The Cardinals and Brad Penny have a letter of agreement, for a $7.5 million base and $1.5 in performances bonuses. Physical likely on Wed.

Penny, who finished strong last season with the Gianst, could be a nice addition for the Cardinals.

The big righthander made 30 starts between the Red Sox and Giants and posted a 4.88 ERA. But after being traded to San Francisco he went 4-1 with a 2.54 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP in six games started. 

Like most pitchers, he’ll benefit greatly by being paired with the great Dave Duncan as his new pitching coach.

With the news that John Maine has been placed on the disabled list with what Omar Minaya calls “weakness and fatigue”, can we now seriously consider the need for another starting pitcher?

Who knows when John Maine will come back. If we were to go by what he said last night it would leave us once again in yet another state of limbo.

Maine said, “basically my shoulder is dead, so who knows when I’ll come back.”

With Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and J.J. Putz all out indefinitely, can we afford to just sit back and do nothing?

I applaud the efforts of Livan Hernandez this season, and even Tim Redding his last two times out, but are we seriously going to bank our season on the unrealistic hope that both of them will continue to pitch effectively when neither of them have ever shown they can do that over the course of an entire season in quite some time?

The Boston Red Sox have made it clear that Brad Penny is on the block. Rob Bradford of WEEI reported on Penny after last night’s Red Sox win over the Yankees:

While Penny’s recent run has been fairly steady, with the starter compiling a 3-2 mark and a 4.10 ERA in his last eight games, Thursday was undeniably a defining moment in the 31-year-old’s resurgence.

The subtle adjustments, such as moving from the first-base to the third-base side of the pitching rubber, have paid off. But what has been most gratifying for Penny has been the payoff from a commitment to the team’s strength and conditioning program.

“I felt great today,” said Penny, whose fastball topped out at 98 mph. “I think it’s all the stuff they’ve got me doing with the workout program. I’ve come a long way since last year. I’m just happy to be able to go out there and pitch. Tonight was the strongest I’ve felt.”

The Red Sox have plenty of starting pitching and with John Smoltz on the verge of joining the rotation, Penny would be relegated to the bullpen, something he is not looking forward to doing.

Penny has a bulldog mentality and could fit in well with the Mets. He also has a penchant for stepping it up in a big game which the Mets should embrace with open arms.

Penny had a nice run with the Dodgers before succumbing to injury in 2008. The biggest knock on Penny has always been his inability to stay healthy, so that risk is always there. However, I do believe it could be a risk worth taking.

Are there better options out there?

Well once you dismiss Roy Oswalt who the Astros will not trade, Jake Peavy who does not want to pitch for the Mets, and Roy Halladay who the Mets could never afford, nothing really stands out.

Penny may just well be the best realistic option for the Mets.