FRIDAY, 7:20pm: Barajas is now weighing multiple minor league offers, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. In addition to the Mets' $1MM proposal, Barajas is considering a $1.5MM offer from the Rangers, according to Rosenthal's source.
THURSDAY, 7:57am: Barajas is likely to accept the Mets' offer, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). The minor league deal would be worth $1MM.
WEDNESDAY, 12:57pm: Speaking to Brian Costa of the Newark Star-Ledger, a Mets official denied that they're making a "hard push" for Barajas. They have interest on a minor league deal.
7:40am: The Mets are making a "hard push" to sign free agent catcher Rod Barajas on a one-year deal, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Barajas is the only starter available at the position, and the Mets still have a need. The Mets offered a low-dollar, minor league deal, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.
Barajas, 34, hit .226/.258/.403 in 460 plate appearances for the Blue Jays last year, earning $2.5MM. Consider him the poor man's Bengie Molina.
6. Frenchy RF
7. Jacobs 1B
8. Barajas C
…the easiest half inning in baseball that doesn’t include a pitcher. Just don’t throw a strike and you’ll be just fine.
Well if Barajas is a poor man’s Benji Molina then is Santos a poor man’s Barajas?
I think Thole has a great opportunity to win the starting catching spot. And he can hit.
Do you call 1 HR in Triple-A, hitting? He needs time to grow.
yes because HRs are the only measure of whether a player can hit or not.
Yes, I agree. However 1 HR in Triple-A doesn’t scream major league ready. His career .375 SLG in the minors ain’t special either.
He needs AAA time .. we’ve rushed our players under Minaya way too much
The Mets have:
6. Frenchy RF
7. Jacobs 1B
8. Barajas C
The Braves have:
6. Escobar SS
7. Heyward RF
8. Diaz LF
The Phils have:
6. Ibanez LF
7. Victorino CF
8. Ruiz C
gosh, based on paper alone, i’d have to go with the back-to-back NL champs winning the east again. but that’s why we play the 162 games: so the phils can trash the division again 🙂
I think the bottom of the Mets order could consist of Francouer, Thole, and Murphy which is better than listed above.
It’s pretty funny how you don’t have any clue what your talking about, when did we sign Barajas? When did anyone say Jacobs was the starting 1st base or Heyward starting RF…stick to being a bandwagon phillie fan but do it quietly so everyone doesn’t see how much of an idiot you are 🙂
Read all the comments child. I’m not the one who put out the “Jacobs at 1st” theory. As for Heyward FOR THE BRAVES, I’ve heard and read that it very well could be his job to lose. But what do either of us know? I’m a fan of the team that beat the living snot out of the Mets in 2007, 2008, and 2009 and you, well you’re a pathetic little Mets fan. 🙂
Obviously you were if YOU wrote it in your post. 2008 your really going to say a 7-11 record agaist the mets is beating the living snot out of them? Yea you kicked our a$$ in 2009 but that was agaist a AAA team so if you want to feel proud in that go ahead. And I would rather be a true Mets fan and baseball fan anyday than be a pathetic bandwagon phillies fan who doesn’t know squat about baseball and runs their mouth like a true “child” to get a reaction :):)
I don’t see how Barajas is an upgrade over anyone else they’ve brought in. Thole needs to be their starter by mid-season anyways, and the upgrade from say Blanco to Barajas is negligible at best. Why not use this money being spent here to get a 1B that has a solid OBP and pop like Branyan? Or to improve the bullpen with a guy like Bradford, Calero, Park, Beimel, or Mahay?
Branyan is not really much to count on. He is more of a question mark than even Jacobs, Murphy and Glaus.
He’s hit a hell of a lot better over the course of his career than any of the Mets potential 1B have. He also has a injury history, but I’d rather have Branyan as my starter with Murphy/Jacobs as Plan B than Murphy/Jacobs as my starter and God knows who as Plan B.
Look at his 2nd half numbers last year.
I don’t really know for sure but what is your backup plan for 1B if Glaus still sucks?
If Glaus is healthy, he shouldn’t suck. Never has before. If he’s not healthy, then there’s a potential problem. Plan B would be either Hinske, moving Prado to 1B (opening a hole at 2B), or finding someone off the proverbial waiver wire. Freddie Freeman should be an option in 2011, but he’s not there yet.
