Mets Won’t Sign Joel Hanrahan

The Mets were reportedly among “about 18” teams which watched reliever Joel Hanrahan throw down in Tampa on Thursday. I hate to break it to you, but the Mets will not be signing the former top closer.

Hanrahan underwent Tommy John surgery last May, so he should be ready to come back soon. He reportedly threw between 87-93 mph. As much as the Mets would like to upgrade their bullpen, this just will not happen. It will come down to two things.

The first, of course, is money. Since so many teams apparently have some level of interest in Hanrahan, that means there will be competition for his services. And that will drive the price up. And as it always does, that will drive the Mets out. Plain and simple.

The other is the team itself. Mets Blog reports that the Yankees, Rangers, A’s, Red Sox and Rays were among the teams expected to watch Joel Hanrahan throw. These teams are ready to win now. Why would he sign with the Mets? If he hears the siren song of New York, he would likely pick the Yankees.

The only way the Mets could land Hanrahan is if they are the only team to guarantee that he would be the closer. That way, he could rebuild his value and sign for with a winner for big bucks next winter.

Given the way Jose Valverde has pitched the past couple of outings, the Mets could make that guarantee. Still though, I predict that the Mets will be priced out of the Joel Hanrahan sweepstakes.