The Kansas City Shuffle

I have come up with a theory that could net the Mets Barry Zito and Dontrelle Willis, while the Yankees get Daisuke Matsuzaka (a two-for-one deal).

Now bear with me here. In Newsday, they site that only three teams have a legitimate chance at landing the Japanese ace (Yankees, Mets & Red Sox). It would seem that only two are willing to take the financial risk, and are desperate enough to bid as high as thirty million on him (Yankees; Mets). The Red Sox, while having the resources, first must decide what to do with one Manny Ramirez, before laying out anywhere from 30 to 50 million for an unproven starter.

So with that said, I think the Mets should pull a “Kansas City Shuffle” (expecting one thing and something entirely different happens) and bid in the neighborhood of twenty-five million for Matsuzaka and let the Yankees bid the thirty to thirty five million necessary to earn the negotiation rights to him.

While the Yankees are busy trying to lock Matsuzaka up, the Mets do an end-around and sign Zito for five years, at seventy five to eighty million, and then trade Aaron Heilman, Lastings Milledge and Jesus Flores to the Marlins for Dontrelle Willis.

The Yankees are said to be pursuing Willis, but have neither the prospects nor the willingness to part with what they might have to get him (Hughes, Wang, Cano, etc). The Mets have exactly what they want ( young pitcher, center fielder & catcher) who are all Major League or soon to be (Flores) ready and don’t seem to be parting with any of these players in another deal any time soon. Just a thought, as we head into the exciting Winter Meetings...