Buzz: Mets are Serious about Lackey, Interested in Figgins
David Lennon of Newsday says that Omar Minaya received a favorable impression from their meeting with the agent for John Lackey when they met with him this past week, and intend to heavily pursue him this winter.
Lennon says that Lackey wants a deal somewhere in the $100 million range, but Lennon says that figure might be too high for the Mets given the other problems that need to be addressed.
…i think that trading for Roy Halladay would give the Mets one of the best 1-2 punches of this generation and there is no question that he and Santana are the best pitchers in baseball…but my gut feeling is to go with Lackey, who is a year younger than doc, playoff tested, and a top tiered pitcher, and save the trade chips for a younger position player that can be established as a cornerstone, such as Adrian Gonzalez…it’s not to say that Gonzalez will be made available and it doesn’t mean that if he is available the Mets can or will land him, but if they trade for Doc they will likely have to sign him to a Santana like deal, pay him the bulk of the money from the contract after age 36, deplete their farm system and it will limit their ability to sign and trade for other players that they undoubtedly need, which i feel will limit their ability to win over the next three to five years…to me, Halladay would be ideal if the Mets were one player away from being a championship team, but right now, they aren’t just one player away…
Lennon also says that the Mets interest in possibly bringing back Carlos Delgado is their reason for their new focus on Chone Figgins who can be used both in the infield and outfield, but Lennon also says that bringing in Figgins means that the Mets would not pursue either Jason Bay or Matt Holliday.
…i am not one of the Delgado supporters at this point, but this is a scenario that could work, at least for a year, although if they bring in Figgins, i feel they still have to find a durable and reliable power source other than Delgado and be forced to hold on to Luis Castillo…
For more on Lackey, Delgado, Figgins, and Castillo, check out Lennon’s article in Newsday here.
