian baseball players who know how to drop their gloves?