With the Atlanta Braves crushing all competition with their four-year/$60 million contract for Derek Lowe, the New York Mets are forced into looking at Oliver Perez to fill their #3/#4 spot in the rotation.  (Sorry Mets fans.  John Maine's shoulder scares me, and I won't pen him into the #3 spot.)

The big concern for the Mets is Perez' agent, Scott Boras, will try to milk more than the three-year/$30 million offer the Mets made a few days ago.  If that is the case, the Mets will turn to Randy Wolf, Jon Garland or Ben Sheets as reported by Mike Puma of the New York Post.

Frankly, I see no reason not to do so.  While Perez has proven he can pitch in New York, the rumors that Citi Field will be an East Coast version of Petco Park leads me to believe that any starting pitcher signed by the Mets will produce statistics to appease any fan.  Why not add two of the three for close to the same money?

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Despite the brouhaha the Texas Rangers and their 3B Michael Young caused earlier this week, there is nothing in the Texas papers to suggest any possible trades.  As a matter of fact, Gil Lebreton of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram suggests Young look can persepctive by looking down the road at the closed GM plant.  It is not as if the Rangers sent him to the bench, is it?

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Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe reports the Red Sox and Diamondbacks agree that catcher Miguel Montero's value is a comparable prospect.  The question is what is a "comparable prospect".  One wouldn't be accused of homerism to state SP Clay Buchholz does not fit that definition.  I'd go so far as to state neither does Justin Masterson.