Considering all the teams needing pitching, one would think Jason Schmidt’s name would be mentioned more prominently. There’s a few reasons why it hasn’t, yet:
- Dollar slotting: The premier pitcher on the FA market is Barry Zito, and now that six-years at $102 million is on the table we will have a better idea where Schmidt could fit in. It’s a lot like the first round of the NFL draft. Part of that slotting took place yesterday when the Cardinals signed Chris Carpenter to a five-year, $65-million extension.
- Priorities: Supposedly, the Dodgers are players for Schmidt, but currently their attention is on Manny Ramirez. (The Red Sox are asking for a lot, so that talk might fade sooner than one might think).
The Mets will consider Schmidt, who prefers staying on the West Coast. Of course, geographical preferences could change depending on what develops in the market.