Mets-Inside track on Wolf ?

Despite all the reports that the Mets are pursuing Oliver Perez and might be the best fit for Derek Lowe, I still think there going to be more expensive then the Mets are willing to spend. Over the course of a year the two pitchers produce very similar numbers, the biggest difference is that Wolf is consistently mediocre while Ollie is like a roller coaster.

Wolf went 12-12 in 33 starts ( 190 innings) with a 4.30 ERA, BB-77/SO-162.

Ollie went 10-7 in 34 starts ( 194 innings) with a 4.22 ERA, BB-105-BB/SO-180.

As I said the totals are strikingly similar for the entire year, obviously Wolf allows much more contact as evident by the similar ERA with significantly reduced BB/SO numbers but that doesn't worry me with our defense. The difference is in consistency; Wolf's worse month was in July during the midst of rumors and then being traded, he went 1-3 in five starts with a 6.85 ERA, his best month was Sept. going 4-1 ( 5 starts) with an ERA of 2.23. Ollie had a brilliant July in 5 starts he had an ERA of 1.38 but Ollie next best month was an ERA of 3.48 (Aug.) and he had an ERA of 4.03 or worse the rest of the season. In fact in Sept. Ollie went 1-0 in six starts with a 5.79 ERA. Everybody hopes that Ollie will someday become the pitcher he was in July but is it worth the risk at take what he will cost, no one expects those type of numbers from Wolf but what you can expect is consistency.

If the Mets decide to focus on Wolf seem to have a good working relationship with his agent and it appears that Wolf will end up signing way before Boras client Perez.

Wherever Wolf has gone, his blue collar mentality has always made him a popular figure amongst the fans. Each team seems to end up with a Wolf pack during his home games....

The 32-year-old Wolf might be cheaper, which could leave the Mets some money for other, minor additions. Wolf's agent is Arn Tellem, who has a close relationship with both Jeff Wilpon and Minaya and last week completed the three-year contract for K-Rod with the Mets. Wolf was 12-12 for the Padres and Astros last season, going 6-2 for Houston after a July 22 trade. Over his 10-year career he is 90-78 with a 4.26 ERA with four different teams, including the Phillies. source Daily News