According to one GM, if the Yankees offer John Lackey a five-year, $82 million deal, “they’ll get him,” writes Jon Heyman of SI.com.
Instead, Heyman feels the Mets like both free-agent starting pitchers Joel Pineiro and Randy Wolf.
…i like lackey, and i realize there are a lot of fans who think he’s a no brainer for the Mets… but, frankly, i think i’d rather see the Mets sign two of pineiro, wolf and Jon Garland, all of whom might end up accepting a two– or three-year deal worth around $10 million per season, than see them sign only lackey, who a) might require a five-year deal and roughly $16 million per season, and b) would involve a bidding war with the Yankees…
The 31–year-old Pineiro was 15–12 with a 3.49 ERA in 32 starts this season, including 214 innings, during which he walked just 27 batters and struck out 105.
…i have always been intrigued by pineiro… he has very good control, a wicked curve ball and good command… but, he’s had a very sporadic career… he’s been healthy, then injured, good, then bad, he gets hit hard, then he cruises, he’s a reliever, then he’s starter, and who knows what he’ll be next season…
…nevertheless, like i have said before, the days of Johan Santana, some random, washed-up, veteran fifth starter, and three guys named Hope, Maybe and Potential, has to be a thing of the past… from what i can gather, the Mets are serious about making significant changes to the rotation… i am not sure what that means yet… but, something needs to be switched around… and, adding two of pineiro, wolf and garland, to team up with johan, and two of John Maine, Mike Pelfrey and Oliver Perez would be a good adjustment…
To read more from Heyman, including a ton of updates on the Cubs effort to trade Milton Bradley, and the market for Roy Halladay, Chone Figgins and Bengie Molina, check out his extensive report, here.
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Matt if those days are over why would you be willing for the Mets to sign someone you describe as “he’s had a very sporadic career… he’s been healthy, then injured, good, then bad, he gets hit hard, then he cruises, he’s a reliever, then he’s starter, and who knows what he’ll be next season”. The Mets cant keep banking on guys to overachieve, we need to get top tier players who will come in and continue to be top tier players. I wouldnt mind getting garland or wolf but Id still prefer if they were joined by lackey or halladay.
Exactly what I was going to post Zeile. Listen, I’m all for signing Wolf, Garland or Pinero but that can’t be it. We need a bonified #2 starter to couple up with Santana and none of the starters available is that person….with the exception of Lackey.
I don’t care if it is a bidding war. Why wouldn’t we sign Lackey? Why would we let the Yankees win that war and have a rotation that consists of Sabathia, Lackey, Burnett and Pettite? Why?
Why can’t we go for broke next year and sign Lackey and a mid level guy like Pinero/Wolf/Garland?
I know $ is always a factor but it makes no sense to me to trade away our prospects when the players we need, and could use to make a championship team, are available via free agency.
I have to agree with you about having to get a number 2 starter but if they get Lackey there is no way that the Wilpons will open their wallets for another pitcher worth adding.
What I would like to see is the Mets sign Wolf, Garland and either Harden or Bedard.
Having a rotation of Santana, Wolf, Garland and 2 of 3(Maine, Ollie, Pelf) is a major upgrade over what we have had in the past. If they can land Harden or Bedard on either a 1 year deal or an incentive based contract and only have 1 of Maine, Pelf or Ollie their rotation would be sick as well as leaving plenty of money for the lineup.
Santana
Harden/Bedard
Wolf
Garland
Maine/Perez/Pelfey
If they can’t get Harden or Bedard at a good price, Penny is out there and he looked like his old self the last month of the season and was hitting mid 90’s on the gun.
The short answer is there are way too many holes on this team to try and sign Lackey, Wolf and/or Garland! There just isn’t that much payroll! We need a big bat in either LFor 1B that is not a wish it’s an absolute necessity! I really don’t see Lackey in a Met uniform, and honestly I’m good with that so longas Mr. Holiday or the combo of Hudson at 2B and someone capable of hitting 25 -30 hr’s is patroling LF! Now if they can move Castillo , thats an added bonus. I think if the mets do get a top flight pitcher it will be via the trade route.
