Ronny Paulino Rumors
Rosenthal On Mets: Paulino, Pelfrey, Capuano
In his latest blog post regarding Carlos Beltran, Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com also has some interesting notes on some of the Mets' other potential trade candidates. Rosenthal cautions, however, that the Mets will proceed carefully leading up to the deadline, because they don't want to give up on their season altogether.
- The Mets are likely to retain catcher Ronny Paulino and right-hander Mike Pelfrey. Paulino, a righty, has split time with left-handed-hitting Josh Thole behind the plate this season. He's under team control through 2012. Pelfrey's trade value, meanwhile, is down, according to Rosenthal, and he's under team control through 2013, so the Mets are less inclined to move him.
- The Mets will be more willing to move some of their free-agents-to-be, like lefty Chris Capuano, lefty reliever Tim Byrdak, outfielder Scott Hairston and utility man Willie Harris. Each of these players were signed to one-year deals prior to this season and could be useful, if unspectacular, additions for teams looking to patch minor holes.
- Jason Isringhausen is likelier than the others to stay in New York because he has value to the Mets as a late-inning reliever and in helping to develop setup man Bobby Parnell into a closer. We heard last night that Izzy would like to remain with the Mets but would be receptive to returning to St. Louis, where he still has "unfinished business," per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Jon Heyman of SI.com first tweeted of the Mets' preference to hold Isringhausen yesterday. For the fantasy implications of closers on the move at the deadline, be sure to check out CloserNews.com.
Giants Have Shown Interest In Yorvit Torrealba
The Giants have scored the fewest runs in baseball in part due to Buster Posey's season-ending injury, so it's not surprising that both Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports are reporting that a catcher upgrade is the team's focus right now. They've specifically shown interest in Rangers' backstop Yorvit Torrealba, who started his career in San Francisco.
There are two significant roadblocks to a deal according to the FOX scribes. First, Texas can not seriously consider moving Torrealba until Mike Napoli comes off the disabled list, at the very least. Secondly, the Giants are reluctant to pay the $3.25MM he's owned next season. The Rangers would want a bullpen arm in return, but San Francisco is hesitant to part with any of their relievers other than Guillermo Mota.
Rosenthal and Morosi say that Ivan Rodriguez, Ronny Paulino, and Ramon Hernandez have also been discussed internally by the Giants. The Reds are unikely to part with Hernandez even though Ryan Hanigan gets the majority of the playing time behind the plate.
New York Notes: Cano, Jeter, Castillo, Paulino
We've already heard this morning about one New York club finalizing some minor league deals, while the other had a minor league offer turned down. Let's catch up on the rest of the latest updates on the Yankees and Mets....
- On the heels of hiring agent Scott Boras, Robinson Cano says he doesn't intend to ask the Yankees for a contract extension before his current deal expires, writes Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger.
- Derek Jeter spoke to media today at Spring Training, including Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). The longtime Yankee said that, when the time comes, he fully plans to exercise his 2014 player option.
- Feinsand's Daily News colleague Bill Madden would like to see the Yankees open up the competition for the fourth and fifth rotation spots to some of their top prospects.
- Luis Castillo arrived later than expected to Mets' camp, due in part to his brother's upcoming surgery, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork. Newsday's David Lennon adds (via Twitter) that Castillo cleared up the misunderstanding with manager Terry Collins and is ready to compete for the team's second base job.
- Ronny Paulino's arrival to camp has also been delayed, in his case by visa issues, says Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. Paulino, who was suspended last year for violating baseball's drug policy, will miss the first eight games of this season as he finishes serving the suspension.
Odds & Ends: Lee, Zambrano, Werth, Mets, Uehara
Baseball lost one of its all-time greats tonight; Bob Feller passed away at 92. Rapid Robert won 266 games in his career, every single one of them with the Cleveland Indians. He probably would have cleared the 300 win plateau if he hadn't served in World War II from ages 23-25. Our condolences go out to the Hall of Famer's family...
- Baseball America's Matt Eddy posted this week's edition of minor league transactions. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports adds (via Twitter) that the Twins have signed infielder Mike Hollimon to a minor league deal. He missed all of 2010 recovering from shoulder surgery.
- SI.com's Jon Heyman says (via Twitter) that Derrek Lee is telling teams he'd consider a one-year deal. At least six teams are interested in the free agent first baseman.
- Carlos Zambrano has not yet given the Cubs his consent to trade him, reports MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. The right-hander has a full no-trade clause.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson looks at the impact the Jayson Werth signing will have on 2010 first overall pick (and right fielder) Bryce Harper. The Nationals plan to play Werth in center at least part of the time going forward.
- ESPN New York's Adam Rubin provides the contract details for D.J. Carrasco, Ronny Paulino, and Boof Bonser, while Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun does the same for Koji Uehara.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports spoke to Phillies' general partner, president, and CEO David Montgomery about a variety of topics, including the Lee signing.
- Agent Scott Boras said Werth has a full no-trade clause, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (Twitter link).
- Not surprisingly, Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik has no interest in trading Felix Hernandez, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
- Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond has heard the trade rumors, but wants to stay in Washington, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Josh Hamilton told Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com that he hasn't thought much about a contract extension.
- MLB's minimum salary will rise to $414K next year, according to the AP (on ESPN.com).
- The A's acquired Jose Rivero, a 20-year-old outfielder selected by the D'Backs in this year's Rule 5 draft, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter).
