As I said earlier, I think the Mets made a tactical mistake by pitching Billy Wagner prior to his waivers expiring at 1:30pm today. If the Mets wanted to simply ensure that someone picked up the tab on Wagner then getting a claim was the safest way to accomplish that.However, if they were looking to obtain the most for Wagner getting him through options would have given them the best opportunity. Once Wagner passed through waivers the team would have been free to negotiate with anyone, and the more teams involved the better the chance of getting something of value. But the Mets may have gotten lucky, all reports indicate that the Red Sox's are the claiming team and are serious about obtaining Wagner. If they were only looking to block another team then they wouldn't be willing to give up anyone of consequence, and the Red Sox have a very deep system so a prospect may not be missed as much...
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