Chris Young Rumors
Mets Interested In Young, Marcum, Capuano, Harang
The Mets are exploring trades and contacting free agents as they look to add depth to a rotation that no longer includes R.A. Dickey, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post reports. The Mets have reached out to many free agent starters, including Chris Young and Shaun Marcum. Davidoff reported yesterday that the Mets are also interested in free agents Carl Pavano and Francisco Liriano.
The Mets have interest in Dodgers starters Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang, Davidoff reports (Twitter link). The Dodgers figure to trade at least one starting pitcher after signing Zack Greinke, so Capuano or Harang could be dealt. The Mets have engaged the Dodgers in trade talks about their starting pitching depth, according to the Post.
GM Sandy Alderson continues searching for a right-handed hitting outfielder, Davidoff writes. The Mets would prefer to add an outfielder capable of playing right field so they can move Lucas Duda to left. Scott Hairston and Cody Ross are potential targets for the Mets. However signing those players could be challenging, since the Mets have approximately $10MM to spend.
D'Backs Acquire Heath Bell In Three-Team Deal
The Diamondbacks announced that they have acquired Heath Bell, infielder Cliff Pennington, and cash considerations from the Marlins in a three-team deal with the Athletics. Miami will receive minor league infielder Yordy Cabrera from the A's and Oakland will get outfielder Chris Young and $500K from Arizona.
The Marlins will be picking up $8MM of the remaining $21MM owed to Bell over the next two years, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter). The veteran was unhappy in Miami as the club was unwilling to restore him as closer and found himself clashing with manager Ozzie Guillen at points during the year.
The 35-year-old struggled in his first and only year with the Marlins, posting a 5.09 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 73 appearances. The new-look Marlins signed Bell in December of last year as a part of their spending spree, giving the reliever a three-year, $27MM deal. The contract includes a vesting option for the 2015 season which will guarantee him $9MM with 55 games finished in 2014 or 100 games finished in 2013-14.
Pennington has been a member of the A's since being tabbed with the 21st overall pick in the 2005 draft. The 28-year-old was slotted at shortstop until the acquisition of Stephen Drew bumped him over to second base. For his career, Pennington owns a .249/.313/.356 batting line across parts of five seasons in Oakland.
Young, 29, is set to make $8.5MM in 2013 with an $11MM club option for the 2014 season that comes with a modest $1.5MM buyout. The centerfielder has been unable to regain his All-Star form of 2010 and posted a .231/.311/.434 slash line with 14 homers last season. Young played in just 101 games last season, due in large part to a shoulder injury he suffered when he slammed into a wall in early April. The outfielder now reunited with skipper Bob Melvin, who he developed a bond with during his time in Arizona.
While the Marlins' main reward in the deal is being freed from the bulk of the money owed to Bell over the next two years, they also pick up a former second-round pick in Cabrera. The 22-year-old, who played high school baseball four hours north of Miami in Lakeland, Florida, made the move to Class-A Advanced in 2012. Cabrera hit .232/.293/.332 with three homers in 60 games last season.
Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic (via Twitter) first reported that Arizona would send $500K to Oakland in the deal.
Derrick Hall On Diamondbacks' Offseason Priorities, Miley As ROY
Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall recently held an online town hall meeting with fans (transcript courtesy of MLB.com). Here are the highlights:
- Hall says there will not be a major overhaul of the Diamondbacks this offseason, but more of a tweaking. The focus of that tweaking will be the left side of the infield and "it is safe to say" a left-handed bullpen specialist. The club will look to do so through trades. Hall, however, would like to keep their pitching (both starting rotation and bullpen) and any of their young talent, so look for the Snakes to use their outfield logjam as trade bait.
- One outfielder mentioned as a trade candidate is Chris Young. "If we decide to move anyone, we always take chemistry into account and how such a move will impact our club," Hall explained. Neither the fans nor Hall brought up the Justin Upton trade rumors.
- On picking up the $6.5 MM option on closer J.J. Putz for next season, "It is likely a priority of ours," said Hall. "He has been outstanding. He is a great leader in that bullpen and mentor to our relievers. We have had so much confidence turning the ball over to him to close out games, it is hard to imagine us not doing so."
- Admitting his bias, Hall said left-hander Wade Miley should win the NL Rookie of the Year award, "He was fantastic and clearly our most consistent starter. He was dominant most of the season, which is difficult to accomplish as a rookie."
- Though the team finished third after winning the NL West a year ago, Hall saw some positives in 2012, "I think we all expected more. But we had some great individual years when you look at Aaron Hill, Paul Goldschmidt, Miguel Montero, Jason Kubel, J.J. Putz, Brad Ziegler, David Hernandez and Wade Miley, to name a few. And our Minor League system is very strong. We had five teams make the playoffs and they brought home four different championships."
NL East Notes: Nationals, Pence, Young
The Nationals will have to directly protect their NL East lead right out of the gate after the All-Star Break, as Washington's first 14 games of the second are all against division rivals. Here are some items from around the NL East...
- The Nationals may be relatively quiet at the trade deadline, as Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider write that the team is relying more on injured players (Drew Storen and Jayson Werth) returning to fill holes in the roster.
- If the Phillies dealt Hunter Pence, they could use the salary earmarked his possible long-term extension and spend it on re-signing Shane Victorino at a discount and signing another outfielder, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Using Andre Ethier's $85MM extension with the Dodgers as a model for a future Pence contract, Gelb argues that if the Phils don't want to pay Pence that much, they should move him now to create salary relief and add prospects. Pence has one more arbitration year before being eligible for free agency following the 2013 season.
