General manager Omar Minaya went to work at the GM meetings in Dana Point, Calif., from Nov. 3-6 trying to retool the Mets. His top targets: a closer and at least one starting pitcher.
The Mets' preference at the back end of the bullpen appears to be signing former Rockies closer Brian Fuentes as a free agent this winter to succeed Billy Wagner, who will miss 2009 following Tommy John surgery. Team officials also have shown interest in free agent closers Francisco Rodriguez and Kerry Wood, though K-Rod's asking price appears as if it will ultimately be too steep for the Mets to find it attractive. If the Mets strike out on the free agent front, three potential trade targets have emerged on their radar: Oakland's Huston Street, Seattle's J.J. Putz and Houston's Jose Valverde.
"You'd rather do a free agent than a trade, if possible, because a free agent you don't have to give up prospects," Minaya said. "Now, the way it is, everybody is trying to keep their prospects as much as they can. And if you do trades, guys are looking for not only one, but two or three or even four prospects."
With Oliver Perez and Pedro Martinez free agents, two voids in the rotation exist beyond Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey and John Maine. The Mets plan to bring in a low-cost pitcher, likely signed in January, to compete with rookie Jon Niese for the No. 5 spot in spring training. The other slot could be filled by free agent Derek Lowe or by re-signing Perez. Lowe and Perez both are Scott Boras clients. The Mets are unlikely to re-sign Martinez.
"Will there be some trades done before the meetings?" Minaya rhetorically asked, referring to swaps around baseball before general managers reconvene in Las Vegas for the winter meetings in early December. "Usually, there will be one or two. But it is a free agent class that is better than last year, so I think teams are going to try to address their needs by free agency first, and if they don't, they'll consider trades."
