John Hickey of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that the Mariners are close to a four-year, $44 million deal with free agent Carlos Silva. Hickey believes the Mariners are likely to introduce their newest acquisition as early as tomorrow.

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According to Ken Rosenthal over at Foxsports.com, The Mariners and Free Agent pitcher Carlos Silva are in “serious negotiations” about a possible 4 year deal that could reach to as much as 44 million.  Silva was 13-14 last year for a mediocre Twins team, posting a respectable 4.19 ERA.

I think Silva would be a nice 4 or 5 pitcher to add to the Mets staff, but 44 million for a 4th or 5th pitcher is a little too rich for my blood.

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New York Daily News Mets beat reporter Adam Rubin spoke with SNY’s Matt Yallof on the floor of the Winter Meetings just moments ago.

Adam said Johan Santana is down to Yankees and Red Sox and its not realistic to think the Mets are in it for Santana. Asked if Omar needs to pull off something signifigant, he does not think Mets fans will be content if he simply brings back Livan Hernandez or Carlos Silva, in light of what the Yankees have done this offseason.

Regarding Erik Bedard, he spoke with a Baltimore Sun reporter and he repeated that the deal that included Carlos Gomez, Philip Humber and Aaron Heilman was rejected. He said its possible that swapping Carlos Gomez with Fernando Martinez might make the deal more attractive, along with including Mike Pelfrey over Philip Humber.

Jim Duquette, in studio with Kevin Burkhardt and Ed Coleman, said that the Dodgers would likely trump any offer the Mets could make for Bedard. He went on to say given his contract, Bedard could be seen as an even more attractive option than Johan Santana.

Adam also said that some of the Mets prospects may have been ‘exposed’ because they didn’t make a huge impact when they had their chance to shine at the major league level.

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Peter Gammons of ESPN has reported that the Mets don’t currently have the trading chips to acquire one of the Athletics pitchers, Dan Haren or Joe Blanton. They were also denied a trade for Erik Bedard late last week. With that said, it may be time for the Mets to look elsewhere. Here is a list of potential targets and what they are valued at.

LHP Dontrelle Willis (Florida Marlins) - The Marlins have stated that they are willing to listen to offers for Willis, though they are expected to retain him for the 2008 season, or at least until the July 31st trading deadline. Willis is coming off his worst season of his career, going 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA. Throughout the past three seasons, Willis’ strikeout to walk ratio has decreased each season. In 2005, Willis struck out 170 while walking 55. The following season in 2006, he notched 160 strike outs while walking 83. Finally, last season, he struck out 146 and walked 86.

Potential Suitors: Mets, Reds, Mariners, and Diamondbacks

Cost: Two young players

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Bartolo Colon (Free Agent) - Colon could definitely be a high-reward/high-risk signing for any team that picks him up. He has played only 28 starts due to his battle with shoulder and elbow problems since the beginning of the 2006 season. Omar once traded prospects Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee and Brandon Phillips in a deal for Colon when he was general manager for the Expos.

Potential Suitors: Mets, Padres, Rangers, Diamondbacks, Phillies, Mariners, Nationals

Cost: One-year, $9 million deal or two-year, $16 million

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Carlos Silva (Free Agent) - The 28-year old Silva currently leads a very thin market of starting pitchers. He went 13-14 with a 4.19 ERA for the Twins last season and figures to cash in at around $10 million a season with another team. Plenty of teams remain interested in him, though most of them plan to use him as a fall back option and prefer to look to the trade market before committing a large contract to him.

Potential Suitors: Mets, Royals, Cardinals, Tigers, Phillies

Cost: 4-Years, $40 million

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Livan Hernandez (Free Agent) - Hernandez is an innings eater. He has not pitched less than 200 innings in any season since 1999. He went 11-11 with a 4.93 ERA for the Diamondbacks last season. The Mets lost a 200 inning pitcher in Glavine to the Braves via free agency and they need to find a way to fill those lost innings. The team have made it known that Livan is more likely a Plan C or D. The fact that his half-brother El Duque is on this team and his history with Omar in Montreal makes him a strong candidate to be a Met in 2008.

Potential Suitors: Mets, Astros, Cardinals

Cost: Three-years, $21 million

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Hiroki Kuroda (Free Agent) - The 33-year old right hander went 12-8 in 26 starts with a 3.56 ERA for the Hiroshima Carp last season in Japan. Scouts project him to become a middle of the rotation starter in the MLB. Conflicting reports have come out recently that the Mariners have have offered him a contract. One report says that it was for three-years, $30 million. The other states that they offered him four-year, $44 million.

