Tom Glavine

I’m surprised that the Mets declined the option on Tom Glavine. It would have cost them $14 million for one year and that is a lot of money but the Mets are very thin on starting pitching and finding a pitcher who can replace Glavine’s 200 innings and sub 4.00 ERA will be difficult. Finding a lefty to fit that bill will be near impossible.

With Pedro Martinez hurt and Steve Trachsel gone – the Mets may have to get some more emergency starts from Jose Lima (that’s how thin they are). Now it is still possible that Tom Glavine will be back with the Mets next season but now the Mets have to compete with the Braves for his services and I think Glavine’s heart (as well as his family) is still in Atlanta. Dumb move by the Mets.

The Braves have a pretty good starting five as it is – Tim Hudson, John Smoltz, Mike Hampton (coming back from injury), Horatio Ramirez, and Chuck James (with Kyle Davies available if someone gets hurt). Maybe they don’t want the extra salary that comes with Glavine (he did spurn them to sign with the Mets in the first place). I have a tough time seeing the Braves wrap up close to $70 million in four starting pitchers (Hudson, Smoltz, Hampton and Glavine) plus Andruw and Chipper Jones.

It is also rumored that the Braves were looking at a deal with the Padres for Jake Peavy. I don’t think that is true but neither do I think the assumption that the Braves will roll-over for Glavine to be true either.

I know that Glavine has said he’d limit the bidding to the Braves and Mets but I wonder if he’d be open to taking a bid from the Red Sox. The Red Sox may just have to offer one-year at $14 million to get it done.