What are the Mets waiting for? They don't exactly have a starting rotation like their crosstown rivals. The opportunity to get Derek Lowe came and went this week as Lowe signed a 4 year, $60 million contract with the Atlanta Braves.

Not only did they not get Lowe, but they let him go to another team in the division. $15 million a year is too much money for Lowe, which is why they probably stood back from Lowe but he was the best option available for the Mets, who need pitching. It would've been ok if they overpaid for Lowe simply because he's a solid workhorse. He'll get you 200 innings and about 14 or 15 wins, something the Mets desperately need after Johan Santana in the rotation. Don't forget the Mets are also moving into a new stadium this year and need to put a playoff caliber team on the field, especially after their late season flops in '07 and '08.

The next target is Oliver Perez, who is another Scott Boras client. In other words, they're probably going to overpay for him, so my question is why don't you just do that for Lowe. Perez is too inconsistent to be overpaid. Ben Sheets would be a nice risk for the Mets. I think he would be a better fit for the Mets than he would the Yankees. If Omar Minaya plays his cards right why not get both. If both pitch up to their capability then the Mets should find themselves playing October baseball again. Until then, the waiting game continues.

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Tags: Baseball, Ben Sheets, Derek Lowe, Johan Santana, Mets, Oliver Perez, Scott Boras

According to Buster Olney of ESPN.com the Mets are in a good position to sign free agents Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez. That's because the Cardinals, Brewers, Dodgers and Braves are no longer in the mix for both starters.

The Mets reportedly want to have this situation resolved by the new year. If the Mets can somehow find a way to add both men then they will certainly find themselves as the team to beat in the NL East, if not the entire league.

With the market dropping for both men, the Mets can sign both at a price more to their liking instead of overpaying. The Mets found themselves in a similar situation earlier this offseason when they signed Franciso Rodriguez at a reasonable price. It might be a hard task to achieve given that both are represented by super agent Scott Boras. He's known to hold out as long as possible so his clients can get top dollar. So far that hasn't worked with Boras' other client Manny Ramirez.

"With [David] Wright and [Jose] Reyes on that side of the infield, Lowe is a good fit," a Mets team executive said.

The Red Sox are still in the running for Lowe but have not made any substantial progress. The Sox should lock up Lowe so it gives them to a rotation to match the Yanks' suddenly dominant staff.

With the new year approaching the Mets want their rotation set, I don't blame them. After all, they need to compete with the defending champs, the Phillies. It's the Mets chance to regain control of division, can they seize the opportunity? They need to.

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Tags: David Wright, Derek Lowe, Franciso Rodriguez, Mets, Oliver Perez, Scott Boras

The Yankees offically introduced CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett on Thursday at the old Yankee Stadium. It was really surreal to see those two men standing next to eachother wearing pinstripes. They were the top of the free agent market and the Yankees were able to get them to commit to the Bronx. It was a good day in Yankeeland.

Brian Cashman deserves a lot of credit for the work he's done. A few notes about the process that Cashman used in getting Sabathia are quite interesting. These notes I found while reading Peter Abraham's Yankees Blog . If you've never visited the site you should, it'll fulfill your every Yankee need and desire.

Cashman had a plan in mind and knew exactly what he was doing all along. In acquiring Santana the Yankees would've had to surrender Phil Hughes and throw an insane amount of money at Johan. Remember when Cashman was hesitant to make the move, everyone thought he was crazy. With Sabathia, he only had to throw the insane amount of money. Turned out to be the right move, as the Yankees kept their most prized pitcher. Here are some other notes in the CC Sabathia Recruiting Process:

• The Damons spent their first two years with the Yanks living in Manhattan, but then moved to the New Jersey suburbs, and Michelle Damon sold Amber Sabathia on the suburban life. “She said you’re going to love it,” Amber said. “The schools are good, the pediatricians are good, the supermarkets are good – it’s like a nice little place to live.”
• At the final meeting Cashman and Sabathia had at Sabathia’s California home, Cashman laid out exactly how long Sabathia had been on the Yankees’ radar. He told Sabathia and his agents how the Yankees had been targeting him for over a year and explained the entire process behind their decision, in hopes it would show how committed the Yankees were to Sabathia. “Ten minutes after he left, I called him to tell him I’m in,” Sabathia said. “That really meant a lot to me.”