Mets Sign Ronny Paulino
The Mets officially signed catcher Ronny Paulino to a one-year deal worth $1.3MM plus incentives today. He'll pair up with incumbent backstop Josh Thole. Paulino will can earn an additional $60K each for 85, 95, 105, 115, and 125 starts at catcher.
The Rockies were also negotiating with Paulino's agents at SFX before the catcher reached a deal with the Mets. The Marlins non-tendered the 29-year-old last week after he hit .259/.311/.354 in 316 plate appearances and caught 740 1/3 innings. He has eight games remaining on last year's 50-game PED suspension. Paulino has gunned down 31% of attempted thieves in the last few seasons.
Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com, Jon Heyman of SI, Joel Sherman of the New York Post, and Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork reported on the signing.
Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.
Mets, Rockies Talking To Ronny Paulino
4:41pm: The Mets are talking to Paulino about a one-year deal worth $1.3MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
3:51pm: The Rockies, who have been linked to a number of free agent catchers, are exchanging offers with Paulino, according to Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
11:13am: The Mets are in on a group of right-handed hitting catchers such as Paulino, Gerald Laird, Miguel Olivo, Russell Martin, and Dioner Navarro, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. They prefer a one-year deal.
10:11am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Mets are still talking to a lot of catcher possibilities, Paulino included (Twitter link).
8:45am: The Mets are closing in on catcher Ronny Paulino, reports ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. New manager Terry Collins has described Josh Thole as a "number one catcher," so presumably Paulino will serve as his backup.
Paulino, recently non-tendered by the Marlins, hit .259/.311/.354 in 316 plate appearances this year while catching 740 1/3 innings. He was hit with a 50-game PED suspension in August.
Odds & Ends: Paulino, Beltre, Werth, Thome
Some links on what has been a very busy day in baseball..
- Ronny Paulino is on the Rockies' radar after being non-tendered by the Marlins, writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.
- Don't expect Adrian Beltre in Baltimore, GM Andy MacPhail told Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com.
- GM Ruben Amaro says the Phillies offered Jayson Werth a significant contract, writes David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News.
- The Nationals' offer for Werth was so far beyond what everyone else was offering that agent Scott Boras didn't bother to ask other teams if they wanted to match, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.
- Not only does Jim Thome plan on coming back in 2011, he wants to play for two more seasons, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Mariano Rivera's new deal with the Yanks is for exactly $30MM but deferred payments make it worth $14.7MM per year, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.
- The Carl Pavano market should become a little more transparent this week, says Buster Olney of ESPN (via Twitter). Earlier we learned that the Nats are in the mix for the veteran pitcher.
National League Non-Tenders
This post will list all the National League players non-tendered today, but the best place to track all 200+ arbitration eligible players is our new non-tender tracker.
- Rockies: Manny Delcarmen
- Mets: Sean Green Chris Carter, John Maine
- Nationals: Joel Peralta, Wil Nieves, Chien-Ming Wang
- Dodgers: Russell Martin, George Sherrill, Trent Oeltjen
- Giants: Chris Ray, Eugenio Velez
- Pirates: Lastings Milledge, Argenis Diaz, Donnie Veal, Brian Burres
- Diamondbacks: Blaine Boyer, Ryan Church, Augie Ojeda, D.J. Carrasco
- Marlins: Jose Veras, Ronny Paulino
- Padres: Tony Gwynn, Scott Hairston, Matt Antonelli, Luis Perdomo
- Brewers: Todd Coffey, Joe Inglett
- Astros: Sammy Gervacio
- Braves: Matt Diaz
Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Dobbs, Paulino, Hawpe
Links for Saturday, as Ubaldo Jimenez prepares for his third attempt at his 18th win....
- Alex Speier of WEEI spoke to Red Sox draftees Anthony Ranaudo and Brandon Workman about their down to the wire negotiations.
- Greg Dobbs has cleared waivers and accepted a minor league assignment, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Phillies designated Dobbs for assignment earlier this week.
- After sending Conor Jackson back to the disabled list, the Athletics could use another bat, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal notes that the market for right-handed hitters is fairly thin.
- Despite being suspended 50 games for a drug policy violation, Ronny Paulino could be back with the Marlins next year, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
- As Jim Tracy tells Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post, Brad Hawpe's DFA doesn't mean the 31-year-old will never be a Rockie again.
- A few Reds who spoke to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon are hoping Dusty Baker will accept the team's extension offer.
- Recently-acquired Joe Saunders is excited about the future in Arizona, according to Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic.
Odds & Ends: Lowell, Paulino, Cardinals, Nationals
Links for Sunday....
- Tony La Russa tells Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch that he's confident GM John Mozeliak will add pieces if the Cardinals have clear needs this summer.
- Barry Bonds still hasn't retired, notes Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (via Twitter).
- Mike Lowell explained to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston that he would like to take a year or two off once he's done playing. Lowell would consider broadcasting, but doesn't think he wants to coach at this point.
- Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post credits Florida's front office with another steal for acquiring Ronny Paulino. The Marlins traded for Paulino a year ago in exchange for Hector Correa, who isn't close to the big leagues.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch takes a look at the Cardinals' present and future payroll situation.
- Yesterday we discussed the Nationals' need to make room on their 25-man roster for Livan Hernandez, who will start for Washington today. MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets that the team has cleared a spot by optioning Garrett Mock to Triple A, deciding against sending down Jesse English.
- Despite not receiving much first base production so far, Jerry Manuel says the Mets have no plans to call up Ike Davis, according to Dan Martin of the New York Post.
- The New York Post's Joel Sherman explains why it's important for the New York franchises to develop pitching depth from within their organizations.
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