OPINION

By Ryan Fagan

updated 9:35 p.m. ET Dec. 2, 2008

The top priority for Mets general manager Omar Minaya this offseason is to find a replacement for hard-throwing left-hander Billy Wagner, the closer who had 101 saves the past three seasons for the Mets.

Now, there's never a great time to have your elite closer out for an entire season with an elbow injury, but, as the 2008 winter meetings loom, there certainly could be worse times. There are plenty of options to choose from, both on the free agent and trade markets.

"Baseball needs seem to run in cycles," one veteran scout says. "It's a bad year for all these closers out there because there aren't that many closers jobs to be had. Some teams are going to wind up with a very good setup guy."

Here are a few of Minaya's options.

Francisco Rodriguez. He's the big-ticket guy, the closer coming off a record-setting season with the first 100-win team in baseball since the Yankees reached the milestone in 2004. He'll land the biggest contract this offseason for a reliever, but the Mets might not be the team that gives it to him, if they decide to spend less on the ninth inning and more in other areas.

Scout's take: "There's some decline in velocity, and the laboring delivery does worry some people. He's got an outstanding breaking ball, but at times had trouble controlling it. There are some flags with this guy as far as his delivery goes."

Brian Fuentes. This season couldn't have worked out much better for Fuentes, personally. He regained his closer role when Manny Corpas struggled mightily and never let the big right-hander back into the picture. Fuentes would fit nicely into the back end of the Mets' bullpen, as a hard-throwing left-hander replacing that other hard-throwing left-hander.

Scout's take: "Fuentes' arm really came back. I think he still can be a very effective closer the next few years. His arm angle creates a lot of deception, especially for left-handed hitters. His changeup is effective to right-handers. I thought his stuff was appreciably better late in the year; his velocity is better. With his arm angle, he just needs to stay on top of the ball; otherwise his stuff can get flat."

Huston Street. Street might not ever wear a Rockies jersey, even though he was shipped from Oakland to Colorado in the Matt Holliday deal. The Mets reportedly have interest in Street, but as a setup man rather than a closer. Street is just 25, but he struggled when healthy in 2008 with the A's and lost his ninth-inning role.

Scout's take: "There's concern with his delivery and the stress that he puts on his shoulder and the fact that he has had arm trouble; it creates a situation of some doubt. His fastball has good movement, but there is a decline in his fastball. His slider is not quite as sharp. He has a very good changeup. The thing with Street is, he's such an outstanding competitor that he's a guy you can take a gamble on because of his competitive makeup."

Trevor Hoffman. With Wagner on the mound in the ninth inning the past few seasons, the Mets were used to their closer blowing past hitters at a rate of more than a strikeout per inning. Wagner's fastball teased triple digits. Hoffman's fastball teases 85 mph, but he still struck out a batter per inning in 2008 (46 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings). He's no more than a one-year option, but teams including the Mets could do worse.

Scout's take: "The biggest problem with Hoffman is his overall decline in velocity, which has brought his fastball and changeup closer together, making his changeup less effective."

J.J. Putz. This big right-hander would love nothing more than to put his 2008 debacle in the rear-view mirror, and a trade from Seattle to New York would facilitate that. He was dominating as the Mariners' closer in 2006-07, but spent most of last season hurt or ineffective as the Mariners plummeted to 101 losses.

Scout's take: "He has great stuff; a well above-average fastball and a very good splitter. That was just a bad year on a bad team with multiple injuries to work through. The oblique muscle really affected him; he was not the same through the course of the year. His numbers declined significantly because he just was not in a situation to save a lot of games with that bad team, and also certainly with the physical problems. But I think he certainly can bounce back. His stuff, when healthy, is still good enough to be a very good closer."

Brandon Lyon. Lyon isn't atop the Mets' wish list — or, really, any team's wish list at this point — but he'll either find a job as a lower-cost closer with a team like the Indians or a setup man on a team like the Mets. Lyon had 26 saves for the Diamondbacks last season, but allowed an alarming number of hits — 75 in 59 1/3 innings — and only struck out 44.

Scout's take: "He's really more of a setup guy. He struggled in the closer role as the season progressed. He's got two above-average pitches with his fastball and his curveball. His stuff is very good; he's probably more comfortable pitching in the eighth inning."

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