John Lackey Fallout: What Will the New York Mets Do Now?

When you look at the Mets' offseason to date, what you see is a whole lot of nothing.

The Mets have made no splashy moves, no free-agent signings, and no impact trades as they determine how the market will play out.

But while the Mets have remained stagnant, the Mets' chief rivals have all made impact moves that will improve their prospects for 2010:

Phillies

Acquired Roy Halladay

Braves

Acquired Billy Wagner, Takashi Saito, and Jesse Chavez

Yankees

Acquired Curtis Granderson

Red Sox

Acquired John Lackey

There's no doubt that the pressure is on GM Omar Minaya to make splashy moves, not only to match the other clubs, but also ultimately to improve the Mets and give this team a chance to compete in 2010.

But as the money burns a hole in Minaya's pocket, one has to wonder what move the Mets' GM will make next.

Option One

The Mets could continue their heavy pursuit of OF Jason Bay, who was reportedly offered a four-year $65 million contract by the Mets last week.

Bay would be a welcome addition to the Mets' offense, which struggled mightily last season to hit for power.

With the Red Sox presumably out of the running for Bay, it's tough to see what other serious suitors Bay has at the moment.

Option Two

The Mets could opt to go for the big splash and make a serious run at the best free agent on the market, Matt Holliday.

Like Bay, Holliday is one of the best power hitters in all of baseball, and he plays very good defense, as well.

Adding Holliday would be a signal to the rest of baseball that the Mets are serious about competing in 2010.

At the same time, Holliday would be far more expensive than Bay and likely require a commitment of at least seven to eight years.

Option Three

The Mets could continue their pursuit of Benjie Molina and hope that he finally agrees to the two-year deal the Mets have been offering.

Option Four

The Mets could go after Joel Pineiro, who is the best free-agent starting pitcher out there.

Pinero would be a great fit for the Mets, given his propensity to throw ground balls.

However, Pineiro is reportedly looking for a four-year contract, and, with Lackey off the board, all of a sudden Pineiro could have some serious leverage over the Mets.

Option Six

Try to acquire pieces via the trade market.

Good luck with that, Omar.

Conclusion

If the Mets decide to go after Holliday, then it would be very difficult for them to sign Pineiro or any of the other top free-agent starting pitchers on the market.

As a result, if Holliday comes to the Mets, then I would expect the Mets to dabble in the "low cost-high reward" starters and sign Benjie Molina.

At this point, I would say that it's far more likely that the Mets continue their aggressive pursuit of Jason Bay and try to sign him to a four-year contract.

This would give the Mets the splashy power hitter they so desperately need and allow them to spend money on starters like Pineiro and Benjie Molina.

However, the Mets MUST remain cautious in their discussions with Bay and Pineiro and not become to eager to make a deal happen just for the sake of making a deal happen.

It's crucial that the Mets don't wind up bidding against themselves for either guy's services or do something stupid like giving Bay a five-year deal or giving Pineiro a four-year contract.

Best-case scenario: The Mets bring in Molina, Pineiro, and Bay all for prices that favor the Mets.

How much better do those signings make the team in 2010?

Can we honestly say that this team would compete for a playoff spot?

Would the Mets even be in the same stratosphere as the Phillies?

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