
Three pitchers that the team has eyed to nab as their number two starter, have found new homes in the past week-none of which being Citi Field.
To begin the madness, on January 22, the top available free agent pitcher at the time was taken off the board, and landed not in New York, but Los Angeles. The Angels agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal with Joel Pineiro. In 2009, Pineiro posted a 3.49 ERA and enjoyed a 15 win-season for the Cardinals. The Mets were reportedly in the running for him also, but came up short in negotiations. In three starts against the Mets in '09, Pineiro went 2-0 with a 3.68 ERA. The Mets as a team batted just .253 against him. Compared to the asking price, which according to some reports was 3-4 years at $15 million per, this pick-up is a steal for LA.
Today, Ben Sheets, who the Mets were also in pursuit for, signed with Oakland on a one-year, $10 million+incentives deal. Sheets missed all of the 2009 season after undergoing elbow surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon. Granted, $10 million is a lot of cash to throw at a pitcher who has been known to have injury troubles, and coming off elbow surgery; but if anybody is worth the risk, it's Sheets. With a career ERA of 3.72, Sheets is a 4-time All-Star. And prior to 2007, the highest that his team had ever finished in the NL Central standings was 3rd, finishing in last place three times. With both defensive and run support, you can expect a healthy Ben Sheets to be in Cy Young contention. But will he be able to stay on the mound? The Athletics have 10 million reasons to really, really hope so.
Later in the day, news came across the wire that starter Jon Garland, Diamondback-turned-Dodger in '09, had agreed to a one-year, $5.3 million deal with the Padres. Garland was the next-best available free agent pitcher on the market, and finished last season with a record of 11-13 and a 4.01 ERA. His record with the NL West-Champion Dodgers down the stretch was 3-2. While settling for about half of Sheets' contract value, Garland is looked at as a "sure thing" type pitcher. He's started at least 32 games each season since becoming a full-time starter in 2002, and totaling at least 191 innings in all of those years. He relished back-to-back 18 win seasons for the White Sox in 2005 and 2006, but oddly enough has never been a team's number one starter. San Diego will undoubtedly view their new acquisition as a bargain compared to the contract Sheets recieved just hours earlier.
After this reason shuffle of free agent pitchers, the Mets look at minimal options remaining in this offseason. They have been linked to 43 year-old John Smoltz, who split a mediocre season with Boston and St. Louis in '09. He looked just about finished following his short stint in Boston, but came back from the dead somewhat after signing in St. Louis. But at this point, you ask yourself, do the Mets need a 43 year-old pitcher, who is a shell of his former self, holding down the back end of their rotation? Why not bring back Pedro Martinez, if that's the path they wish to take.
Other possibilities include:
- Former Met-closer Braden Looper who has since been made a starter, and has gone 38-33 with a 4.77 ERA in his three seasons as a starting pitcher. Mets fans' response to considering bringing back Looper for a second stint with the team following his putrid first go-around is a collective "You're kidding, right?"
- Former Yankee Chien-Ming Wang who has enjoyed great success at the big league-level, but with major injury problems, probably won't be expected to pitch any time in the near future.
- LeBron Ja... oops, wrong off-season.
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