What Does Lackey To The Red Sox Mean For Mets?

According to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports, free agent pitcher John Lackey may be close to signing a deal with the Boston Red Sox. He writes,

Free-agent right-hander John Lackey underwent a physical Monday with the Red Sox, an indication that he is close to an agreement with the team, according to a major-league source.

Rosenthal also speculates that the deal is expected to be similar to the five-year, $82.5 million contract that the Yankees awarded free-agent right-hander A.J. Burnett last winter.

Obviously this is a big blow to any chance that Lackey would end up signing with the Mets, who failed to even make an offer because as a team source said, “we are focused on Jason Bay right now.”

In my opinion if the Red Sox do indeed sign Lackey, and it sure looks that way, it makes signing Jason Bay all the more important. It also now puts Jason Marquis and Joel Pineiro squarely in the Mets’ sights, like it or not.

That said, it pisses me off that no offer was tendered to Lackey who would have been a more valuable acquisition for a team that desperately needs a compliment to Johan Santana.

I didn’t realize that the Mets front office has become so inept that it is only capable of focusing on one free agent player at a time.