There’s a glut of closers on the market this offseason, and along with CC Sabathia, Manny Ramirez and Mark Teixeira, they are center stage at the winter meetings that kicked off in Las Vegas today.

The free agents include arguably the best young closer in the game, Francisco Rodriguez, as well as the all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman. The other available closers include Brian Fuentes, Kerry Wood, Chad Cordero and Brandon Lyon, and a few others -- Huston Street, Jose Valverde and J.J. Putz -- have been dangled in trade talks since the end of the season.

The laws of supply and demand suggest not all of the free agents are going to get top dollar, and that’s even more apparent when you consider that only the Mets and Angels appear willing to offer a multiyear deal that pays as much as $10 million annually for a free-agent closer.

The Mets, who will be without Billy Wagner for all of 2009 following his Tommy John surgery, have told the veteran southpaw that they will not pick up the option on his contract for 2010. As a result, New York is willing to make a long-term commitment to a ninth-inning guy.

Although they have lost Wagner, the Mets caught a break with the number of quality closers who are available this winter. That’s not to say their acquisition will come cheap. According to the New York Daily News, former Rockies closer Fuentes informed the Mets in late November that he was seeking $10-11 million a season. The veteran left-hander made half that with the Rockies in 2008, and his original pitch to the Mets generated sticker shock.

Even with all of the available free agents, the Mets reportedly are most interested in Seattle’s Putz, who would give them a quality closer at a bargain price. The 31-year-old veteran will make $5 million during the upcoming season, and a team option would push him to $8.6 million in 2010. The New York Post is reporting that Seattle and New York have discussed Putz, but it’s uncertain whether new Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik is serious about a deal or simply seeing what Putz’s value is on the trade market.

New York made a three-year offer to K-Rod Monday, which is likely to be rejected, according to FoxSports.com. When the Mets settle on their ninth-inning choice, the other free agents will have to scramble. The Angels are the only other club that may step up with a similar offer, and the risk of missing out on a big payday aren’t limited to the second tier of closers. If the Mets swing a deal for the M’s reliever, for instance, the market may not be nearly as attractive for K-Rod and Fuentes.

Rodriguez turned down a three-year offer from the Angels a year ago, reportedly for $34 million, after the Yankees gave Mariano Rivera a $45 million package. According to various sources, the Angels have pitched deals worth closer to $40 mil, but K-Rod isn’t likely to get that kind of money if the Mets are out of the picture.

The news this morning was that only two players accepted offers of salary arbitration from their clubs. Neither of the free-agent closers who received offers, K-Rod and Fuentes, was interested in accepting a one-year deal. Chances are there will be fewer closers looking for multiyear contracts next winter -- and perhaps a better contract to be had -- but neither wanted to pass on this year’s payoff.