…if this is the case, it makes me question the popular notion that Omar Minaya is unwilling to commit more than $12 million to Oliver Perez…

From what I can gather, while Minaya may have been willing to give Lowe a fourth-year option, he was never going to guarantee the fourth season – and, frankly, according to published reports, and people close to the GM, he is not too disappointed with the results.

Nevertheless, on Dec. 10, the day the Yankees signed C.C. Sabathia, I ran a poll on MetsBlog.com that asked, ‘Would you give Lowe a four-year, $66 million deal,’ and 71 percent of people said, ‘No.’

Oddly enough, that is exactly the deal that would have topped Atlanta’s winning bid – and yet, at the time, the more than 4,000 people who voted did not want to make such an offer.

Meanwhile, a week later I asked, ‘Would you sign Lowe to a three-year, $50 million contract, with a fourth-year option,’ and 66 percent said, ‘Yes.’

In other words, as recently as mid-December, the majority of this site’s readers were essentially on the same page as Minaya and his staff, i.e., willing to offer a three-year deal and willing to give a fourth-year option, but unwilling to go to four guaranteed years.

For what it’s worth, I was in the minority – as I would have given the extra money and years necessary to sign Lowe.

…well at least we now have an answer…i would think that if the Mets don’t pick up Ben Sheets or Oliver Perez, the front office can consider it a tremendous failure…this deal is a little more generous than i would have been willing to go, but hopefully they have some kind of contingency plan in place…

In a poll to MetsBlog.com earlier this morning, 51 percent of people who voted said, if the Mets had to give out a four-year deal, the four-year deal should go to Oliver Perez, while 49 percent said the deal should go to Lowe.

Update, 11:11 am:

…added to by Matthew Cerrone…

…this is a shame…it’s a shame in that lowe is a better fit for the Mets than Oliver Perez, i think…however, lowe at four years and $15 million per season is quite excessive…and, i’m not sure he’s totally worth it…

…the worst part is that, i got the sense the Mets were pretty confident in their position with lowe, following the team’s meeting with Scott Boras last week at Citi Field…

…the key here is the four guaranteed years, because, i just don’t see how the Mets get around giving four years to Oliver Perez…

…i mean, i’m sure they would love to sign perez to only a three-year deal, but i see no way Scott Boras allows that to happen – especially knowing the Mets position for a front-end starting pitcher…

…frankly, i’m starting to think the Mets may be better off signing both Randy Wolf and Ben Sheets or Jon Garland, than overpaying for perez…

According to Heyman, “Lowe is in serious discussions with the Braves.”

Last night on the MLB Network’s Hot Stove show, Heyman said the Mets are discouraged by negotiations with Lowe, who is also being pursued by the Braves, ‘any maybe the Phillies, and maybe the Brewers.’

Heyman also reports, “The Mets are proposing a three-year deal for close to $30 million for Perez, although, a four-year deal for Lowe, may convince them they need to give him another year.”

…this is what i have been saying for a few days now, in that, if the Mets lose lowe to the Braves, knowing the market at that point, it would not surprise me if the Mets end up having to give perez a four-year deal as well…

…i believe, if the Mets need to dish out a four-year deal, the four-year deal should go to lowe, because, while he’s older, he’s also significantly more consistent, and that is what should be most important to the Mets right now – not youth and left-handedness…but, i have a feeling i may be alone in this view…

Heyman believes Omar Minaya would rather sign Perez, while the Mets front office prefers Lowe.

“We do have offers out there,” Minaya told reporters in a conference call.  “You never know.  You’re negotiating.  As far as something happening soon, I don’t know that… I’m not going to tell you I’m too confident. I would say that’s it’s 50-50, and we’ll see what happens.”

Heyman says the Mets are discouraged by negotiations with Lowe, who is also being pursued by the Braves, ‘any maybe the Phillies, and maybe the Brewers.’

According to Heyman, Omar Minaya prefers Perez, but the rest of the front office prefers Lowe.

Earlier in the off-season, Heyman told WFAN that Perez had been seeking a five-year, $80 million deal.

“There’s other guys out there that we like… I have trade proposals on my desk, as we speak, that would bring another pitcher to us… The trade proposal that I have on my desk, that was put in place six weeks ago.”

During the discussion, Wren said he does not see his team acquiring Jake Peavy from the Padres.

…hat tip to MLB Trade Rumors for the link and quote…

…last week, people connected to the Mets seemed very confident in Omar Minaya’s ability to sign lowe…i have no idea how they feel now, since news of Atlanta’s involvement hit the wires…so, i’d love to now how they feel now…

Later that night, Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com said the Mets are now pessimistic about their chances of signing Lowe, though they are reluctant to offer him a guaranteed fourth year.