Potential Suitors: Mets, Mariners, Dodgers, Royals, Phillies, Cubs, Rangers

Cost: Four-year deal, $45 million

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Here’s whats brewing on the Hot Stove this Thursday morning…

• Yorvit Torrealba’s agent told the Denver Post that he expects his client to make a decision regarding the Mets contract offer today. Tracy Ringolsby in the Rocky Mountain News reports that the Mets have offered Torrealba a two-year deal worth $9 million. The Denver Post is reporting it to be a three-year, $15 million deal.
• Omar Minaya tells Ben Shpigel of the New York Times he has an idea of how much money it will take to sign his desired free-agent targets and knows which prospects and how many he would have to surrender to upgrade the Mets pitching staff.“Ideally, you’d always like a guy with 200-plus innings, you know what I’m saying?” Minaya said. “If for whatever reason Glavine does not come back, we have to look for a starting pitcher.”
• Speaking of Tom Glavine, Mets.com reports that Tom is getting some advice on his future from the most famous Tom in Mets history, Mr. Tom Seaver.
• Dan Graziano at the Star Ledger reports that the Yankees plan on continuing to pursue Mike Lowell even if they re-sign Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees plan on putting Lowell at first base.
• Jon Heyman on SI.com reports that the Yankees and Rodriguez are discussing a 10 year, $280 million contract.
• Buster Olney said on ESPN last night that he believes that Alex Rodriguez is taking a deeply discounted offer from the Yankees, 10-years for $220 million. I’ll believe this when I see it.
• The San Diego Union Tribune reports that the Padres expect Geoff Blum to sign with the Astros, and will likely let Milton Bradley walk as well. The Padres are looking at Geoff Jenkins and Andruw Jones as their top free agent targets.
• The St Louis Post Dispatch reports that Scott Rolen seems all but gone from St. Louis. The third baseman was reportedly unhappy with the letter he received from Tony La Russa that was an attempt to reconcile with Rolen.
• The St Louis Post Dispatch also reports that the Cardinals have interest in Carlos Silva and Kyle Lohse.
• 7Sports, a local Boston news television station, is reporting that the Braves, Angels, Cardinals and Yankees have all offered Mike Lowell four-year contracts worth between $55 million and $60 million.

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The clock strikes the witching hour and the deadline for teams to have exclusive negotiating rights has passed. The big deal last night was Jorge Posada returning to the Yankees with a 4 year, $52.4 million deal. Lets look at some of the players who are expected to reach the open market today.

• The Mets are not expected to make offers to Paul Lo Duca and Luis Castillo until they have a chance to look at other options such as Yorvit Torrealba, Jason Kendall, Orlando Hudson and David Eckstein.
• The Palm Beach Post reports that the Marlins are looking to upgrade over Miguel Olivo, and may join the Mets in kicking the tires on Lo Duca and Torrealba as well.
• The Red Sox were unable to reach an agreement with Mike Lowell before the deadline. They reportedly offered a three year deal. What happens with Lowell now will have implications on where Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Cabrera will land. The Dodgers, Angels, Yankees and Phillies have all expressed interest in Lowell.
• The Twins do not seem optimistic they can resign Torii Hunter. The Twins will have some tough decisions to make if Hunter leaves, including if they can afford to trade Johan Santana on top of losing Hunter and not have Twins fans marching in the streets looking for new GM Bill Smith’s head. The White Sox, Rangers, Nationals, Royals, Braves and Dodgers are believed to be interested in Hunter’s services.
• The most prized member of a weak free agent market for pitchers, Carlos Silva, is unlikely to receive an offer from the Twins and will likely be pursued by the Mets, Phillies, Angels, Royals, Tigers and Mariners.
• A number of relievers will hit the open market, barring some midnight madness. Scott Linebrink, Jeremy Affeldt, Ron Mahay, Eric Gagne and Francisco Cordero among the most notable names on the list.
• The Yankees have reportedly offered Mariano Rivera a three year, $40 million deal. At this time it appears that Rivera will be hitting the open market and is likely to be one of the most sought after free agents available. The Phillies were once thought to be interested in Rivera but with the addition of Brad Lidge that seems to be dead issue.

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The Twins are willing to move 24 year-old Matt Garza, reports who posted a 3.69 ERA this year, according to a report by Joe Christensen in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. 

The Twins are targeting Delmon Young, B.J. Upton, and Carlos Gomez in return.  The Twins covet Upton most, but he appears to be the least likely to be dealt. A report by Marc Topkin in the St. Petersburg Times confirms the Delmon Young rumors.

Christensen also reports that the Twins have not heard back from Carlos Silva or Torii Hunter’s agent on the offers they were made.

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Buster Olney on ESPN writes that the Mets need a reliable innings eater this season that can consistantly take games into the seventh or even the eight inning, however it will be extremely difficult to land one.

Olney thinks Carlos Silva is the best pitcher available on the free agent market, but will command a deal worth about $40 million.

Big names like Johan Santana, Scott Kazmir, and Roy Oswalt are available via trade but the Mets don’t have quite the level of prospects that teams would be seeking in return. Baseball executives are mixed on their evaluation of Lastings Milledge, and while many are high on Carlos Gomez, the Mets seem reluctant to offer him in any deal. Mike Pelfrey and Phillip Humber are viewed as 4th or 5th starters or relievers. Aaron Heilman would be someone Olney considers a valuable trade chip, but the Mets are coming off a season where their bullpen seems to require an upgrade. Olney believes a deal to acquire Joe Blanton is most likely.

Olney also predicts that the Mets will offer Jorge Posada a four year deal, which depending on how much the Yankees are willing to spend to retain Posada, could bring the 35 year old catcher to Queens.

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Yahoo Sports reports that the Mets will speak with Carlos Silva’s representatives this week at the GM meetings.

Silva is among a number of pitchers who will likely seek a multi-year deal. Livan Hernandez, Kyle Lohse, John Fogg, Jeff Weaver, and Kip Wells are the top names in that group.

Silva has the most victories and the lowest ERA of that group and is under 30 years of age.

The Mets had expressed interest in Silva at the trade deadline in 2006.

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