As Omar and the Mets continue to wait out what they call a slow moving market, other MLB teams are quickly scooping up some of the key free agents and addressing their needs.
Yesterday, the Red Sox signed John Lackey, while the Phillies added Roy Halladay in a 3 team deal that sent Cliff Lee to the Mariners.
The Red Sox also signed outfielder Mike Cameron to a 2 year deal worth $15.5 million and announced he would be their everyday left fielder.
Tha Angels signed former Yankees LF/DH Hideki Matsui to a one year $6.5 million deal.
Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is now reporting that the Cardinals have offered Matt Holliday a new 8 year deal which would pay him $16MM annually. Obviously, the Cards are anxious to get a deal done and this offer would be hard to top unless the Yankees were to get involved. It actually tops the 7 year, $100MM contract Albert Pujols signed in 2004.
This weekend I actually speculated that Holliday would get 8 years in another post in which I asked if Jason Bayat 5 years would be a better deal for the Mets.
I am now becoming very concerned about the Mets strategy in low balling Bay with a similar offer to the one he rejected from the Red Sox. Yesterday his agent said that he would be making an announcement this week. Some have reported that Bay already has a 5 year offer from an unamed team.
If Bay does end up signing elsewhere, it will be slim pickings for the Mets and I have no idea how they would proceed moving forward.
The Mets have now seen hitters Matt Holliday, Curtis Granderson, Chone Figgins, Mike Cameron and pitchers Randy Wolf, Roy Halladay, Rich Harden, Andy Pettitte, Brad Penny and John Lackey all come off the market in the last two weeks.
Slow moving market?
More like a slow moving Mets front office.
