03:32 AM ET  11.06 | Now that I pretty much can assume that the Yankees will throw everything but the bank at CC Sabathia to sign him and Jake Peavy looks like he's getting closer and closer to being with his hunting buddy Oswalt in Houston or becoming another headache for the Mets who could be shipped to NL East rival, the Atlanta Braves. It looks like Derek Lowe will be a New York Metropolitan. Lowe wants to pitch on the East side in 2009 and it looks like it will be his old team the Red Sox and the Mets trying to sign the "Ace". He also wants a 3 year contract not 9 or whatever ridiculous amount Sabathia wants. I highly doubt the Mets will pay whatever Perez and his money hungry agent, Scott Boras, are going to be asking for (Somewhere in the high 50 million dollar range) The Mets have to many holes to fill to be wasting that kind of money on an iffy player, despite his young age and being left handed, helping us in the 2006 playoffs, winning 10+ games back to back years and working real well with new pitching coach Dan Warthen (Hmm rethink maybe?)... Anyway even getting Lowe still leaves a hole for the 5 slot in the rotation. If not Perez, then who? From what Omar Minya has implied at the GM meetings is that he's looking at trades first and free agents second. I think we will see rather Edwin Jackson from the Rays or his teammate Andy Sonnanstine. The likely departed will be Aaron Heilman aka "Oh **** him again!" But the Rays like how Heilman can go either way, starting and or in the bullpen. And if not the two young guys from Tampa, maybe Javier Vazquez of the White Sox, Minya has been trying to get him back ever since he traded Vazquez to the Yankees while working as GM for the Expos. I really think Lowe is the best choice for 1 of 2 spots in the rotation. He's reliable, durable and a champion and a much LOWER price then Sabathia and also free agent AJ Burnett. With a rotation so far in 2009, Johan Santana is the oldest being 30 years old, Lowe's age shouldn't be a problem for Omar's re-building youth movement, some wisdom never hurt. Saving all this money might be an indication that K-Rod is getting closer to being the new Met closer, even though it looks like Brian Fuentes is the front runner. But as we know from last year who knows what Minya has up his sleeve, we might see K-Rod, Sabathia and or Peavy for all we know...(One would be nice..)