According to Buster Olney of ESPN.com, the only way the Mets will sign free agent pitcher Kyle Lohse is if he accepts a very discounted offer.

Two prominent pitching clients of Scott Boras remain unsigned, in Kyle Lohse and Jeff Weaver, and executives say Boras continues to seek significant deals for both. The only way that the Mets will take Lohse, sources say, is if he hands himself on a cheap financial platter to New York, and the team is fully committed to go to spring training with the pitchers they already have, now that Johan Santana is in the fold.

Getting Lohse would likely open up the move of Orlando Hernandez to the bullpen, which makes the entire pitching staff stronger. I don’t see him giving in to a one or two-year, cheap contract unless his only mindset is winning a championship. He’s likely the top free agent on the market as of now in what was a very small market for starters. He’s looking to capitalize on that and get all the money while he still can.