MLB

METS TARGET LOWE, FUENTES

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Mets plan on targeting Derek Lowe and Brian Fuentes in the free agent market, an NL executive who has talked to team officials told the Post.

The Mets are promising to be creative and explore many avenues. But Lowe (a dependable innings eater) and Fuentes (a proven closer) fit the Mets’ top two needs, and are going to be pursued by the organization this offseason.

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Lowe, 35, has made at least 32 starts and won at least 12 games in each of the past seven seasons. He is a groundball artist and has experience in the Northeast/playoff cauldron for the Red Sox. He is a Scott Boras client who will have plenty of suitors, including the Yankees, and probably will take well into the offseason to sign.

Fuentes, however, could come off the board quickly because, executives say, his market of around three years at $36 million-$39 million has been established. The Mets have indicated they don’t want to pay a big salary to a new closer in addition to paying Billy Wagner, who will miss all of 2009 and whose $13 million contract is not insured. But they have determined their need is great enough and the top closer on the market, Francisco Rodriguez, might cost too much to sign.

Fuentes has 111 saves over the past four seasons, including 30 last year when he pitched to a 2.73 ERA and struck out 82 in 622/3 innings.

He does have an unorthodox delivery, however, that leads to questions about his consistency and susceptibility to injuries.

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Both the Yankees and Red Sox let Carlos Pena go in 2006. Now he is playing first base and hitting third for the AL champ Rays. Meanwhile, the Yanks and Red Sox are contemplating whether to spend $100 million on Mark Teixeira to fill the Gold Glove-caliber defense/strong offense role Pena occupies for the Rays.

How did it happen? Here are the three views:

YANKEES – Before joining the organization, Pena already was part of an ill-fated date in Yankees history. He was sent from Oakland to Detroit on July 5, 2002 in the three-team trade that brought Jeff Weaver to the Yanks. He was released by the Tigers in April 2006. The Yanks signed him to a Triple-A deal with the stipulation that if he were not on the major league roster by Aug. 15, he could ask for his release.

At Triple-A, Pena had 19 homers in 105 games with a .370 on-base percentage. But the Yanks had recently traded for Craig Wilson to be a first baseman/DH against southpaws, and there was no obvious roster slot.

“He did OK for us,” Yanks GM Brian Cashman said. “He had power, played good defense. We liked his attributes. But he didn’t push himself to be on the 25 [man roster] and we didn’t have a spot in the big leagues, so he exercised his out.”

RED SOX – Boston signed him the day after the Yanks released him. He played in just 18 games and hit one homer. The Red Sox already had Eric Hinske in a similar lefty-bat complement to Kevin Youkilis, with David Ortiz as the DH. Red Sox officials did not like his pull-happy approach and were worried his body type suggested future breakdowns. Had he been pre-arbitration, Red Sox officials say, they would have kept him. But with Hinske already signed for 2007, they didn’t see the value of paying Pena a significant salary to sit.

RAYS – “They had less time to be tolerant and patient in Boston and New York and they had those positions filled by established guys,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said in explaining Pena’s Tampa Bay blossoming. “We had a much larger timeframe to give him an opportunity.”

The Rays have a profile they liked and were still in the mode of collecting as much potential talent as possible. Some guys fit the profile and didn’t work out; some, such as Pena, who has given Tampa Bay patience, power, defense and leadership, did.

Maddon said he did not change Pena’s mechanics, but instead “changed how he thought.” He essentially told him groundballs to first and second were his enemy and to use the whole field. The result is 77 homers the past two years, fifth in the majors behind Ryan Howard, Alex Rodriguez, Prince Fielder and Adam Dunn.

joel.sherman@nypost.com