Matt Cerrone’s report that the Mets have enough prospects to land Cliff Lee should come as no surprise to those that follow the organization. As much as I believe Lee will ultimately wind up with the Yankees this offseason, I sense the Mets will make a serious run at the Seattle lefty. Whether they are willing to part with the necessary prospects to complete the deal, essentially a rental, is another story. Earlier today Peter Gammons told Mike Francesa on WFAN the Arizona Diamondbacks are talking about shaving $25 million dollars off their payroll. Seeing that Dan Haren is due a four million dollar pay increase after this season ($12.75 million) it seems logical the D-Backs would be willing to listen to offers for the 29 year old righty. This is not only an appetizing option for the Mets, but could impact the starting pitching market for Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee.

Howard Megdal went through reasons a couple of weeks ago why Haren is the best choice, if available, this trade deadline. Right now I would be unwilling to trade Jonathon Niese or Jenrry Mejia for anyone but Haren. This is an in prime ace that could immediately make the Mets top of the rotation one of the best in all of baseball. There should be no qualms in giving Arizona a package of Fernando Martinez, Wilmer Flores, and Jenrry Mejia for Haren. I might even consider Niese, although would resist all attempts, instead of Mejia.

When Howard first brought up the idea of Haren I understood the logic, but didn’t believe Arizona would make him available. Cost controlled aces (Haren is signed through 2012) don’t become available every day. Of course, the availability of Haren could also benefit the Mets if another big team like the Yankees, Red Sox, or Angels becomes interested. The fewer teams involved with Cliff Lee or Roy Oswalt will shift the bargaining power to Omar Minaya.

Again, this is all fun speculation but the Mets need to continue to win so this type of deal is prudent come July.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: Arizona Diamondbacks, Cliff Lee, Dan Haren, Fernando Martinez, Houston Astros, Jenrry Mejia, Jonathon Niese, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Roy Oswalt, Seattle Mariners, Wilmer Flores