Mets set to bid for Igawa

David Lennon at Newsday, writes about the Mets and their interest in Kei Igawa:

In the meantime, the Mets will have discussions this weekend about placing a bid for Kei Igawa, the Japanese lefthander who was posted Friday by the Hanshin Tigers. The Mets believed they had the winning bid of more than $38 million for Daisuke Matsuzaka last week before it was revealed that the Red Sox had made a stunning $51.1-million bid. The Yankees are considering a bid on Igawa, but they seem to be lukewarm about him, so their number might not be high enough.

Igawa, 27, went 14-9 with a 2.97 ERA last season for Hanshin, and his posting fee will be significantly less than the one for Matsuzaka, perhaps in the $10-million range. Teams have until 5 p.m. Nov. 27 to submit a sealed bid, and the winning club will have another 30 days beyond that to negotiate a contract.