1 high-priced Red Sox free agent the NY Mets could sign, 2 budget options

The New York Mets have likely moved away from signing Nick Pivetta to any sort of deal. A Boston Red Sox free agent who rejected the qualifying offer and is still looking for a new team, he is one of the available pitchers linked to the Mets earlier this offseason. With how crowded things have already gotten and no real need to trade a starting pitcher outside of swapping him for someone already under contract with another team, paying any sort of money toward a deal with Pivetta seems unlikely.

The Mets and Red Sox have had a close relationship since David Stearns took over as the President of Baseball Operations in Queens. Several smaller trades between the two clubs, many of which were player for cash compensation, suggests more moves in the future. Unrelated but perhaps a discussion that has happened behind the scenes could be a conversation between Stearns and Craig Breslow about experiences with any of these four free agents we could see end up in a Mets uniform before Opening Day.

One of the still available free agents would come at a high cost. Two others shouldn’t even put a scratch on the payroll.

Expensive Red Sox free agent: Kenley Jansen

The Red Sox made a trip to Citi Field in September only to see their playoff hopes dashed when the Mets took care of business mostly with some clutch hitting. One of the more memorable moments from the series was seeing Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen wearing an OMG shirt in support of Jose Iglesias.

Jansen is coming off of another fine season with the Red Sox and a much better one than he had the season prior. His 3.29 ERA and 27 saves are around the bare minimum of what you’d want from a closer. There’s nothing spectacular about those numbers nor do they reflect well enough to suggest he’s a solution at the closer spot for teams in need of a ninth inning man. His days as one of the best closers in baseball are done. What about finishing off as a setup man?

Jansen has had some health scares that go beyond baseball. Heart troubles and his ability to overcome them have added to how impressive of a career he has put together. A total of 447 saves while somehow only leading the league in this statistic twice is a testament to his longevity.

The Mets probably only have one top level free agent reliever they’re looking to add. Unlike some others who’ll require multi-year deals, a high AAV for a season might fit in well for what Jansen is willing to take. At 37, he’s nearing the end of his career. Does he get another shot to be a closer somewhere or is a transition into a setup role where this year’s free agency leads him? I’d stack the odds against the Mets signing him as someone will probably want him as their last line of defense in relief.