Jon Heyman of SI.com says people at the MLB Owners Meetings in Chicago are saying the Mets will not be big players for either Blue Jays RHP Roy Halladay or RHP John Lackey.
…well, that’s nice, but i am far more concerned with whether the Mets owners think they’ll be big players for halladay or lackey…
In a recent report for SI.com, Heyman 
previews the free-agent market, offering predictions on where, and for how much, players will end up signing this winter, from Jason Bay to Chone Figgins to Miguel Tejada to Mike Gonzalez, and others.
Despite what he wrote on Twitter, Heyman lists the Mets as possible suitors for free-agents Matt Holliday and Lackey, as well as Orlando Hudson and Joel Pineiro.
According to Heyman, some baseball executives believe Holliday be end up signing a deal worth half of what Mark Teixeira signed last winter.
…so, half of texiera would be, say, a four– or five-year deal, worth around $90 million or so…
{ 21 comments }
I think the MEts should be competing to get LAckey and Holliday or BAy. This is what I’d do. Sign LAckey. Sign either Holliday or Bay for LF. Sign Molina or Barajas. Trade for Phillips and Arroyo or Harang. Trade CAstillo for bullpen and bench players. Re-sign Cora. Resign Putz
Reyes
Phillips
Beltran
Holliday/Bay
Wright
F-Core
Molina/Barajas
Murphy
P
Johan
Lackey
Arroyo/Harang
Pelfrey
Maine/Perez
Let me preface my reply by saying I would be extremely happy if the Mets followed the plan you have laid out here. However, my opinion is that there is a 99% chance they will not get BOTH Lackey and either Holliday/Bay. They are the most expensive players this offseason. I believe Bay is going back to the Red Sox so I will not get into his salary here. If Holliday gets 5/$95 million (which is my prediction of what he will get) and Lackey gets 5/$85 million (just basing it on Burnett’s contract last year) I think you have a good more-than-ballpark assumption for what they will make. That is $19 million for Holliday and $17 million for Lackey per year which is $36 million right off the bat against this year’s payroll. Estimates are that the Mets will spend between $25-40 million. So right away you are talking about meeting or exceeding the hypothetical limit that unknowing half-wits like Jon Heyman like to toss around in their articles. Anyway, I agree that nobody knows what the Mets will spend this offseason, but c’mon, we all know they aren’t going to go bananas and exceed this year’s payroll by $20 million.
Next, to add Phillips and either Arroyo or Harang you need to consider the following salary figures:
Phillips: $6.75M in 2010 ($11.0M in 2011 and $12.0M in 2012)
Harang: $12.5M in 2010 ($2M buyout or $12.75M in 2011)
Arroyo: $11.0M in 2010 ($2M buyout or $11.0M in 2011)
Two of the three will cost between $17.75M-19.25M against this year’s payroll. Just take the lower of the two and you are now talking about $54M for 4 VERY good players. I would love to see this happen, but I am not so sure it is feasible, because now the Mets still need a catcher, a lefty reliever, and a utility player.
Subtract Castillo’s salary out of the $54M and we are at $48M. Unless the Mets shed salary somewhere else, they can go no further in their offseason plans. A catcher will cost between $3M and $7M, unless they trade for someone cheaper, but chances are the only players available in a trade will be making somewhere in this range.
I can’t even begin to think what a LOOGY would cost so I won’t try to predict it. I also don’t know where they will go for a utility/bench player. I also don’t know how they resign Putz and Cora, which will likely cost an additional $6-8M.
Your plan is great, it’s is probably what I would do if I were GM, I am just trying to inject some numbers into the plan and I welcome anyone else to try to do the same and to change my numbers where you see fit. Thanks for reading!
maybe not on Holliday.
You figured the same annual salary, but half the years.
To me, 1/2 is 1/2 the annual (or IOW, same term, 1.2 dollars!)
5/80 could end up being all he can get 9and frankly, for what he gives you, more than generous). At that price, I can certainly see the Mets being in on him.
Heck, Holliday, WOlf, trae Castillo and bring in lopez or palanco, and a C like Shoppach (if non tendered or dumped) or barajas, and they have a pretty complete team next year.
Problem is, at 5/80, the Yankees might decide to swoop in an pick him up as an afterthought (at that price). I suspect in the end Matt’s right – the team that goes to $100M first, wins. So that probably means a 6 year contract.
The Mets will not be big players for Roy Halladay or Lackey according to Jon Heyman?????
