No Abreu in Queens

Well, the Yankees prevented Bobby Abreu from signing with the Mets. The Yanks took some of the money they saved from not signing Joe Torre and probably not Alex Rodriquez and decided Abreu was worth the $16 million it would cost them for him to play for them another season.

On the Yanks Web site, here's GM Brian Cashman's spin on why they had to have Abreu back: "Bobby Abreu possesses a unique skill set and has proven to be a durable and reliable asset to this club."

What's his unique skill set that makes him worth mega-millions?

The Yanks overpaid Abreu, saving the Mets from making the same mistake.

Though the Mets don't have a better right fielder than Abreu, Minaya would be better off spending the Wilpon's money on some pitching that won't fold in September.

Yanks could renew Abreu

Today's New York Times reported that the Yankees hope to retain Bobby Abreu. Renewing his option will cost the Yankees $16 million. If they're willing to ante up that much money for Abreu, they can keep him.

On the other hand, if the new Yankees under the leadership of the Steinbrenner boys decides that $16 million is too steep a price for a player whose skill could be on the decline and let Abreu enter the free agent market, the Mets shouldn't pay him more than $8-10 million. Even that's too much for a player of his skill level, but then most of today's "name" players are overpriced.

Go for Abreu

The Phillies couldn't wait to get rid of him. The Yankees grabbed him, but now a rumor's buzzing around that the Yankees might not pick up Bobby Abreu's option, making him a free agent. That's half of the rumor. The other half is that if he gains his freedom, the Mets might add him to their roster.

At 33, Abreu's not a youngster anymore compared to players like Reyes and Wright. On the other hand, he is a youngster when next to Orlando Hernandez and Moise Alou. Call him middle-aged, baseballwise.

In 2007 he played in 158 games, drove in 101 runs, and had an OPS of .814 (.369 OBP +.445 slugging avergage).

Here's how those numbers stack up against last season's Mets outfielders, excluding Carlos Beltran, who's a mainstay in center field.

Alou, 40, played in 87 games, drove in 49 runs, and had an OPS of .916 (.392 + .524).
Shawn Green, 34, played in 130 games, drove in 46 runs, and had an OPS of .782 (.352 + .430).
Lastings Milledge, 22, played in 59 games, drove in 29 runs, and had an OPS of .787 (.341 + .446).
Endy Chavez, 29, played in 71 games, drove in 17 runs, and had an OPS of .705 (.325 + .380).

Abreu played in more games than any of the above four Mets, drove in more than twice as many runs, and had a higher OPS than all but Alou. But Abreu's skill may be declining, though not as fast as Shawn Green's. Last season Abreu's OBP sank below .400 for the first time since 2001.

If the Yankees decide to let Abreu take the same route as Joe Torre, the Mets should take the risk and make signing him a priority.