The names that just won't go away....Lohse, Garcia

It appears on the surface that the Mets have four solid starters and two other starters battling for the final spot in the rotation. That doesn't include Tony Armas Jr. who could make solid contributions as a spot starter, Jason Vargas who is two years removed from a solid rookie year and Nelson Figueroa who has been lights out all over the world ( Mexico, DWL, Korea).

So it may come as a surprise to some that Kyle Lohse and Freddy Garcia names keep coming up. But there are so many variables in baseball, like the old adage says you can never have enough pitching.

Johan should be solid the entire year but after that it's a crap shoot. Pedro hasn't come close to 200 innings in years and will more then likely need a rest. What happens if Maine or Perez who had very good years in 2007 regress and become inconsistent as they were in 2006. Orlando Hernandez is a walking injury and if he gets to the mound this year it's only a question of when he hits the DL not if.

Logical thinking would be to milk Hernandez for as many starts as you can and have Pelfrey waiting in AAA to either fill in for Pedro or take over for El Duque. Once Armas gets through his Visa troubles he will be a solid spot starter and Figueroa looks like a nice eighth option.

Now, putting logic aside I'm sick of El Duque's aches and pains and would like to see the spot go to Pelfrey. But that would mean cutting or trading Hernandez which would make the starting depth very thin. The first call up would be Armas instead of Pelfrey because Pelfrey would already be in the rotation. If another pitcher need to skip a start ( Perez needed two games off in July due to a stiff back) were looking at Vargas or Figueroa. If the team is (internally) as concerned about Hernandez's health but want to start Pelfrey in AAA because they know he will be up at some point in the season then it makes sense that they are still mulling these guys over......

Mets officials remain divided on free-agent right-hander Kyle Lohse. Some view Lohse as protection against an injury to righty Orlando Hernandez. Others see him as unnecessary in the wake of the Johan Santana trade. Righty Mike Pelfrey currently is the Mets' sixth starter, and the return of righty Duaner Sanchez from a dislocated shoulder would add depth to the bullpen. source Fox Sports

Greenberg said. “We’re not soliciting offers, but if someone makes an offer and the situation is right, we’ll listen.” As for how the Red Sox stack up compared to other potential fits, Greenberg
said, “Right now, I don’t know. Right now’s not the right time for us to think about signing him with any one team. “We think the Mets, the Yankees, Boston - those teams are going to be competing, and their specific needs will become more evident by June and July.” source Boston Herald