The Mets are ready to beat any offer for Billy Wagner. And with the Phillies already preparing contingency plans in case they lose their free-agent closer, there is a sense that the whole process will be wrapped up quickly. It could be completed in a matter of days after the exclusive window for teams to negotiate with their own free agents closes Thursday. The Phillies have until that time to lock up Wagner before any other team can talk salary figures with him, but he has stated his desire to test the market. With as many as 16 teams seeking a closer, Wagner, a lefthander who hits 100 mph on the radar gun, can set the terms. One person familiar with the situation said Friday that Wagner could push for as many as four years, at a minimum of $10 million per year. Wagner has the benefit of supply-and-demand in his favor, but there are few clubs that will push that envelope. Count the Mets among them. General manager Omar Minaya and a contingent of front-office members visited with Wagner at his Charlottesville, Va., home this week, and it seems the only way the Mets will lose out is if he decides he wants to stay put. If the determining factor is money, remember that the Mets outbid every other team for the free agents they wanted last winter. "What impressed me about the Mets was they know exactly what they need and I felt like I was a priority," Wagner told MLB.com. "They answered some concerns that my wife and I had."