Wonder if he got this from the same sources that said the Mets didn’t have enough to trade for Johan Santana, or that they wouldn’t make any moves at the winter meetings last year or that Tony Bernazard would not be fired?
It’s all a smoke-screen boys and girls. The Mets will add a frontline guy to pair with Johan.
I also believe the Jets will win Sunday…so take it for what it’s worth.
From your lips to God’s ears!
We’re comin’ for ya, Brady!
Mets need to sign Lackey & Bay or trade for Gonzalez with a Lackey signing. Comes down to this.. You can sign Wolf, Pineiro, Marquise, or a Garland and all you would be getting is a #3 or #4 starter in the rotatation which is basically to plug a hole in the rotation. Not a #2 starter. Now Holiday.. Looking to make a big splash with Holliday is gonna drown the Mets. He’s not a clean up hitter! He’s a good # 3 hitter with decreasing power in citi field and an average defender in lf. Which reminds me of another Bobby Bonilla signing. If the Mets want to fill lf with a power bat ? Jason Bay should be there target. My oppinion is trade for Adrian Gonzalez.
So some “reputable” sources have the Mets going guns-blazing for Lackey, some have the Mets lukewarm on Lackey, some have them not interested at all for whatever reason. And you can replace the word “Lackey” in that sentence with just about any big player who might potentially be available. We’re going to see this sort of thing a lot in the next few months.
Here’s the truth: the Mets are a big-market, high profile team with a lot of needs to fill and a wide and angry fanbase that has found a lot of spectacular ways to fail both on and off the field over the past three years. There will be a LOT of speculation, a LOT of rumors, a LOT of innuendo, regarding what the Mets can/can’t/should/shouldn’t/will/won’t do. Because of this, this offseason we will be bombarded with these rumors even more than usual. All we can do is sit back and wait for the actual action to begin. Predictions are worth nothing. Let’s wait and see what happens.
You’re right on the money mccloud.
Big Market Team + Epic Collapse(s) + Angry Fanbase = Big and Expensive Changes.
Hey, did anyone else catch the last sentence in Heyman’s report? Here it is:
“Roberto Alomar has to be a Hall of Famer.”
I don’t know about you, but when I read that, I threw up in my mouth a little bit. Just a little bit.
Alomar could get into Cooperstown….
for $16.50
I despise Alomar just as much as anyone, but I am pretty confident he will be in the HOF:
16 years service
12 STRAIGHT all-star appearances
10 gold gloves at 2B (a record)
4 silver sluggers
2 W.S. rings
.300 career average
.443 SLG
2,724 hits
210 HR
1,134 RBI
1,508 Runs
474 SB (> 30 SB eight times)
I agree he failed with the Mets at the end of his career. But he is probably a HOF player.
Still makes me nauseous.
no offense or anything i believe Jon Heyman has no idea what he’s talking about and doesn’t know how to BUILD a CHAMPION team…
does Jon Heyman realize we lacked starting pitching after Santana for 3 STRAIGHT years ?
Maine/Pelf/Perez were not SOLID starters
we had to put more pressure on Santana to get a Win, very sad
i guess Jon Heyman doesn’t see that and is saying things are not true
oh yeah last time i checked Jon Heyman is not the
GM of the Mets..
so there for Jon Heyman shouldn’t be claiming the Mets have no interest in Jon lackey or saying the Mets are NOT going to get him
really?
Enough said..
Do YOU realize we’ve only had Santana… for 2 years?
LMAO! Now that’s funny!
You want to know the sad thing about all of this? Amid all the pontification, the underlying dread still remains:
The Mets must get at least 2 bats (preferably even 3, at LF, 1b, and 2b/C) plus 2 starters (at least one frontline and a good number 3 or better) to even have a chance of finishing in second place in the NL East, let alone sniffing the fumes of the Phillies. Seeing as the optimum offseason will not play out, we will be here in February and March, grasping at straws to talk ourselves into the Mets being playoff contenders, just like last year and just like in the early 2000s. Yet the truth and reality will still be there: there is little chance that the Mets will be anythig but mediocre, although they will steal a back page or 2 and convince a few dumb writers that they are the team to beat.
2 year plan. Keep saying that to yourself. 2 year plan.
@racemmcc, we lacked starting pitching /Bp for the last 3 years that’s what i am talking about..
jon heyman … you can get better scoop by reading rotoworld.
this guy hasn’t broken a big story in his entire life.
like the mets brass is really going to tell these mlb wannabe’s what their plans really are.
i just wait until it’s fact and then i believe it.
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