100% agreed. Lets go big, sign lackey to a 5 year deal, sign pineiro to 3 years, sign wolf to 2-3 years. Just do it, what the hell…. we have ZERO legit pitching prospects within shouting distance of the major leagues, so we need to get some solid pitchers somewhere.
Lets go with Santana, Lackey, Pineiro, Wolf… and let Ollie Maine and Pelf battle it out for the last spot in the rotation. Don’t you think those three would be MUCH more productive if they had to fight for their roster spot, instead of being handed it on a golden platter? (especially Ollie… lets see him develop some fight, develop some toughness).
Do not want Pineiro. If they cant sign Lackey, gimme Garland, Haren and Bedard, plus a long reliever like Oliver.
“frankly” I hope someone else can run this site if you rather have Wolf, Garland, and or any other scraps.
Repeat after me….THE METS NEED AN ACE. One more time….THE METS NEED AN ACE.
Enough with the penny pinching. Go get Lackey. Otherwise go trade for Doc, Haren, or any other PREMIERE starter.
Piniero,Garland,Wolf, etc are end of the rotation guys. We have enough of those.
Matt, you might be content with the Mets being a competetive team. Im not. I want a championship contending team. So while you and the Wilpons map out how your going penny pinch your Met money…the Phillies will be trying to aquire Doc or a solid starter….coming off of 2 World Series Appearances!
O yea and the Marlins and Braves are moving on up as well.
The mentality you and the Wilpons have is sad. It should not be tolerated. This is NY
Go the extra mile otherwise sell the dam team.
We need a Power Bat and a Power arm. Case closed.
The Mets have the chips and money to get both along with filling other needs.
But why should they when they have people like you who are content with end of the rotation pitchers and plan b,c,and d type hitters???
Im tired of hearing about Budgets and this and that. I just hear excuses. Im not asking them to spen year in and yr out like the Yankees. Im just asking them for once to go the EXTRA mile.
The situation calls for 2 big aquisitions. DOnt bring me back 1 or 1.5
GET IT DONE. WHATEVER IT TAKES
Its that simple.
Wright, Reyes, Beltran, KRod and Johan are all in their Prime
The time is now. NOW
NOW
NOW
NOW
Capisce?
5 players in their prime and 20 awful players does not build a contender.
So what if we add Lackey… that’s still 6 players in their prime and 19 below average players (yes, murphy, francoeur, santos/thole, castillo, etc are below average. Maybe Pedro Feliciano isn’t, but every other “fill-in” player on the team is below average)
We need solid guys throughout the team, not just 5-6 stars. That’s the mentality that got us in this mess in the first place.
You’re the big winner Swingers…the core of this team is built to win now.
Johan and K-Rod give the Mets a distinct advantage over most of MLB. They have an ace (maybe the best in the game) and after the great Mariano, perhaps the best closer in the game.
Call the Jays about Halliday, call the Sox about Beckett and call Lackey’s agent.
Pitching wins.
You know that all 3 won’t happen. Only 1 and the most realistic is Lackey.
It would be naive to believe that the New York Met organization can turn it around in one season with the addition of one or two ballplayers, given the extent to which the shortcomings of our farm system have been exposed.
I think we should set modest goals for next season, to get younger, stronger and healthier rather than load-up on expensive talent and pay ballplayers top dollar for past performance on other teams. Clearly, that strategy hasn’t work for this organization.
This is not to suggest that we shouldn’t add a Holliday or a Lackey, as I agree we should go the extra mile for top-drawer talent. At the same time, we should redirect our focus to building from within and definitely should not deplete our farm system for a pitcher or ballplayer entering his early-to-mid 30’s. That would be a gross error.
We’re very close to being very good, but we should not be deceived into thinking we are better than we are.
This is the point I’ve been making for months. We need to get younger and stronger THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION, not with just one or two players.
