David Lennon of Newsday talked to Mets GM Omar Minaya, who expects his pursuit of a starting pitcher to be drawn out. Minaya suggested it could be resolved by mid-January.
The Mets have a three-year, $36MM offer out to Derek Lowe and have made other offers as well. It’s been suggested the Mets will top out around three years and $40MM. In a report yesterday, Tony Massarotti said the Mets and Lowe discussed two proposals last week: a four-year deal and a three-year contract with a vesting option. Massarotti suggests the Mets entered the bidding with a weak offer because Lowe has no other suitor in the Northeast. If the Mets don’t improve the offer much, it’ll be a test of how much geography matters to Lowe. Though not in Lowe’s preferred geographic region, Gerry Fraley considers the Braves in the mix for him.
Oliver Perez is next in line for Omar Minaya, though Lennon believes his future is linked to Lowe’s. If neither Boras client can be signed, Randy Wolf and Jon Garland become the targets. Pedro Martinez remains a possibility as well. The plan is nice and all, but other teams need starting pitching too and may start signing these guys in the next few weeks.
