September 12, 2008 The New York Daily News reports that the Mets have informed Billy Wagner that they will not pick up his 2010 option after undergoing Tommy John surgery on Thursday.
Our View:Apparently Wagner is only interested in closing when he returns so it's likely the Mets will make a move to replace him this offseason (K-Rod?). The 37-year-old lefty will face plenty of doubts upon his return, but may have another one or two years left in his tank. In 45 games this season, he recorded 27 saves with a 2.30 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP.
September 12, 2008 Billy Wagner underwent Tommy John surgery on Thursday at the Hospital for Special Surgery, according to the NY Daily News. The operation was performed by team doctors David Altchek and Struan Coleman.
Our View:Wagner faces a 12-month recovery time. While not completely ruling out a return in September 2009, Wagner appears to be targeting the 2010 campaign. It remains to be seen if the club will target a top free agent closer in the off-season, such as Francisco Rodriguez of the Angels.
September 11, 2008 The Mets insurance policy on Billy Wagner will not be activated this off-season despite the fact that he will likely miss most of the season because of his injured elbow, according to the New York Times.
Our View:Two things come out of this. First, Wagner will be eligible to pitch next season (if the Mets had claimed the policy, he couldn't have pitched next season). Second, this could signal that the Mets won't go after Francisco Rodriguez since they will have so much money invested in Wagner. Stay tuned.
September 9, 2008 The early reports on Mets' closer Billy Wagner's career being over were false. In a press conference today Wagner vowed to pitch again and help a team win a championship. The press conference ended with the 37-year old closer walking out after tearing up when a reporter asked how his 10-year old son took the news, according to according to Newsday.com.
Our View:With Wagner done for at least a year, watch and see if the Mets will go after pending free agent Francisco Rodriguez.
September 8, 2008 Updating a previous report, Billy Wagner is going to undergo Tommy John surgery, which could force him to miss the 2009 campaign, according to the Star-Ledger.
Our View:Even with Wagner still intact, members within the organization were pushing to target impending free agent Francisco Rodriguez. Now those calls will likely intensify with Wagner potentially lost for 2009.
