Newsday.com: Mets will be serious bidders for Lackey

The Mets intend to be among the serious bidders for righthander John Lackey when baseball’s free agents finally hit the open market next Friday at 12:01 a.m.

General manager Omar Minaya received a favorable first impression from the pitcher’s agent when the two spoke this week, and Lackey figures to be near the top of the club’s wish list in the weeks ahead.

The pursuit of Lackey could be similar to the Mets’ concerted efforts to lock up Francisco Rodriguez in the opening days of last year’s winter meetings in Las Vegas. The Mets identified K-Rod as their main objective, and with other big-market teams uninterested, they grabbed him with a lower-than-expected three-year, $37-million deal.

It’s unclear where the market is going for Lackey. But with Roy Halladay the only other true No. 1 starter available, Lackey could shoot for the $100-million range. The Mets may have too many other needs to go quite that high. Still, it would be tempting to pair him with Johan Santana as the best 1-2 tandem in the NL East.

The Mets using the Angels as their farm system is kinda amusing.