Billy Wagner Rumors

Mets Likely To Pass On K-Rod?

Newsday's Ken Davidoff spoke to a "person informed of the Mets' thinking," and learned that they will not be signing free agent closer Francisco Rodriguez. This is not because of the $10.5MM owed to Billy Wagner next year - that's a sunk cost. It's just that the Mets would rather try internal options than hand out another record-breaking contract. Davidoff does not expect the Mets to pursue Brian Fuentes either. He sees the Mets re-signing Luis Ayala and then focusing on starting pitching. Davidoff examines the likelihood of the Angels, Cardinals, or Tigers signing Rodriguez. He seems to consider the...   Continue Reading

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Week in Review: 9/7 - 9/13

Just a few weeks left in the regular season, but plenty of news here on MLBTR still. Let's look back at the past week: The Mets received terrible news when they learned that their All-Star closer, Billy Wagner, will need Tommy John surgery and miss all of 2009. Wagner does not expect to return to the Mets, and apparently the Mets have already told him his 2010 option will not be exercised. The Mets seem likely to be in the Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes mix. On that note, Fuentes will probably not return to Colorado next season. I'm taking...   Continue Reading

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Wagner Not Expecting Mets Return

5:38pm: Mets reliever Scott Schoeneweis recently visited Wagner. Schoeneweis says Wagner has already been told by the Mets that his 2010 option will not be exercised. Seems an odd thing for the Mets to do at this point. 12:39pm: Mike Puma of the New York Post talked to closer Billy Wagner, who figures he's played his last game as a Met. The Mets will pay Wagner $10.5MM next year as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. There's a small chance he could make it back in September '09. Wagner doesn't see his $8MM option being exercised for 2010. The Mets...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Sabathia, Pavano, Penny, Burnett

Random links to start the morning... Ben Shpigel says Billy Wagner's $10.5MM for '09 is not covered by insurance, making the Mets unlikely suitors for K-Rod (hat tip to MetsBlog). The Padres claimed knuckleballer Charlie Haeger. You have to like the move; he's only 24. Ken Davidoff writes about Nationals pitcher Tim Redding, who dreams about returning to the Yankees one day. Davidoff also says that contrary to popular belief, C.C. Sabathia did not buy a home in Southern California. In another post, Davidoff lists the worst trades of '08. Nats GM Jim Bowden will probably bring in a veteran...   Continue Reading

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Fuentes Unlikely To Re-Sign With Rockies

Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post takes a look at Brian Fuentes' impending free agency. The 33 year-old closer would prefer to return to the Rockies, but he hasn't heard from the team and expects to explore the open market. Renck says Fuentes' agent views Brad Lidge as a comparable. Lidge signed a three-year, $37.5MM extension in July. He's a bit younger than Fuentes, but the comparision seems reasonable. Fuentes is in a great position this winter as the best alternative to Francisco Rodriguez, who will receive a record-breaking deal for a reliever. Fuentes intends to sign with a...   Continue Reading

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Wagner Out For A Year; Mets Now Need A Closer For '09

3:22pm: In a press conference clip aired on WFAN, Omar Minaya says it will indeed be Tommy John surgery. 3:05pm: The report originally said Wagner would have surgery on the tendon in his elbow. The report has now been changed to say the surgery will be on a ligament and will not require Tommy John surgery as originally reported. Dan Graziano is reporting that Billy Wagner will need surgery on his elbow and will likely miss the entire '09 season. A Mets team official confirmed that Mets closer Billy Wagner will have elbow surgery this week and will miss the...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Mets, Brewers, Astros

Ken Rosenthal has a lot to offer in his latest Full Count video: The Mets will prefer to pickup Carlos Delgado's $12MM option rather than buy him out for $4MM. That's a guarantee for a guy who should finish the year around 35-100 despite not contributing for the first two months. According to sources, Manny Ramirez is unlikely to go the Mets. They will more likely focus their spending on pitching. John Maine has a bone spur in his right shoulder. Pedro Martinez and Oliver Perez are free agents. The Mets will need to go after starting pitching. If the...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Kennedy, Rays, Bonds, Wagner

And now for something completely different, Odds and Ends: ESPN reports that the Yankees optioned Ian Kennedy to Triple-A. To take his place, they recalled Darrell Rasner who in 5 Triple-A games is 4-0 with 0.87 ERA and 27 K in 31 IP. Kennedy relies on control and control he has had not. He has the highest percentage of working into hitters counts of anyone in the bigs. The Rays are the first team ever to hold the first pick in back-to-back years, and unlike last year when they selected David Price without thinking twice, they are presently undecided. According...   Continue Reading

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Wagner on Lidge

Jon Heyman has been talking to Mets' closer Billy Wagner, who is apparently close friends with the down-and-out former Astros' closer Brad Lidge. Who knew that Wagner was an expert insider in major league baseball- he refutes the Astros' claim that they are not planning on moving the shell-shocked reliver. According to Wagner, Philadelphia wouldn't be a good fit, because, well, it wasn't a good fit for him. From Heyman's article: "He needs to be in a place where he can [exhale],'' Wagner said. "Houston's so laid back. Maybe I'm biased against [Philadelphia] ... [But] all it takes is one..   Continue Reading

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Mets Sign Billy Wagner

Ken Rosenthal is single-handedly blowing ESPN out of the water today. First he scooped the Esteban Loaiza signing, and now he's broken the Billy Wagner deal with the Mets. While MLBTradeRumors.com's source may have jumped the gun by a week, he was correct in asserting that the Mets would definitely guarantee a fourth year to Wagner and complete the deal sooner rather than later. The Mets hold an option for a fifth year of Wagner for $10MM, a move necessitated by the market-setting B.J. Ryan signing. Wagner was the reliever closest to a sure thing this winter, as he boasts..   Continue Reading

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Billy Wagner To Accept Four Year Offer Tuesday

A source in the Mets' front office is telling MLBTradeRumors.com that the club will make a four year, $40MM offer to Billy Wagner immediately following his tour of the city. The deal might be announced by Wednesday morning. Omar Minaya is eager to get a deal done early this week so that he can focus on numerous other player acquisitions. Minaya will be employing the same bait he used to reel in Pedro Martinez: the guaranteed fourth year. The Phillies (smartly) refuse to pay Wagner $10MM for a season during which he'll turn 38. Other sources close to the proceedings..   Continue Reading

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