Discussion: Billy Wagner

I think alot will have to do with his velocity and how he pitches on back to back days and how effective he is.

I dont think a team will give him more than a 1 year deal unless he just blows away hitters

I think wagner is going to be fine and will still be a respectable option for many teams that are looking for a closer.

I see him probably netting a one year deal and if lights out when he comes back for the mets, a possible two year deal, but with many incentives and not nearly the amount of guaranteed money Fuentes has coming in.

Teams I really see looking at him would be Braves, as GoldenGlove said, and the Rays. Percival is done and so is Izzy, plus that closer by committee role they have working with Howell, Balfour, etc. is really just their set up men who, in my opinion, aren't closers.

This is good news on Wagner and maybe he can even get back through rehab and even help the Mets some by late August/September even? It seems that guys always suffer some kind of little set back after Tommy John surgery and 1 year is usually the very soonest, same with Hagedone in Sox organization who is making his 1st start tonight after nearly 12 months tonight for high A ball. Hope that Wagner does not lose any velocity either, some team would really like him, a dominant closer.

With Putz situation and the likelihood that they're not going to pick up his option either it wouldn't be out of the question for them to reconsider Wagner if he comes back healthy and productive. KRod is good but he showed signs of slowing down last year even with the gaudy save totals. What drove the Mets to acquire both Putz and KRod in the same offseason could lead them to keep Wagner if and when Putz is let go. If other teams are interested in Wagner why not the Mets? The money is big but if he comes back very good they may think it's worth it.

How old is he compared to Kerry Wood? If they are similar in age I would expect them to have similar deals.

The days of multi year deals for injured players over 35 are OVER. He might get a mil with incentives but that is it. Take a look at the absurd contracts around the league and the players being dumped now. The economy will still get worse - maybe much worse- and teams will make last year's free agent signings look generous. Even the Yankees will think twice before spending stupid money. Two words for BW- Tom Glavine.

Would Wagner be receptive to not getting his option picked up but re-signing with the Mets anyway at something like $5M plus the $1M buyout?

Even without Wagner and Putz, the Mets still have a very good bullpen, with K-Rod and Parnell anchoring it. The two guy's they held onto, Feliciano and Stokes, are doing very well and Takahashi's been a nice suprise. Even Green's starting to make a nice turn around. Hopefully, they'll get Delgado, Putz and Wagner, all by early August, kind of like acquiring guy's at the deadline, but that could be wishful thinking. It's pretty obvious they're going to need to trade for a bat, because Ryan Church simply doesn't look good enough to be an every day 6 hitter.

It is funny to me how when Wagner comes out after a game and says I suck, or he actually holds his teammates accountable, he is considered a selfish, racist, whiner, yet Carlos Beltran is criticized for precisely the opposite reason, because he is too laid back and he doesn't show emotion. These NY media hacks are such morons, and even worse, are the Mets fans who buy into this junk. The only way the media will take to you is if you are a golden child pretty boy like Jeter or Wright, and you cater to the media non stop, answer all their questions the way they want you to. Otherwise, you are either too emotional, too self centered, not emotional or gritty enough, not team oriented, too laid back, etc. These idiots look for bad instead of good. I honestly don't know why anybody would sign up to play in NY. Just look at the two best players in NY, Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran. You would think that you have Wes Helms and Corey Patterson playing those positions, with the way the media portrays these guys. It is sickening. I just wish people could formulate their own opinions instead of relying on the hack newspaper writers and the stupid SNY shows, and idiots like Joe Benigno.

Well, Wagner, ever since he went down, has sworn that he just wants to win a world series before he retires, and he would be okay being a setup man or a 7th inning guy, so we are about to see how true that actually is. I don't see them picking up that option, but if Wagner is willing, and still throwing hard, I can see them trying to get him back for 4M or something, or a total of 5M after the buyout. I always liked the guy, I mean he blows the inopportune save now and then, but he was always one of the better closers, and his peripherals were flat out dominant last year. I would certainly be open to brining him back, but we will have to see whether he was serious about actually trying to win, or if he will bolt for the money. As some others have said, I could possibly see him ending up on a team like the Cubs, the Rays or maybe the Cards, depending how their closer situations work out this year. I don't think he will take anything to personally, he realizes this is a business, and regardless of what people will say, Wagner is a stand up guy, this doesn't change because he holds his teammates accountable. He will be the first guy to stand up and tell everybody how awful he was after a bad game.