Scott Kazmir, Joe Smith unlikely to re-sign with Cleveland

Free agent pitchers Scott Kazmir and Joe Smith aren't likely to re-sign with Cleveland, according to Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com. Kazmir is looking for more than a one-year commitment in free agency, he says, and Smith is looking for three guaranteed years, not just two.

We recently profiled Kazmir and Smith in our free agent series, and both players could make sense for the Mets given the team's needs. The Mets would like to acquire at least one starting pitcher on the market this winter, and Kazmir had a good year for Cleveland. He's set to turn 30 in January, though his track record between 2009 and 2012 is still cause for concern.

Smith has been excellent ever since the Mets traded him away. A three-year deal for a relief pitcher doesn't sound like something Sandy Alderson would do, but the Mets' bullpen is far from a sure thing. Bobby Parnell is great but is coming off neck surgery, Vic Black has thrown just seventeen innings in the big leagues, and Gonzalez Germen, Carlos Torres, and Scott Rice have short track records in Major League Baseball. Things look better if LaTroy Hawkins returns, but even then, another relief signing or two might make some sense.