New York, NY (WFAN) -- I know Met fans are probably tired of hearing it, but patience really is the best tactic as they pursue another innings-eater starter to beef up their 2009 starting rotation. It worked quite nicely for them last year as they sat on the periphery of the
Johan Santana sweepstakes waiting for someone to blink. When the Yankees and Red Sox - the only teams remaining who could afford both the money and the prospects required to land Santana - decided to take a pass, there were the Mets, still standing, ready to pounce and secure their ace. At last month's Winter Meetings in Las Vegas. the glut of closers available and the lack of big-money teams clamoring for them served the Mets exceptionally well, yielding them not only
Francisco (K-Rod) Rodriguez at a bargain price, but also
J.J. Putz at a quantity-not-quality price to further shorten the game and shore up the team's Achilles heel. Now, although it appears the Mets are low-balling their desired target Derek Lowe, they remain convinced that Lowe and his agent Scott Boras will not sign anywhere until first getting back to and checking with the Mets to see if there's a matching or better offer forthcoming.
That would also apply to targets # 2 and 3 as well - old friend Oliver Perez - another Boras client - and fellow southpaw Randy Wolf. Lowe is the clear-cut favorite (although several in the Mets hierarchy prefer the stability-challenged Perez) for a couple of reasons. First, he's durable and consistent. In 5 of the last 7 seasons, Lowe has pitched at least 200 innings, and was just two outs shy (199 1/3 innings) of doing it in 2007 as well. And Lowe has averaged 33 starts per season over that time too. Secondly, Lowe, like Mike Pelfrey, is a ground ball pitcher. That's a nice balance to strike when Santana - the ace - and
John Maine to a large extent are fly-ball pitchers. And the other two choices - Perez and Wolf - are both fly-ball hurlers as well.
While Lowe is the preference and the Mets know Perez all too well, Wolf is intriguing in his own right. Never a standout nor a big winner, Wolf is a tough competitor who is 90-78 over 10 big-league seasons. His best year was 2003 when he went 16-10, and last season was his first full season because of injuries since that year. He's another year removed from Tommy John surgery, and he struck out 162 in 190 innings of work while splitting time with San Diego and Houston. A California guy, he can handle New York and would love to pitch here. He's definitely a fall-back option, but you could do a lot worse. Omar Minaya and Boras are scheduled to have lunch today so stay tuned.
Spoke with
Billy Wagner today. I'm sure he's a distant memory to most Met fans since the acquisitions of K-Rod and Putz, but Wagner is doing well and progressing ahead of schedule. He's been working out three times a week, strengthening his elbow and shoulder in his native Virginia, and he's very close to throwing again. His Met status remains quite uncertain, but undoubtedly he'll be spending a good chunk of time in Port St. Lucie trying to get himself ready. For what remains the question. Wagner is shooting to get back sometime in August, but where that is will depend not only on the quality of his progress but also the progress made by the bullpen that he had to leave last August - a bullpen that systematically self-destructed down the stretch.
Happy 2009 - may it have a much more pleasant ending than either of the last two years.
C U soon
Eddie C.
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