Hisanori Takahashi

When Los Angeles Angels' manager Mike Scioscia announced last Thursday that starting pitcher Scott Kazmir would open the season as a member of the starting rotation, he was asked by reporters whether or not Kazmir had earned the spot.

“Earned?” Scioscia said. “Define ‘earned.’”

Not exactly a stirring vote of confidence.

However, Kazmir, who struggled last season with a 9-15 record and a 5.94 ERA, is owed $14.5 million this season.

After the New York Mets non-tendered Sean Green earlier this month, it was only a matter of time before a team gobbled him up for the potential ‘relief’ he could offer.

The time has come, and that team is the Milwaukee Brewers, who are looking to reload this off season to have a productive 2011.

The New York Mets and free-agent reliever D.J. Carrasco have agreed to a two-year deal worth $2.5 million according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com and Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

The deal is pending a physical, but it will more than likely transpire.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim enter this holiday season with a rather sizable wish list. Now they might be able to check off three items with one deft move.

On Thursday, left-handed relief pitcher Hisanori Takahashi agreed to a two-year, $8 million deal with the Halos. It was not the high-profile signing many are expecting, and media coverage of the deal is all but non-existent.

In a season plagued by underachievement, inconsistency, and injuries, one controllable aspect of the Philadelphia Phillies' 2010 is the bullpen.

From the dominant bullpen that lead the Phillies to a World Series title in 2008, earning the nickname the "Bridge to Lidge," the Phillies' relief corps of 2010 took a big step back, finishing 18th in ERA despite pitching the fewest innings in the National League—with only the Seattle Mariners logging more out west in the American League.

An offer has been made to re-acquire the services of Hisanori Takahashi, but unless the Mets significantly up the offer, he is almost certain to walk.

Earlier today it was reported by Dave Waldstein of the New York Post that the Mets have offered Takahashi an incentive-leaden one-year proposal. Takahashi is reported as seeking a deal between two to three years and if the Mets don’t significantly up the offer, he will more than likely walk to any of the other 29 remaining teams.

Greetings fantasy baseballers, and welcome to another edition of the Wire.

Hopefully you heeded the past weeks’ advice and picked up Pat Burrell, Mike Minor, Daniel Hudson and others, before it was too late. This week is sort of a special edition with a look at a trio of closers—mostly of the present, and mostly with no future. Regardless, they have one thing in common—they will receive the lion’s share of save opportunities for their respective teams.

Mike Francesa reports that the Mets will make a trade at the deadline. He said that they will make a "proper trade," and that the Mets have "no financial restrictions."

By proper trade I'm guessing he means that they will do a trade to address their starting pitcher and/or reliever problems.

With Cliff Lee out of the picture, it is looking like the Mets are going to stick with their squad for the rest of the season (fingers crossed for the return of Ty Wiggington).

From what I've seen out of the Mets starting rotation so far, Hisanori Takahashi is not a guy who should be in the rotation for a contending team such as the Mets. Takahashi is the kind of guy who has great off speed stuff, rarely blows anyone away with his fastball, and has questionable stamina after pitching on a seven man rotation in Japan.

The New York Mets have been superb in June. They have become a bona fide contender in the National League East, and have solidified their position as a buyer rather than a seller before this season's trade deadline.

There have been a tremendous amount of positives which have come hand-in-hand with their overall success.

Yet, in the middle of all of those positives, there has been one surprising—and alarming—dark spot for the Mets: Johan Santana.