(just for the record, my post above about signing lackey pineiro and wolf was only made because I don’t think the Mets will go the route I want them to. I’d really prefer we sign lackey, and then continue developing our farm system and build from within…. as well as setting VERY modest goals for next year. i don’t think we should be viewed as a contender next year… God knows what Omar would do in desperation if he thinks we have a chance next year… Jim Duquette anybody?)
Yeah, I agree. If Omar doesn’t adopt the “build from within” model and decides to lop on free agents, at the very least he should get the best ballplayers out there.
Take Jason Marquis, for example. I like Jason and he’s a local product. However, we already have five guys at his talent level. He’d be perfect as a 4th or 5th starter, but we still don’t have a no. 2 or 3, which are the slots Omar must fill.
So, if Omar is going to pull out all of the stops, then sign Lackey, trade for Halladay, sign Holliday and Figgins. Its in incredibly tall and almost totally unrealistic order, given the number of other ballclubs vying for their services.
That is why I think we should trim our sails and take a longer, more conservative route to rebuidling the organization as a whole. Heck, we’ve just suffered through the trauma of the most perpexling, and in many ways, the worst season in NY Met history.
The problem is that I doubt Omar is smart enough to create an organizational model that will result in a perennial contender.
Mets need to trade chips and decide chips for Gonzalez or chips for Halliday. One of these two they need to trade for. If they don’t want Lackey they should trade for Halliday. If they don’t trade for Halliday it proves the coupons don’t expect to compete in 2010. It’s real funny Omar has all the money to build a championship team and looking for 2nd best or below average. Mets aren’t interested in injury prone players ? What is Cameron, Piniero, Overbay beside mediocre ? Injury prone !!! We got Santana and # 3 #4 & #5 starters and we’re looking to sign back of the rotation guys.
To your point, it’s much more likely that they would trade for Halladay than they would for Gonzo. To be honest, we really don’t have the players to trade for Gonzo. We just don’t, plane and simple.
Halladay is a much more realistic option. In that, his trade vaule has decreased since the break and he’s owed much more money, $15 mill, than Gonzo. So you’d have to think that only big(ger) market teams would have the salary room to pay for him.
If the Mets make any high profile trades this offseason it would be for him. It makes much more sense to sign Holliday, Wolf and Pinero/Harden, IF (and only if) you plan on trading for Halladay. And if we traded for Halladay I believe two things would occur…1. we’d sign him to an extension and 2. we’d trade Pelfrey in the deal. Giving us a rotation of:
Santana
Halladay
Wolf
Pinero
Perez
Keep Pelfrey throw in Maine.
Imar said money isn’t a problem. The Mets should be getting both Lackey, Wolf and Holliday or Bay. If not they have to trade for Agon and sign Ankiel for left.
Are you guys serious? Build from within? Man, keep drinking the cool aide.
Yea, I trust the Wilpons if they take on that philosophy…..The same Wilpons who go above and beyond the call of duty in the draft? Yikes. They dont sign above slot. Yet you want them to build from within? Good luck with that.
This is NY. Im all for developing your own talent. But the Mets have proved they cant do that consistetly. Plus the time is now
You have one of the best pitchers in all of baseball in his prime. Hes got 2-3 yrs left max at this level. So do yo want to wait for wilmer flores to hopefully develop? and develop into what exactely?
I personally rather go get Haren than Doc. But that would cost more chips. Doc is not going to be as expensive as you think.
Johan Doc Pelf Olly Maine is a solid rotation.
I personally am not a huge fan of Holliday or Bay. I rather see the Mets try to find the power from left elsewhere.
What I would do if I were the MEts is go trade for Ryan Doumit. He solves 2 problems. He can catch and play first. And hes a solid stick.
if you can get Lackey for 5/85 … how do you not do that … i prefer 4 with on option, but if that’s what it took, i’d do it. how much did we sink into Petey … and yes, i understand the circumstances were different … but none-the-less …. it’s cheap and still gives us great flexibility with LF/1B
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