Nevertheless, “The Mets remain confident that they’ll eventually land one of their top two choices to upgrade the starting rotation - either Lowe or Oliver Perez,” writes Ken Davidoff in Newsday.

…there had been conflicting reports last week about whether the Braves made lowe an offer…from what i understand, the two sides discussed basic parameters during their meeting, but the Braves are expected to make a formal offer early this week…

The Braves are considering a deal worth $14 million per season, Dan Graziano recently wrote to his new blog NY Baseball Hack, while citing people familiar with Atlanta’s thinking.

…in the end, as it always has been, this situation is going to come down to that fourth year, and getting as close to $16 million as possible…whomever blinks first, will get lowe…

…the thing is, if lowe signs in atlanta, Scott Boras will have the Mets in a corner with perez, who they’re going to feel a ton of pressure to sign…and so, i would not be surprised to see the Mets asked to give four years to perez, because i trust boras to show up with some mystery team in those negotiations as well…in other words, if the Mets are going to have to dish out a four-year deal, like it or not, i would just give it to lowe - get the better, more stable pitcher and be done with this…because, i just have a feeling that is where this is all going anyways…

Rosenthal says, ‘the Braves are ‘all over Lowe,’ according to a source.

However, he adds, “The Braves are reluctant to offer Lowe a guaranteed fourth year, but one possibility for them is to make a three-year proposal in the range of $40 million to $42 million with a club or vesting option.”

…in other words, now Scott Boras has cover to return to Omar Minaya and say, ‘If you want Lowe, pony up $15 million per season, and four guaranteed years,’ which, so far, the Mets have quietly been saying is not an option…i guess now we’ll see…

Earlier today, the Braves signed Japanese RHP Kenshin Kawakami to a three-year deal, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Dan Graziano, the NY Baseball Hack, believes the Braves are considering a deal worth $14 million per season, according to people familiar with the team’s thinking.

According to Graziano, “The Mets will probably be willing to go as high as $42 million for three years and may be willing to talk about a fourth-year vesting option. They believe the Braves want Lowe, but they don’t think Atlanta will actually outbid them.”

Original Post:

According to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Braves meeting with Derek Lowe lasted five hours yesterday, complete with a video presentation and a recorded message from country music artist Alan Jackson.

O’Brien believes the Braves will make an offer today.

In the end, O’Brien writes, “It’s almost certainly going to take a four-year deal, perhaps with a vesting fifth-year option, for the Braves to get the 35-year-old Lowe, who is also being pursued by the Mets and Phillies, with at least a couple of other teams expected to make bids.”

Yesterday, Boras and Lowe met with Braves GM Frank Wren, Bobby Cox and other team officials in Atlanta, as was first reported by the Boston Globe – on the same day, John Smoltz signed with the Red Sox.

John Harper in the Daily News explains, “The Braves previously had no intention of bidding more than the Mets offer of three years, $36 million, but they believe public pressure over the Smoltz departure could force their hand,” according to team insiders.

However, last night, on SNY’s Mets Hot Stove Report, FoxSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal said he still believes the Mets are the front-runners to sign Lowe, despite the pitcher’s meeting with the Braves, adding:

“From what I understand, the Braves are not interested in going beyond the three-year, $36 million offer from the Mets… I still don’t see the Braves going where Scott Boras will want them to go.”

The Braves made an offer, though the amount is unknown, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who says the Mets actually never made an official offer, according to Boras.

Meanwhile, Harper adds, “Mets people have said privately they are prepared to add more dollars to their offer… but they have been firm in saying they won’t go beyond three years in length.”

In an online report from Rosenthal for FoxSports.com, he notes that, like the Mets, the Braves are unwilling to guarantee Lowe a four-year deal.

On Wednesday, I wrote:

“The Mets may eventually need to grant a fourth-year option, and may need to pay more per season than they initially offered, but not $15 million – and the Mets are open to this.”

…still, i believe the Mets can get this done by goosing up the annual salary, while providing a fourth-year option…it just seems like that is where this is going, whether it comes from the Mets or the Braves… i mean, you can only fight boras so much, it seems…

Rosenthal believes the Phillies, Angels and Brewers are not interested in Lowe – and, despite a report from the New York Post, the Washington Post reports the Nationals are not purusing Lowe as well.

Something else to consider…

In a report for Yahoo! Sports, Tim Brown says the Braves continue to pursue Japanese starting pitcher Kenshin Kawakami, who there were aggressively pursuing before Smoltz signed with Boston.

According to Brown, “Outbid by the Yankees for A.J. Burnett and, somehow, by the Red Sox for the iconic Smoltz (and the Dodgers for Rafael Furcal), the Braves conceivably could sign Lowe and Kawakami, leaving the Mets to sort through the likes of Tim Redding, Randy Wolf, Perez, Jon Garland and Pedro Martinez.”