I was reading this post about Mike Pelfrey on MetsBlog and thinking about how far he’s come this season. We’re worried about his innings, but it looks like between he, Johan, and Maine we’ve got 3 dependable arms on the right side of 30 (Santy turns 30 next March). So that feels good.
But those 3 don’t guarantee anything, so I took a look at the free agent market for pitchers thinking the 4th horseman will be the key for starting some Mets Apocalypse Now action. [cue Philly fans: The horror, the horror!]
So basically it looks like there’s 3 high-impact arms: Ollie, CC, and Ben Sheets. (BTW, did you know AJ Burnett is gonna be 32 next year? Dude got old quick. He’s a classic example of a guy who will give you 1 good full season of quality pitching, and tease you the rest of his career)
I’d take any of the 3. CC would be the power play, but I suspect it’s impossible for any franchise to rationalize spending $300M or so on two players who will play a combined total of 60-70 games. (God/Dr. James Andrews willing, of course.) But having Johan and CC back-to-back is a 1-2 punch of Angelina Jolie/Charlize Theron proportions. If they’re healthy — big if with pitchers — you’re guaranteed at least 1 ring, probably 2+ considering Wright, Reyes, Beltran anchoring your lineup in the next 3-4 seasons.
Between Sheets and Ollie, I’d take Ollie. Sheets has been more consistent, but Opie’s got flavor, is a lefty, and most important, he’s our boy.
Last year there weren’t any good free agent arms. Hence the trades of Santana, Haren. The year before had the market-busting contracts for Zito and Gil Meche et. al.
With the way CC’s dominating NL he’ll command Santy money. But where will llie and SHeets fall? WIll they get 5-6 years at $12-13M per?
I think we gotta be in on that action. First expense of the offseason: 4th Horseman, $75M.
Gotta go with Ollie here. Yes, he’s our guys so that means we know certain things about him that pertain to playng in NY. The media isn’t gonna freak him out. He’s a big game kinda guy. And he’s comfortable with the guys in the clubhouse. Pay the man and keep rollin.
The Yankees will definitely sign CC for whatever he wants. They have no rotation, so they’ll shell out. I think Sheets is the best option for the Mets, but his health is definitely a concern.