Matt Cerrone passes on news from Newsday’s Ken Davidoff (a worthy Twitter follow, if you’re not doing so already) that the Mets “like the idea of getting Ted Lilly.”
Moving past the requisite jokes about trade-rumor language, I like the idea of the Mets getting Ted Lilly, too. He’s no Cliff Lee, mind you, but he’s a nice pitcher with good control and a reasonable history of staying healthy. Plus he yields an absolute ton of flyballs, which hurts him in Wrigley Field but would probably play well at Citi.
The big issue, of course, is the cost. Lilly is owed about $6 million over the rest of the season, which should drive his price in prospects down a little bit. But his contract is up after 2010 and he stands to be a Type A free agent, meaning an acquiring team would have to present the Cubs with a package more enticing than the two draft picks they’ll receive if they hang onto Lilly and let him walk after the season.
I have no idea what that means. But it sounds like the price on Cliff Lee is getting steeper by the moment, and that certainly factors into any team’s pursuit of Lilly.
If getting Cliff Lee would indeed require Angel Pagan — a trade I wouldn’t make in the first place — and getting Lilly would not, then Lilly probably makes more sense for the Mets.
The difference, in terms of wins, between Pagan and his replacement in the outfield playing every day for the rest of the season is likely at least as big as the difference between Lee and Lilly. Factor in that Pagan will be under team control through 2012 and there’s really no question Lilly would be a smarter target.
That assumes a lot, though. It assumes the Mets will continue starting Pagan regularly after Carlos Beltran returns, that Pagan will continue playing this well, and that a trade for Lee will require a player of Pagan’s caliber and a trade for Lilly will not. And I don’t know if any of those things are true.
Most importantly, Ted Lilly is a proud member of Team Ted, an exclusive group. Plus his full name is Theodore Roosevelt Lilly, which is awesome.
Tedquarters 
I’m not convinced Lilly brings that much more to the table than Takahashi. Lilly is certainly more proven and provides greater stability in the rotation, but I don’t think he greatly improves the rotation if Takahashi continues to pitch decently.
Sure, acquiring Lilly enables the Mets to put Takahashi in the pen, but if the Mets want to bolster the pen, they should just acquire a reliever. It will certainly cost less in prospects and money.
Have to keep Pagan