Mets Continue to Set the Trend in Hot Stove

We're about a week removed from the Carlos Delgado trade, and it looks like the Mets are continuing to push forward in their pursuit of their first World Series in 20 years. They're still a player in the Manny Ramirez sweepstakes, they have a huge three year, $30 million dollar deal on the table to Billy Wagner and now they're turning their sites on a replacement for Mike Piazza.

And they're not looking at anything second rate. According to this story, they have offers out to both Ramon Hernandez and Benji Molina. Molina is a former gold glover, but his defensive skills have regressed the last couple of years (-3 FRAA in 2004 and 2005). Ramon Hernandez is better known for his bat, and he's done a decent job at the plate despite having to play in PETCO the last couple of years. The concern with Hernandez is his durability. After four straight seasons with 400 at bats, he's gone two without hitting that benchmark.

It looks like Wagner is holding out for a fourth year, although from what I've heard, the deal the Mets gave him basically give him that barring a catastrophic injury. What's disconcerting is the mega deal that B.J. Ryan signed could raise the bar for Wagner. Yes, Ryan is younger so a five year deal isn't "too" out of hand, but the Jays threw a lot of money at him. Wagner might be looking to add a million or two a year to the deal as he knows he's one of the premiere closers in the game.