With the patience shown by Omar Minaya, see trading for Johan Santana and the signing of Francisco Rodriguez, combined with Agent Scott Boras and his reputation for using the waiting game as a strategy. It’s more than likely that free agent pitcher Derek Lowe won’t find a home until after the holidays but that doesn’t stop the buzz surrounding Lowe.
Joe Demayo over at NY Baseball Digest is reporting that a source is telling him the battle for Lowe will be between the Mets and the Red Sox:
According to a league source with knowledge of the situation, it is looking more and more like the Derek Lowe sweepstakes will come down to the Mets and the Red Sox….The Mets… [are] more willing to get into a bidding war, which could prove to be good for them. It has been known since the off-season started that Derek Lowe was definitely hands down the team’s top target for a starting pitcher.
…a source told me. “There is a really legitimate shot Lowe is a Met, he could end up in Boston, but if the Mets really want him, which is the sense around the league, then the chances of him being a Met are pretty solid.”
Also, SI.com Jon Heyman in his latest post and appearance today on WFAN said/wrote:
“Derek Lowe is the top guy they (the Mets) wanna get. Then Oliver Perez, then Randy Wolf. They wanna get one of those three guys to fill their fourth spot. Then the fifth spot they have some other choices like Tim Redding or Freddy Garcia. I think they want two pitchers. One from category A and one from catagory B.”
Speaking of Perez Heyman said:
“Chances of him signing with the Mets are slim, they don’t wanna go past three years. They like him, he’s young, he’s left handed but he’s inconsistent they don’t wanna give him that fourth year. Cincinnati, Milwaukee and the Dodgers look to be interested. But nobody is close to signing him.”
Heyman finished up on WFAN with this about the Mets:
“I think the Mets are determined to do the necessities not the luxuries. They’re not gonna get in on Manny [Ramirez]. I’d be surprised if they get in on Orlando Hudson. I know they have talked about Michael Young but that would be a shocker to me because he still has $80 million to go on that contract. That’s like a susperstar contract for a free agent. I think they want two starters, not one but two starters.”
The only thing that Heyman wrote in his post that he didn’t mention on WFAN was if the Mets are willing to take on some salary then Cubs pitcher Jason Marquis can be had:
Cubs starter Jason Marquis, who’s available in trade it is believed the Cubs are willing to pay about half his $9.5-million salary.
Pete Lappin (3)
