Mets Looking At Starters Besides Lackey
The Mets are busy crafting a Plan B in the event that they do not win the John Lackey sweepstakes, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They would love to sign the market's top starter, but if they don't, they want to add from a group that includes Joel Pineiro, Randy Wolf, Ben Sheets, and Jason Marquis. According to a source, that group does not include Rich Harden.
Rosenthal and Morosi were told that the Metropolitans believe that Sheets has more upside than other hurlers coming back from injury, such as Kelvim Escobar, Erik Bedard, Mark Mulder, and Brett Myers.
Like many other clubs, the Mets are still unsure who the best consolation prize would be. Who in your estimation would be the next best thing for the Amazins?
Cubs Unlikely To Land Halladay
Although the Cubs would "love" to pull off a deal for Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, they are unlikely to do so as they lack the necessary room in payroll, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
The Cubbies have a combined $42.375MM committed to pitchers Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, and Ryan Dempster. They would have a hard time finding a taker for Alfonso Soriano as he is owed $18MM per year for the next five years. Same goes for Kosuke Fukudome, who is due to make $26.5MM over the next two seasons. Aramis Ramirez is a hefty contract that could be moved, but as Rosenthal and Morosi point out, he's probably too valuable for the Cubs to trade.
Derrek Lee will make $13MM in the final year of his contract and could be a match for the Braves, however Atlanta would likely need to find a taker for a big contract (i.e. Derek Lowe) first.
Therefore, it appears that GM Jim Hendry's winter plans will center around finding a new home for Milton Bradley and acquiring a new center fielder. Interestingly, the post floats the possibility of a three-way deal involving Bradley to net Mets second baseman Luis Castillo.
It seems as though Hendry has quite a few obstacles in his way if he hopes to swing a deal for Doc. Would you be willing to make all of the moves necessary to create the space needed for such a trade? What would it take for the Cubs to pry Halladay from the Blue Jays? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments section.
Rosenthal: Damon Will Seek Abreu Money
Ken Rosenthal's latest entry in the offseason blog at FOX Sports says that he believes Scott Boras will likely use Bobby Abreu's two-year, $19MM contract as a baseline for fellow 36-year-old outfielder Johnny Damon.
Damon put up a career year in his age 35 season, belting out 24 home runs en route to a line of .284/.365/.489. And, as Rosenthal is careful to point out, while Damon did play in the homer-happy Yankee Stadium, he also posted a career high OPS+ of 126, a stat which is adjusted to both league and home park.
Damon and Abreu both offer a good mix of speed and power, though they both have the same weakness – subpar defense in the outfield. If the Yankees are looking to bring back Damon on a one- or two-year deal, as we've heard in the past, they may have to open their wallets a little wider than originally thought. Should teams back away from a price tag that high, or is Damon worth that type of money? Fangraphs valued Damon's production this season at $13.6MM, and $16.4MM in 2008.
Drew’s Surgery Will Not Affect Contract
John Tomase of the Boston Herald reports that while J.D. Drew has undergone minor surgery on his left shoulder, it will have no impact on the team's opt out clause in his contract.
Drew's contract states that the club can opt out if he spends 35 or more days on the disabled list due to his pre-existing right shoulder troubles or if he finishes 2010 on the disabled list and cannot play in the outfield for 2011.
Drew is entering the fourth year of a five-year, $70MM contract he signed in 2007, which pays him $14MM annually. The article suggests that even if the surgery had been on the right shoulder, Boston wouldn't have opted out of Drew's deal. General manager Theo Epstein feels that Drew's offense, defense, and baserunning are integral to the Boston lineup.
Week In Review: 11/15/2009 – 11/21/2009
As Sunday afternoon crawls along at a slower-than-usual pace, we'll take a look back at the past week here on MLBTR:
- We saw one trade this week, as the Diamondbacks acquired Aaron Heilman in exchange for minor leaguers Scott Maine and Ryne White. We saw several reactions to the trade shortly after; personally, I feel like getting anything for Heilman is a solid move, as he was a likely non-tender candidate.
- The Cubs made more headlines this week, signing John Grabow to a two-year, $7.5MM extension. This move left me scratching my head, as there will likely be better options on the market, for better prices. It's hard to see Grabow fetching $7.5MM elsewhere. While he posted a solid ERA for the Cubs, his walk rate of nearly 5.0 per nine innings for the season should be a red flag.
- Sticking within the division for now, the Reds also extended a veteran, inking Ramon Hernandez to a one-year, $3MM deal with a vesting option for $3.25MM. As Tim pointed out in the post, it's a bit surprising, considering we've heard the Reds are trying to slash payroll in the past.
- Updates on the Roy Halladay sweepstakes: The Blue Jays are willing to grant teams a window to discuss a contract extension for their ace in order to increase his value. This week, we've heard that they've contacted the Cubs and that they're talking with the Dodgers. The Dodgers interest in Halladay is clear, though they're reportedly not pursuing John Lackey.
- Not surprisingly, Jason Bay rejected his initial extension offer from the Red Sox. Bay will hit the open market as one of the most highly-demanded players this offseason, and will likely listen to offers from multiple teams before deciding. Boston had offered four years and roughly $60MM for the outfielder's services.
- One team that will likely make a bid for Bay is the Angels, who consider Bay an option but have bluntly declared that top free agent Matt Holliday "will not be an Angel."
- Bad news for Marlins fans this week, as it looks like extension talks for ace Josh Johnson have failed. Johnson has stated he'd like to remain with Florida, but is that the best move at this point? The Marlins could hold onto Johnson, who's under team control for two more seasons, until the deadline or until next offseason before looking to move him for prospects. What's the best play?
