Mets Will Try To Trade For Bullpen Help

If the Mets don't sign K-Rod or Fuentes, the prices on the two just hit the floor.

Although, I don't understand why a team with money gives up top prospects for a Jenks/Street (who will obviously cost your top guys). Guys like Putz/Valverde won't cost as much in terms of prospects though.

I don't hink they get Wood. He stays in Chicago for cheap. I don't think Jim knew just how committed Kerry was to this team until he traded for Gregg.

If the Mets can pick up Kerry Wood to use as a closer and use Gregg as the 8th inning setup guy, they would have a good 1-2 punch there and save a bundle over K-Rod who is not as great as many think vs top teams with putting all those runners on base like he does and who knows how much he has left with that funky delivery of his.

many teams has already made some of its moves for the off season.. but somehow this year its taking so long for the mets. Usually Minaya comes through with some trade or signing before Thanksgiving... I hope we don't end up not getting anyone.

johns,

Kevin Gregg is on the Cubs. Did you mean to say someone else?

I think the Mets should sign Chad Cordero as a set up man. He will be cheap because he is coming off an injury. It is a low risk, high potential signing.

melonix - Exactly, Heilman is a starter and wont get the chance here. Also Feliciano is a LOOGY, Mets already have Scho besides there are tons of loogys you can get for the league minimum...

viteminj--LOW risk? The guy had labrum surgery, like pedro did this year...if anything it is HIGH risk. I am for signing him, but it'd be a minor league/ST invite type deal...you cant sign a guy off surgery and just throw hhim into an important role like set up man. The best thing for the mets to do is sign k-rod, revisit the heilman +1 for street deal, sign joe biemel (if they trade feliciano or show). Then their pen is k-rod, street, biemel, joe smith, duaner sanchez, bobby parnell, and feli or show

Bigchart,

I meant it would be low risk because he would be cheap.

My mistake on Gregg,meant Ayala.

There are so many relievers available anyway that if the Mets push back like this they can force the price down on both K-Rod and Fuentes, neither of those are as good as kerry IMO when kerry is healthy.

Sorry, I meant Marcum, not McGowan.

Nope, I did mean McGowan. But pull Niese off the deal and replace him with Dillon Gee.

minaya is so set on k-rod already.i agree with you bigchart that the mets should take that deal for street, let go of heilman and feliciano for him (they wouldnt be able to trade scho unless they ate some of his contract) and have the pen that you stated above. im pretty sure thats as good as its going to get

woo, didnt see that second post i had

these press reports about how the mets are going to trade for a closer are such obvious nonsense. the mets want fuentes or k-rod to lower their prices and years requests so that the mets can get them for less money and years. by leaking these "trade for closer" reports to an anonymous source who leaks it to the new york times, they are just conducting smart, but so obvious, business. to me, it all seems like such an obvious ploy. you all know that the mets might trade for a setup man, but they will find a closer from the free agent group available now. we are NOT wasting talent to trade for putz or any other names. we all need to just stop buying into the oldest public relations ploy going-- pretend disinterest to get a better price. i can't imagine that the agents for the closers actually believe these stupid reports, which seem to crop up every week or so.

What Omar is doing isn't weak. The Mets have an unbelievable amount of control over the closer market. Omar is using that control to increase his leverage on the market, which can then be used to pick up whatever the most desirable option is at a reduced rate. If the Mets don't sign a top closer, the market prices for closers plummet. After the Mets sign their closer, the market is set. The Mets and Brewers are the only teams that both need a closer and don't have a solid internal option. Cardinals, Cubs, Rockies, Angels, Indians, all have guys already on the roster who have closer material. The longer the Mets wait, the more market prices drop, as the lower key guys are picked up and signed and trades for relievers are made.

Hell, whichever one of K-Rod/Fuentes doesn't sign with the Mets, it would be better off for him to accept arbitration with his current team, and reenter the market after the 2009 season, when there will be fewer closing options on the market. He'd probably get a better deal that way. Unless, of course, a darkhorse swoops in and signs the guy for a huge contract, which I see as unlikely.

