CHICAGO — Of course the Mets are looking outside their organization in an effort to improve their ineffective, injured bullpen.
“Our numbers are what they are,” John Ricco, the Mets’ vice president and assistant general manager, told The Post yesterday before the Mets dropped their series opener to the Cubs, 6-1, at Wrigley Field — a game that fell apart late due to horrible fielding, rather than horrible relief pitching. “We need to find a way to get better production.”
Throw out the usual names. The Astros’ Brett Myers, a Mets nemesis from his Phillies days, is pitching capably after switching from starter back to closer. Huston Street, a nemesis of Mets bench coach Bob Geren from their days together in Oakland, has performed very well for the Padres since rehabilitating a strained right shoulder. The Mets will be involved in discussions for both, and don’t count out A’s closer Grant Balfour, either, in his walk year like Street and Myers (although Myers has a vesting option for next year).
The same would hold true for the Twins’ Matt Capps, another veteran in his walk year for a non-contending team, except that Capps went on the disabled list yesterday with inflammation in his right shoulder.
In the wake of two straight late losses to the Yankees, and with Frank Francisco (strained left oblique) on the disabled list, it’s unlikely, although not impossible, that a trade can be completed quickly.
“It’s not too early to do the research,” Ricco said. “It’s probably too early to make a move, although each year there is several pre-emptive ones. For the seller more than the buyer.”
In this first year of a new collective bargaining agreement, and in the Mets’ first year post-Madoff travails, the Wilpons’ and Saul Katz’s willingness to spend money at the trading deadline could make a difference in mending the weakness or leaving it as is.
As per the new CBA, players traded in the middle of their walk season can’t bring back compensatory draft picks, as was the case for, say, Milwaukee and CC Sabathia in 2008 or Boston and Billy Wagner in 2009. That means that teams probably won’t be willing to give away as much young talent for one of these relievers, knowing that the relievers won’t bring back any young talent on the other end of the transaction.
So the clubs out of the race might have to settle for some financial relief. The team willing to take on the most salary might win the player. Myers is making $11 million this season and has a $3 million buyout on his $10 million vesting option, which he’s on track to hit (reportedly with 45 games finished). Balfour earns $4 million this year, with a $350,000 buyout on a $4.5 million team option for next year. Street has a $7.5 million salary and a $9 million mutual option for 2013 with a $500,000 buyout.
General manager Sandy Alderson hasn’t ruled out the possibility of taking on payroll. He also told The Post two weeks ago, when discussing the Mets’ immediate needs, “We have to sort of take everything into account,” which means that the Mets won’t be dealing top-shelf prospects for volatile relievers.
Hence the need to spend money so they won’t spend prospects.
For sure, the Mets will look beyond just the big names, try to find arms that wouldn’t cost much of anything.
“Sometimes,” Ricco said, “you try to catch lightning in a bottle,” and he referenced the Mets’ acquisition of Guillermo Mota from the Indians in 2006. “That was a deal when they were just giving him away.”
It’s relevant that Mota was suspended after the season, for illegal performance-enhancing drug usage, only because the Mets made the mistake of signing the right-hander to a two-year deal after learning this. The actual 2006 trade was dynamite.
For now, the Mets will see what they can get from Justin Hampson, a 31-year-old left-hander who will give Terry Collins more leeway in firing his main lefty bullet, Tim Byrdak. Collins took heat, justifiably, for letting Byrdak sit in the bullpen Sunday night while Miguel Batista served up the game-winning homer to Robinson Cano in the eighth inning.
“Sandy came to me [after the game] and said, ‘We’re going to get you the best lefty we can find you,’ ” Collins said.
Now just substitute the term “high-end reliever” for “lefty,” and voila! Problem solved (maybe). The cash could be the key in making that happen.