- The Royals made several minor league signings this week, including contracts to Brad Thompson, Jorge Campillo, and Vance Wilson. Nice moves to add some depth to the organization, with some upside in Thompson and Campillo.
- Fresh off the heels of a fantastic 74-42 run in the NL West, the Rockies extended manager Jim Tracy for three seasons this week. It's certainly been a good couple of weeks for the NL Manager of the Year.
- MLBTR's list of the Top 50 Free Agents has been out for awhile now, and if you'd like a second opinion, check out Keith Law's list, which was released earlier in the week.
- Tim covered the Cardinals in his Offseason Outlook series this week, while Ben added to the Trades of the Decade series by revisiting the deal that sent Mark Teixeira to Atlanta. The other series update this week was the trade market for lefty relievers.
Odds & Ends: Yankees, Tigers, Mariners
A few Sunday links to peruse….
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports ranks his top 20 free agent starting pitchers not named John Lackey.
- Jonah Keri of The New York Times warns the Yankees against getting complacent, outlining why the team needs to get younger.
- Within a piece focusing on Clay Buchholz, John Tomase of the Boston Herald writes that Jason Bay's defense shouldn't concern the Red Sox much, given Fenway Park's "cozy left field."
- In another article, Tomase examines the big free agent signings of the last few years and notices a "disturbing trend of underperformance."
- MASN's Phil Wood questions Phil Rogers' prediction that the Washington Nationals will be interested in signing Vladimir Guerrero.
- Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press writes that the Tigers are currently paying the price for their failed win-now approach in 2006.
- Even though Adrian Beltre struggled in 2009, it won't be easy for the Mariners to replace his production at third, according to Larry LaRue of The News Tribune.
Rays Rumors: Crawford, Upton, Zaun
Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times has the latest on the Rays' offseason plans. The highlights:
- The Rays are said to be interested in discussing a long-term extension with Carl Crawford. If the team does decide to move him, however, the Mets and Braves have expressed interest.
- The Rangers and White Sox are among the teams interested in acquiring B.J. Upton.
- Executive VP Andrew Friedman on his team's offseason targets: "We have a list of guys on other teams we have an interest in, and a list of free agents as well. And depending on how the market evolves on both fronts, it will go a long way toward shaping our thought process…. We feel like there are a lot of talented names out there."
- Smith notes that the Rays have a history of signing relievers who are coming off injuries or down years. He mentions Kevin Gregg and J.J. Putz as a couple of possibilities in that realm.
- The club could be open to bringing back Gregg Zaun and giving last season's catching platoon of Zaun and Dioner Navarro another try.
Athletics Sign Dallas McPherson
The Oakland Athletics have signed Dallas McPherson to a minor league contract, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
McPherson, selected by the Angels in the second round of the 2001 draft, was once considered an elite prospect, but injuries and strikeout woes have slowed him in recent years. After slugging .586 in his minor league career, he has hit .245/.298/.458 in 399 major-league plate appearances, homering 18 times and striking out 126.
Crasnick indicates that the 29-year-old is expected to compete for the A's third base job in the spring.
Cafardo On Lackey, Sheffield, Pavano
In his usual Sunday morning column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo passes on some hot stove talk from around the majors. Let's check out the highlights….
- The fate of John Lackey could potentially affect the offseason plans of each of the AL East powers. Both the Yankees and Red Sox have interest, and Cafardo suggests that landing Lackey would allow the Red Sox to turn around and move Clay Buchholz in a deal for a coveted bat, like Adrian Gonzalez.
- Cafardo relays this quote from an AL GM: "The Red Sox could be the major player this offseason if certain things fall together for them. They still have enough chips in their farm system to make something big happen."
- The Yankees, meanwhile, appear willing to part with Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain in the hunt for Roy Halladay, though they'd like to hang on to Austin Jackson.
- Gary Sheffield will return in 2010 and has softened his stance on DHing since his Tigers days. He now says he'd accept a DH role, though he'd still like to play in the field occasionally. Cafardo names a handful of teams that could find a spot for Sheffield, noting that the 41-year-old would love to return to Atlanta or play in his hometown of Tampa Bay.
- The Twins and Brewers are "very interested" in Carl Pavano.
- The Brewers could also be players for John Smoltz, though the Cardinals would like to bring him back.
Mets Rumors: Holliday, Bay, Guillen
Bill Madden of the New York Daily News doesn't expect the New York Mets to make too big a splash in free agency this winter. Madden notes that a left-handed hitter and a couple of starting pitchers are "absolute necessities" for the Mets, but he projects they'll only have about $20MM to spend.
Based on his payroll projections, Madden declares "you can count [the Mets] out right now" on top free agents such as John Lackey, Matt Holliday, and Jason Bay. Instead, he feels the Mets should be, and will be, focusing on second-tier free agents, such as Mark DeRosa, Randy Wolf, Jason Marquis, and Marlon Byrd.
In a separate article, Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News suggests that, if they're unable to sign a big bat like Holliday or Bay, the Mets might be interested in acquiring Jose Guillen from the Kansas City Royals. Rubin says that a potential deal isn't close, and it seems hard to believe that one could happen.
Rubin himself points out multiple roadblocks, including Guillen's lack of fielding ability and the $12MM that the 33-year-old is owed in 2010 (the Mets would want the Royals to take on a huge chunk of that figure). If Madden is right about the Mets' limited spending money, I can't imagine the club investing in a player like Guillen.