There is a lot of hype surrounding lefty Aroldis Chapman.

BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

When you hear of a young prospect that throws 100 MPH, it usually gets people’s attention. Add the fact that he is left handed, and it doesn’t surprise me that there are a handful of teams that are agressively pursuing his services. I just don’t want the Mets to be included in the hunt.

Before you start wondering whether or not I am drunk or am under the influence of some sort of drug, allow me to explain. We have seen a number of imports fail in recent years. Fortunately, the victim of these duds has most often been the Yankees. Guys like Jose Contreras, Kei Igawa and Hideki Irabu have really made the Yankees look bad, and the Mets have had some experience making that mistake as well.

One instance I can remember was when the Mets signed the wrong Matsui. While the hype around Kaz Matsui was exciting, the results left much to be desired. He ended up being an epic fail for the Mets, and has now moved on to greener pastures.

Then you have to take a look at the money. A wise man once said, “It’s all about the Benjamins,” and that is no lie. Word around baseball suggests that Chapman may be seeking as much as $60 million, and this would be for a guy that has never thrown a major league pitch.

I know the Mets’ minor league system leaves much to be desired, but I do not think the Mets can afford to invest so much in an unknown. We have watched pitcher after pitcher with great stuff fall on their face. Oliver Perez anyone?

Hey. There’s every chance he might pan out, and I would love to see that as a nice success story, but the Mets just can’t afford to take the chance that he doesn’t pan out. My money is on a central US or Western US team to make the commitment. I can see the Cardinals and Mariners as two potentially serious contenders.

David Lennon has already stated that the Mets are not willing to pony up the big bucks for Chapman, and I hope for their sake that they don’t make this desperate move.