Reports have surfaced that Billy Wagner, regarded as one of the top closers in the history of baseball and currently a member of the New York Mets, has been claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox. The Mets now have four days to trade him to the Red Sox, let the Red Sox have him or simply reclaim him. The news has been reported by ESPN.com.
Since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, Wagner just recently returned to the pitching mound. In his first appearance, which came on Thursday, Wagner struck out two hitters in a hitless one inning of …read more

As we speculated yesterday, the New York Mets have signed Francisco Rodriguez. Rodriguez, formerly of the Los Angeles Angels, is coming off of a season in which he saved an MLB record 62 games.
The initial offer by the Mets was believed to be for two years. However, the Mets decided to up the deal to three years. The deal with Rodriguez is believed to be worth approximately $37 million.
Rodriguez will step right into the closer role for the Mets. He’ll replace Billy Wagner, who was lost to a long-term injury last season.
Although Rodriguez was obviously a wanted man following his …read more

The New York Mets are desperate for a closer. Last season, Billy Wagner suffered a serious injury and isn’t expected to return at any point soon — or perhaps ever. After Wagner went down, the Mets struggled to find a capable closer.
Francisco Rodriguez had a completely opposite season. With the Los Angeles Angels, Rodriguez had a Major League Baseball record of 62 saves — breaking the record formerly held by Bobby Thigpen of the Chicago White Sox.
It’s no wonder that one of the first things the Mets did in the winter meetings was to offer Rodriguez a contract. The …read more

Billy Wagner of the New York Mets will have surgery and is out for the rest of the season. Additionally, Wagner is expected to be out all of next season as well. A possibility exists that Wagner’s career may be over.
The 37-year-old Wagner was have a never good season for the Mets. He had 27 saves to go along with a 2.30 ERA. With New York desperately trying to make the playoffs, that task got a whole lot more difficult with Wagner out of the picture.
Wager will require Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow. …read more

Billy Wagner, the never quiet closer on the New York Mets, is having an MRI on his shoulder after experiencing tightness. Wagner is optimistic that he won’t have to miss much game action.
Wagner has seen his name in lights a lot this season. First he got into a little bit of trouble for calling Oliver Perez a “wall”. He then got upset with teammates for not talking to the media enough.
On the field, Wagner has been very good. He represented the National League in the 2008 MLB All-Star Game and currently has a 2.20 ERA to …read more

Oliver Perez, a starting pitcher for the New York Mets, is reportedly close to being dangled by Mets management. Perez has allowed nine earned runs in his last two starts and could soon lose his spot in the rotation.
The good news for the Mets is that Perez should be quite easy to trade. Despite his struggles this season, he’s only 26-years-old and he has a reasonable contract. Last year he was 15-10 with a 3.56 ERA.
A team that is willing to trade for Perez will have to overlook his current stats. With a 5-5 record and a …read more

Billy Wagner of the New York Mets, who never seems opposed to flapping his gums to the media, once again was criticized teammates after a game. Earlier this season, Wagner criticized Oliver Perez. On Thursday, Wagner criticized teammates who didn’t make themselves available to the media.
While Wagner didn’t name any names, he reportedly pointed in the direction where the lockers of Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Luis Castillo are located. Although those players all are Hispanic, Wagner denied his criticism being directed toward any one race.
Apparently, Wagner wants everyone to talk to the media like he does. …read more

On Wednesday, the New York Mets lost 13-1 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The drama for the Mets didn’t end there. Closer Billy Wagner sounded off on starting pitcher Oliver Perez, who lasted less than two innings.

“Perez has honestly got to step up and know that we’ve just used every guy in our bullpen the night before,” Wagner said to the Associated Press. “He can’t come out there and decide that, ‘Gee, he hasn’t got it today and so be it.’ ”
A reported then asked Wagner if talking to Perez was like talking to a wall. Wagner’s response? …read more