- Chris Young's minor league contract with the Mets can pay him as much as $4.85MM if he reaches all his incentive clauses, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. Young's one-year deal pays him a base salary of $1.1MM.
Mets Sign Chris Young
The Mets signed right-hander Chris Young to a minor league deal, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger reported this morning that the Mets were nearing a deal with the Williams & Connolly client.
Young, 32, started four games for the Mets last year after undergoing anterior capsule surgery in May. He has a 3.74 ERA with 7.8 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 28.2% ground ball rate in eight career seasons with the Rangers, Padres and Mets.
Mets Nearing Deal With Chris Young
The Mets are nearing a deal with right-hander Chris Young, Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger reports. The Mets are expected to complete a minor league deal with the Williams & Connolly client this week.
Young, 32, started four games for the Mets last year after undergoing anterior capsule surgery in May. He has a 3.74 ERA with 7.8 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 28.2% ground ball rate in eight career seasons with the Rangers, Padres and Mets.
This post was first published on March 26th, 2012.
Chris Young Leaning Towards Re-Signing With Mets
Chris Young is closer to rejoining the Mets, with a source telling Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that an agreement between the two sides "will happen." Young has narrowed his choices down to the Mets and Padres (another of his former teams) but apparently favors a return to New York due to his good relationship with Mets GM Sandy Alderson. Martino adds in a follow-up tweet that there is "nothing imminent" between Young and the Mets.
Young, 32, signed a one-year, $1.1MM contract with the Mets last offseason and was on pace to be a nice bargain (a 1.88 ERA in four starts) before undergoing season-ending surgery for a torn anterior capsule in his throwing shoulder. It was the latest in a series of arm injuries for Young, who has made just 40 starts over the last four seasons. A return to the Padres could be complicated by the fact that the Friars don't offer incentive-laden contracts, which Young would obviously be interested in case he returns to form.
NL East Notes: Marlins, Mets, Swisher
Juan Carlos Oviedo isn’t the only member of the Marlins with a different name for the 2012 season. The slugger known as Mike Stanton said today that he prefers Giancarlo, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). MLBTR will now refer to him as Giancarlo Stanton and our archives reflect the change. On to the latest links from the NL East...
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Josh Johnson looms above his teammates as the key figure for the Marlins’ chances in 2012. Rosenthal says the Marlins should contend if Johnson makes 30 starts.
- A Mets official said the team doesn’t see free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez as a fit, David Lennon of Newsday tweets. Rodriguez called the Mets about an opportunity, but the club appears to have minimal interest.
- The Mets remain in touch with free agent right-hander Chris Young, according to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff (on Twitter). Young still seeks a Major League deal.
- The Braves will make Nick Swisher their top free agent target next offseason, according to ESPN's Jim Bowden. Bowden suggests the Yankees could make an all-out push for Andre Ethier if Swisher does head to Atlanta.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
NL East Notes: Musser, Young, Marlins, Upton
Long-time Phillies broadcast Andy Musser passed away today at age 74. Throughout his distinguished, 45-year broadcasting career, Musser covered several college and pro sporting events and teams including the NBA's 76ers, the NFL's Eagles and over 25 years calling Phillies games. All of us at MLBTR send our condolences to Musser's family, friends and listeners.
Some items from around the NL East...
- Sandy Alderson tells ESPN's Jerry Crasnick that the Mets are open to bringing back right-hander Chris Young, likely on a minor league contract. Young made just four starts for the Mets last year before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, but he tells Crasnick that he hopes to be pitching by April and his "arm feels the best it has felt in quite some time" (both Twitter links).
- The Marlins aren't interested in Prince Fielder in part because they feel his large contract would prevent the team from making other moves, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro as part of a reader mailbag. To wit, signing Fielder could make it hard for Miami to sign Mike Stanton to a multiyear extension.
- The Marlins' arbitration hearings with Anibal Sanchez and Emilio Bonifacio have been set for February 3 and 7, respectively, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. You can keep track of those and all other cases and potential signings on the MLBTR Arbtracker.
- In regards to a recent Nick Cafardo item about how the Rays could again pursue a B.J. Upton trade, Pete Kerzel of MASNsports.com thinks the Nationals may still be interested in Upton but as a free agent next winter, not via a trade that would create another roster hole.
- Nationals manager Davey Johnson tells Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that his roster is basically settled going into Spring Training. Kilgore thinks if the Nats make another move, it will be for a bench bat (barring a major signing like Fielder, of course).
- The Phillies have the resources to be perpetual contenders, and "should never stink again," writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- The Braves had to wait until recently to re-sign Jack Wilson since many of the club's offseason trade talks involved a starting or backup shortstop, writes MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
Mets Notes: Young, Santana, Cedeno, Harris
Sandy Alderson told reporters that it's fair to assume the Mets won't sign free agents who cost more than $1.5MM before Spring Training, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The GM also explained that teams generally have "a greater reluctance to make a big deal" as Spring Training draws closer. Here are more details on the Mets:
- Alderson said he's looking to fill out his bench and bullpen, according to Rubin. The GM said he wants a backup shortstop and a "swingman" for the pitching staff.
- Alderson recently met with free agent Chris Young in San Diego, according to Rubin. "He's the kind of guy we might re-sign under the right circumstances," the GM said.
- Johan Santana is in a normal progression toward Spring Training, Alderson said.
- The Mets continue looking at Ronny Cedeno as a backup shortstop option, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
- The Mets aren’t likely to attempt to re-sign Willie Harris after agreeing to terms with Scott Hairston earlier today, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News tweets.
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