Chris

I think we all expect much better of Omar.....BUT by launching this obvious, old school ploy of trading up for bullpen also opens the door for conversation pieces with others. If a solid, cheaper, non-foot-shooting offer comes along and they can get a closer type bullpen anchor, then job well done. Prices drop, and we can scoop K-Rod or Fuentes at a better price/less years....The Mets are unfortunately bidding against themselves and they haven't even offered yet. Hell, If Omar wants to resort to standing on a milk crate in the middle of Citi-Field with a bottle of MAGIC fluid that is "proven" to turn Ayala into Sidd Finch to get the market in the Mets favor, Then So Be It

playmaker-

Consider these two bullpens, and their two closers. Since you want to judge bullpens by their closers and saves: which bullpen would you rather have?

Closer A: 26 saves in 60.2 IP

Closer B: 45 saves in 65.2 IP

Closer C: 18 saves in 70.0 IP

Now that we got that far, without stats, which BULLPEN would you rather have? Yes, there's a difference.

Melonis,

I was not arguing that the Mets are not in control of the market. I was arguing that Omar's tact was not really that effective. If he wants to try and play the other closers I am all for that. But he has to at least be believable about it.

The Mets are not in the position where they can just sit back and let the entire market play out. Omar is in a tight spot because there are obviously scenarios where the market can turn against him.

"The Mets are not in the position where they can just sit back and let the entire market play out. Omar is in a tight spot because there are obviously scenarios where the market can turn against him."

Yeah, lets hear one of those scenarios......

If the league instituted 5 new teams, all owned by a different member of the Steinbrenner family, who all needed a big time closer, then yeah, the Mets may miss out. But there is literally no chance of the Mets not getting one of the closers they want, because there is NO TEAM that will pay more then the Mets will for a closer right now. None. There just isn't. And if K-Rod or Fuentes signs with LAA, where will the other one go? That's right, to the Mets, because the Cards, Indians, Tigers are not going to spend 12 million a year on a closer over 4 years. They just won't. And even if they do, there is still Hoffman and Wood, and even if they are gone, there is still Putz, Valverde, Jenks and Street. The Mets will get their closer, so stop moaning and groaning about having to have your guy in Novemeber.

after reading a lot of the comments you've posted on any mets blog, i believe this is the most positive you have been about the mets nrmax and what your saying about omar is on the money.

Chris- Last offseason(2007), there were two pitchers on the FA market who were considered similar pitchers. Both BOR types, innings eaters, etc. Here's how it panned out:

The Mariners signed Carlos Silva in December, paying 4yr/48MM for him.

The Cardinals signed Kyle Lohse in March, paying 1yr/4MM for him, after he had not been tendered a contract by anyone else.

According to ESPN's bottom line, Peter Gammons is reporting that the Mets think they can sign K-Rod to a 3 year deal due to lack of interest.

No way that's true.

Since the Mets are limited with their farm system, they should look to acquire a lefty/righty combo from all of the arms available for the bullpen. Sign K-rod and trade for a lefty or sign Fuentes and trade for a righty (which is easier than the first option). Or they can sign both of them, on the cheap (meaning as the price drops). This way, they will have a back up closer, should the need arise.

I think that Omar is playing this situation perfectly.
How many of us have read the reports that Omar plans on trading for someone with closer experience AND signing one of the big two?
I know I have
How many of you think that K-Rod/Fuentes agents will be calling the Mets before they agree to ANY contract, no matter how big or small?
I know I do
Lastly, how do you think the Mets trading for a "closer" would effect the expected prices of Fuentes and K-Rod?
Drastically I would think.

My point is this. We trade for Street, our setup man. There is no longer a big market team in the hunt for a closer and K-Rod definitely only costs us 3yrs. maybe only 12MM per. Worst case scenario he gets a call before the trade is done and we sign the closer first. But remember K-Rod doesnt want to sign for some time. Fuentes would be a Fool to sign before him and WE control the entire market

nrmet i agree with the above post....all of you Phillie fans can go celebrate now..but guess what!?!!! there is no way that you will be able to repeat this year...
anyhow....yeah i think that the mets will be able to get K-rod for a lot cheaper than everyone thinks...who knows...and this is an extremely not likely to happen but imagine if they sign both K-rod and Fuentes!!!