DANA POINT, Calif. – For openers, the Mets need a closer.
To that end, the team already has reached out to representatives for free agent Brian Fuentes.
On a mostly quiet first day of the GM meetings, Fuentes’ agent confirmed that Met GM Omar Minaya will likely be a player in the sweepstakes for the closer. Rick Thurman said Minaya made contact with Thurman’s associate, Jeff Borris, earlier in the week about Fuentes.
The 33-year-old Fuentes had 30 saves for the Rockies last season, allowing only 47 hits over 622/3 innings with 82 strikeouts and 22 walks.
Colorado officials have privately confirmed the team has no chance to retain Fuentes.
The market for Fuentes is expected to be intense, with the Cardinals, Brewers, Indians and Angels among the clubs competing against the Mets.
That competition is why executives around the sport already are speculating that Fuentes’ ultimate deal will exceed the initial prognostications of about three years at $36 million.
The belief is that Fuentes now will get at least four years with an average annual value somewhere between $11 million and $13 million.
“I would say this is probably one of the best years to be a good closer on the free-agent market in a long time,” Thurman said.
The Mets already have indicated they would not meet the initial asking price of the top free-agent closer on the market, Francisco Rodriguez, who is seeking a deal in the five-year, $75 million range.
They already know they must pay the uninsured $13 million that they owe to closer Billy Wagner for next season.
But Minaya said last night that Rodriguez hasn’t been ruled out of the Mets’ future, either.
“I remember Carlos Beltran was $200 million at this time [in 2004] and that’s not what it ended up,” Minaya said, referring to the $119 million contract Beltran received.
Minaya seeks an overhaul of his entire bullpen, but the most pressing need is landing a quality closer after Wagner underwent Tommy John surgery in September.
The Mets also will search for late-inning answers on the trade market and want to speak with Oakland about Huston Street for a possible role as a set-up man.
However, officials familiar with the A’s thinking said that if the club decides to trade Street, Oakland expects to find better matches with Cleveland, Colorado and Milwaukee, all teams that also have inquired on Street.
Oakland views all three of those organizations as having greater minor-league depth than that of the Mets.
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Minaya indicated he has no plans to search for a new second baseman, with Luis Castillo under contract for three more years. Minaya said Castillo didn’t arrive at spring training in the “best possible” shape last season.
Castillo battled various injuries in 2008 and hit only .245 in 87 games. Though Daniel Murphy is playing second base in the Arizona Fall League, Minaya still envisions Murphy as an outfielder for the Mets.
The Mets have interest in White Sox right-hander Javier Vazquez, but a club official called it a “pipe dream” that everything could fall into place, allowing a deal to occur.
Vazquez is owed $23 million over the next two seasons and Chicago likely would have to take a contract – perhaps Castillo’s – in return. The Mets also might have to part with a prospect to make the deal work.