Mets may look to free agency to find closer

When the Mets traded Francisco Rodriguez to the Brewers in mid-July, they didn't think it would be this hard to find a replacement in his absence. After Jason Isringhausen nailed save number 300, the Mets used Bobby Parnell, Pedro Beato and Manny Acosta as closers to close out games. Bobby Parnell was suppose to be the ideal closer for the team, but lack of command and inconstancy makes it sensible to find a closer via free agency. General Manager Sandy Alderson voiced his desire to seek relief help from outside of the organization. Giving the Mets will be unwilling to spend a significant amount of their money to a closer, they will look to free agency to see if they can acquire low-cost closers such as Brad Lidge and Matt Capps. Others who are available but may cost a lot to sign are Jonathan Papelbon, Heath Bell and former Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez.

Entering this off-season, the Mets have already have $55 million tied up to three players - Johan Santana, David Wright and Jason Bay. If the Mets do not re-sign Jose Reyes, who would probably cost them between $15 to $20 million per season, the Mets still would have to fill out the roster through free agency. "If you look at the bullpen as one of those areas of particular disappointment, I think we were thin there to begin with," Alderson said. "Really, most critical was the loss of Frankie. It led to a number of auditions for that closer role and some uncertainty as to other roles, and there's no question that blowing saves at a pretty spectacular rate is pretty debilitating on a team."

2011 Closers:


Jonathan Papelbon:

Games Played - 63
Innings Pitched - 64.1
Hits - 50
Runs - 22
Earned Runs - 21
Homeruns - 3
Walks - 10
Strikeouts - 87
Win-Loss - 4-1
Saves - 31
Blown Saves - 3
WHIP - 0.93
ERA - 2.94

Heath Bell:

Games Played - 64
Innings Pitched - 62.2
Hits - 51
Runs - 20
Earned Runs - 17
Homeruns - 4
Walks - 21
Strikeouts - 51
Win-Loss - 3-4
Saves - 43
Blown Saves - 5
WHIP - 1.15
ERA - 2.44

Brad Lidge:

Games Played - 25
Innings Pitched - 19.1
Hits - 16
Runs - 3
Earned Runs - 3
Homeruns - 0
Walks - 13
Strikeouts - 23
Win-Loss - 0-2
Saves - 1
Blown Saves - 0
WHIP - 1.50
ERA - 1.40

Matt Capps:

Games Played - 69
Innings Pitched - 65.2
Hits - 66
Runs - 31
Earned Runs - 31
Homeruns - 10
Walks - 13
Strikeouts - 34
Win-Loss - 4-7
Saves - 15
Blown Saves - 9
WHIP - 1.20
ERA - 4.25

2011 Salaries -

Matt Capps - 7.5MM
Brad Lidge - 11MM
Jonathan Papelbon - 12MM
Heath Bell - 7.5MM