Chapman to Throw Next Week, Mets to Watch
There's some buzz now that despite the $60 million pricetag that was floated around earlier this offseason, Chapman may get less than $20 million. If this is the case, he could very well become one of the better high-risk fits for a team like the Mets. The problem presented with matching up a different high risk guy, say Sheets or Bedard, with a lower upside "innings eater," is that it forces someone, most likely John Maine, out of the rotation right away. Then if they did get hurt, Jon Niese and Nelson Figueroa would essentially be the only replacement options. With Chapman, who would be in his first year of service time, he could be out-righted to the minors after the spring if he didn't look quite polished enough yet. Maine could keep his spot warm, and Niese and Chapman could essentially compete in Triple-A to be the guy who forces Maine to the pen eventually.



