Are the Mets considering Sheets over Ollie?

With negotiations going nowhere with Oliver Perez the Mets have all of the sudden become very interested in signing often injured pitcher Ben Sheets. Here is a list of injuries that Ben Sheets has endured in his career:

2003: Bulging Discs in lower back
2005: Inner ear infections that caused dizziness and a loss of balance
2006: Shoulder tendinitis
2007: A strained hamstring
2008: Right triceps tightness, right groin tightness, right forearm tightness, elbow pain

Last year when his team was fighting with the Mets and Phillies for the NL Wild Card he went down with an injury when his team needed him the most.

With all that said Sheets has amazing stuff when healthy. Here is Sheets stats for the 2008 season.

	W	L	ERA	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO
2008	13	9	3.09	31	31	5	3	0	0	198.1	181	74	68	17	47	158

He just missed 200 innings with his latest injury. He started last years All-Star game at Yankee Stadium. He pitched a complete game shutout against The Giants and also struck out 8 batters in that same game. He can hit 96-98 on the gun.

I think part of the interest the Mets have in him is trying to show Scott Boras and Ollie Perez that there are other pitchers out there who are just as good or better then him. Omar tried using the same tactic with Lowe and we know how that turned out.

Having said that Sheets should be given a legitimate look at by the Mets. I wouldn't give him more than a 1 year contract that would be heavy with incentives to increase the money he would make. Some incentives is to stay off the DL and throw 200 innings.