According to a tweet by Joe DeMayo, the Mets intend to go after Ben Sheets and are most definitely serious in their pursuit of the big right hander. After a strong showing at a throwing session in front of up to 20 scouts, Sheets has put himself in good position to sign a decent contract coming off surgery and the sideline in 2009.
The Dodgers seem to be out of the Sheets sweepstakes, as well as the Brewers, and it would seem that Sheets may be to costly for the Mariners, Rangers, and Cardinals. Matt Cerrone relays some information from Buster Olney who believes that the Mets and the A's are in the strongest position financially, to sign the pitcher.
Without getting ahead of myself, I am optimistic that Sheets signs with the Mets. The upside is there for both parties. Although not the cavern that people portray it to be, Citi Field can rightfully be called a pitcher's park. Also, the four-time All Star is a National League guy. He pitched for the Brewers in the NL and that's it. You have to think, the ability to pitch against pitchers, not DH's, and the familiarity of the league have to be a plus. This is especially true if Sheets is going to go with a short deal to prove his health and success. The Mets have, according to various reports on MetsBlog and MLBTR, up to around $20 million more to spend this off season.
It would be a long shot, but can we spread that cash out to Sheets and Smoltz for the pitching side and a back loaded 2 year deal for Orlando Hudson? Although the Mets are starting to be linked to Jon Garland, I do not get the sense they like him for their rotation. Also, Garland has made it known that he prefers the west coast. I do not see the fit there.
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