Reliever pool getting very thin

With two of the best available free agent relievers signing this week, what was already a thin market now looks anorexic. Without taking into consideration trades or development from within, Omar needs to be as decisive with signing a reliever as he was with a catcher if he expects to sign an up grade. Here's a look at the market:

Not available

Mariano Rivera - re-signed

Al Reyes - Club option picked up

Francisco Cordero - Signed Reds

Scott Linebrink - Signed White Sox

Probably Not Available

Eric Gagne - wants to ba a closer

Bob Wickman- probably retiring

Mike Timilin - probably retiring

Avialable

Octavio Dotel- wants multi-year deal, injury risk

David Riske- will get mutli-year deal - can he handle Shea

Luis Vizcaino- best of the bunch, 75 innings last year for yanks 4.30 ERA,

Jeremy Affeldt- would the fourth lefty, multiple teams pursuing and mutli-year deal expected

Keith Folke- coming off a year out of the league do to injury

Kerry Wood - injury risk

Armondo Benitez- don't need to say a word

Troy Percival - multiple teams pursuing, Mets were interested last year, he's 39 y/o type B

Ron Mahay- another lefty and 37 y/o

La Troy Hawkins - first solid year in a few, lifetime ERA 4. 68 with record 20 games under 500

Antonio Alfonseca- ERA over five last two years, year before 4.94 and he's 37 y/0

Jorge Julio - he did have his best month of his career under Peterson - but see Benitez

Starter to Reliever - there are several starters who have relief experience or have always been solid one time through but implode after that. The biggest hurdle with these guys is convincing them to become relievers........

Tony Armas Jr. - solid one time through

Shawn Chacon - solid one time through

Kasey Fossum - LOOGY

Kenshin Kawakami - Japanese starter viewed as a reliever MLB

Byung-Hyun Kim - could be a great reliever if convinced

Jon Lieber - crafty vet. looking to be a starter but was solid in Philly pen, coming off injury

Kip Wells - another one solid first time through

Randy Wolf - versatile starter/reliever

Brett Tomko - well he made the list, rem. Darrin Oliver

John Thompson- see Tomko

Odalis Perez- career was never same after complaining about run support in LA

Tomo Ohka- see Tomko

Rodrigo Lopez- coming off injury arm might not be ready to start

Mark Prior - coming off injury

I have highlighted the players I would be interested in the team taking a look at and they are in order within their respective category. I think Gagne will rebound, if he could be convinced to be a set-up man I'd take him, he'll come cheap after Boston. Dotel, Riske or Vizcaino would all be solid pickups, Foulke and Wood would be worth the risk. The starters highlighted could compete for the fifth spot, become the new Darrin Oliver or talked into the pen. The point is if everything is focused on a trade for a top pitcher, Omar has to sign something out of this bunch.