Omar Has a Plan (I think)

Obviously, Omar did not have his heart set on Derek Lowe. Every other major free agent has been given the full blown tour of NYC and the surrounding area. We don't even hear about any of the Mets players calling Lowe with the sales pitch to come to CitiField. Why? Lowe had a 4.42 ERA on the road last year so lets see how he fares when he is playing the Phillies, Mets, and Marlins regularly rather than the Padres, Diamondbacks, and Giants. Lowe is a very good pitcher and would have looked good as a Met in 2009, but how about the other 3 years. I am going to trust that Omar had a reason for not pushing hard for him. Maybe it was a little gamesmanship to have the Braves or Phillies jump in with a big, fat contract.
Let's look at what the Braves have done because it sounds like panic moves that could easily saddle them with financial inflexibility for years to come. First, they sign Javier Vasquez, a great talent (allegedly) who has not been great in a few years. Next, they sign an unknown, 33 year old Japanese pitcher right out from under the nose of the Orioles. The Freakin Orioles were the only other team in on this guy. How did he fly under the radar? No posting fee, no Red Sox interest, but he is now going to be a star in Atlanta. Finally, they sign Derek Lowe for $60M over 4 years. They will be paying him $15M when he is 40. Does that seem financially sound? Anytime the Yankees and Red Sox don't seem interested makes me wonder about the player.
OK, now what. Oliver is on deck and I am holding out hope that Ben Sheets gets a little run as a potential Met. Look at the Phillies staff. Cole Hamels, arrogant stud. But then you get Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer, Adam Eaton, and Kyle Kendrick. After Hamels, there are not any $60M guys on that staff. Just a lights out pen that forces teams to squeeze a little tighter early in the game knowing they do not want to have to face Madson, Lidge and company. Let's give Omar a little more time with the financial flexibility he has retained before going crazy with the sky is falling sentiment.