Either doctors are getting better at performing Tommy John surgery or they've learned more about how to come back from it, because Billy Wagner could be back in a Mets uniform less than a year after going under the knife. Wagner has thrown five scoreless innings for the Mets' Single-A affiliate in Port St. Lucie and will make two more appearances this week. If all goes well, he could be back in the bigs as soon as this weekend, which would give the Mets two closers and no save opportunities.
Unless they're gunning for some group health care rate, Wagner can't help the Mets. Might he be of use to a team that isn't swirling the drain, though?
The Mets are adamant that they aren't rushing Wagner back to try and trade him before the end of the month, but they'd be silly to not explore the idea. They wouldn't be able to get much in a trade, but they aren't going to pick up his option and won't be getting any draft picks for his departure. You never know when the unknown low-minors prospect you acquire will turn into Jeff Bagwell, and lord knows the Mets could use all the help they can get.
It's not a ridiculous notion that a contender would want to give up something to kick the tires on Wagner. The Cubs signed B.J. Ryan and the Rangers gave Orlando Hernandez a look this summer, which tells you that someone will always be willing to try and catch lightning in a bottle with a veteran pitcher.
Which contender could it be? As the Ryan dalliance tells you, the Cubs have been iffy in relief all season and the Rockies, Angels and Tigers have also had more moments of imperfection than they might like. The Yankees only have Phil Coke as a lefty option out of the pen and the Rays have been shuffling through a lot of different waiver-wire relievers of late.
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