In recruiting Burnett, Johnny Damon also played a part in the process by calling the big righty. Derek Jeter also called AJ. I think once Sabathia agreed to come to the Bronx that it would get another big free agent pitcher to come here too. The group of Burnett, Derek Lowe, and Ben Sheets you knew one of them was going to follow CC to the Bronx. There was even a point where some thought, myself included that the Yankees could very well sign all of them (that is still a possibility albeit an unlikely one). The Yankees in my opinion got the two best options and that's quite alright with me.

However you want to look at it, the Yankees did what they set ouot to do this winter, get starting pitching. Whether these guys work out in the end or not, Cashman did his job and filled the biggest needs of the team. If he doesn't get CC or AJ then everyone is calling for his head just like last winter. Good work Brian, I commend the work you've done this offseason. I've said it many times, he's the best GM in the game and that's not because he has an open checkbook to work with, it's because he lays out a plan before it's a thought in most people's minds. He's the right man for the job and he got the right men to fix the Yankees. Now all we need is for Andy Pettitte to re-sign and we're ready to go.

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Tags: AJ Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Baseball, Brain Cashman, CC Sabathia, Derek Jeter, Derek Lowe, Johan Santana, Johnny Damon, Phil Hughes, Yankees

The Yankees missed the playoffs this season for the first time since 1993 and they do not want that to happen again....EVER. Yesterday marked the first day of free agency and the Yankees were ready.

The biggest need for the Yankees right now is starting pitching. The biggest free agent out there is CC Sabathia who happens to be a starting pitcher. Well there's a perfect match. It comes as no surprise that the Yankees are going to go after the hefty lefty but how aggressive they really are going to be is the question. On Friday we got out answer. The Yankees made the lefty an offer of 6 years and around $140 million, that's just to start things off. The final number could very well be around $150 million. The Yanks are wasting no time in getting targeting their main man.

The offer was set to discourage other teams from having a shot at signing Sabathia. The Mets, Angels, Dodgers, and Brewers all appear to be in the running but it'll be tough to match or exceed the offer the Yankees gave CC. The Mets gave Johan Santana a 6 year $137 million so it doesn't look likely that the Mets will offer another pitcher a similar deal, even if it would give them one of the best rotations in baseball. The Brewers simply do not have the resources the other teams do financially so they don't appear to be a contender here. The Angels and Dodgers both have to deal with their own free agents who will both likely command big money in the ballpark of $20 million each per season (Mark Teixeira for the Angels and Manny Ramirez for the Dodgers).

The Yanks big spending doesn't stop there. They are going after free agent pitchers AJ Burnett and Derek Lowe. They are going to make them substantial offers as well.

"We’re prepared to make offers to (A.J.) Burnett and (Derek) Lowe. I’m starting to become very optimistic. I think it’s going to be mutually beneficial to us and for these particular players that we’re after for them to join the Yankees” said Hank Steinbrenner.

The Yanks aren't playing games. They want their pitchers and they want them ASAP. I like the aggressiveness here. Get these deals done and get everyone ready for spring training in Feburary. I can't see Sabathia turning down so much money from the Yanks. Whatever happens this winter one thing is for certain, the Yankees will find a way to get an ace and will add starting pitching that will put them with one of the best rotations in the league. CC will get his cake and eat it too. The Yankees will even give him the plate, the fork, and the cake of his choice and watch him eat it. That's how badly the Yankees want to win. That's how much of a panic the Yankees are in after missing the playoffs. They enter 2009 going into the New Yankee Stadium and want a new ace to lead the staff into familiar territory, the World Series. A year after shying away from Santana and the mega deal he wanted, the Yankees are going ALL in for Sabathia, I love it. Show him the money and me a ring! I can't wait.

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Tags: AJ Burnett, Baseball, CC Sabathia, Derek Lowe, Hank Steinbrenner, Johan Santana, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Manny Ramirez, Mark Teixeira, Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Yankees