Eric Hinske is the primary back-up plan, but there’s also Mitch Jones that could take the spot over if need be. Wren has also left some payroll open in case there needs to be a trade made mid-season.
You mean when he was injured?
Yes, he would be much more of a question mark than any of the Mets current questions. That was a significant injury last year. Thus the reason that his contract is so low. A lot of teams doubted his ability to return from it.
But your question was what is the Mets backup plan, it appears the Braves backup plan is not much better.
My question wasn’t what the Mets back-up plan was. I was stating that if I were a Mets fan I’d prefer to have Murphy and Jacobs as my fall-back to Branyan over having them as my potential starters. It was a statement of my personal opinion.
“The Mets are making a ‘hard push’ to sign free agent catcher Rod Barajas on a one-year deal [. . .] [they] offered a low-dollar, minor league deal, tweets SI’s Jon Heyman.”
Okay, I know Rod Barajas had a poor year and he was never all that great of a player, but I’m not sure you can offer a low-money minor league deal and claim you’re making a hard push at the same time. Somebody is either wrong or horribly misstating the situation.
Well the hard push could be Minaya getting down on his knees and begging.
I gotta a cousin in Staten Island who can catch a little in his men’s softball league, the Mets should call him too.
Well it’s bettter than Omar going after Jose Molina. I suppose Omar will be dancing in the streets if he gets the Barajas deal done.
If he signs a minor league contract, do the Blue Jays still get a pick in the Compensation Round?
No, the pick only comes if he signs a Major League deal. The same thing happened earlier this offseason with some other team.
Finally a smart bargain basement move. Barajas can’t hit but is a good stop gap for Thole plus he is a good defender. Another thing to note is that he used to play on Phillies and catch Halladay as a Blue Jay, he could offer tips/insights on Philly batters and Halladay that might help.
Minaya is likely running out of time with this job.
For real, we could sign Albert Pujols for a steal-of-the-century type contract and still be somehow criticized. “He’s too old now. He’s only going to decline. He had an ingrown toe nail 6 years ago so he can’t run anymore. Good job Mets.”
I’ve been asking for them to sign this dude for months now. I hope it gets done. Santos belongs in the minors. Thole needs another year in AAA no matter how good he does in the spring. Barajas hitting 7th with a little pop and above avg defense is the way to go. Give him a major league deal ASAP. Don’t mess around like you’ve done since the Bay signing.
I’m just having trouble figuring out how signing Barajas could really be that great for the Mets. Dude has a .258 OBP, unless he is throwing out 75% of baserunners and not allowing any passed balls, he isn’t enough of an improvement for the Mets to be wasting their time on.
Mets need a starter. It’s amazing Omar can’t see that.
Thats funny they are making a “hard push” but only offered a low-dollar, minor league deal.
40 Man Roster is full
Barajas would be a good addition for them. Thole is still a novice and has been noted as provided very poor defense. Barajas brings a vet into the mold, with a hint of power but typical poor average, who can hold his own on defense and call a good game. The Mets should be gung ho after him right now.
Mets and Braves are both trash. Marlins are much better.
Way to make a well though-out, concise, thought-provoking post.
I would rather see the Mets try to scrape up enough money just to sign Lopez. I mean its highly improbable bcs they have castillo signed with big bucks, but if they can keep handing out a bunch of useless minor league deals im sure they have enough to sign him for one year…
As a phillies fan I hope the mets sign Barajas. I mean me and my friends literally still joke about how bad he was as a catcher. He let a guy slide under him after he had the ball and the guy was only half way down the line. Then brett myers injured his shoulder and missed a couple of months. Maybe he will do the same to johan or k-rod.
We too are also glad that you signed Brian Schneider to multiple years.
By all metrics available, Barajas’ defense is consistently ranked near the top.
Ya, but he was also booed out of philly, literally
Sure but that’s Philly being Philly.
I wouldn’t call a minor league deal a “Hard Push”
40 Man Roster is full right now
Barajas probably wishing he’d acept arb he’d be in the majors instead of being offored minor league deals.
Barajas is a solid stop gap move
As a Phillies fan, I’ll admit that the bottom of the Mets lineup looks bad but overall, I’d much rather have their hitters than Atlanta’s lineup. Pitching is a whole other ballgame though.
“Plus barajas provides a defensive upgrade over santos.”
That and he calls a better game. With a career .226 AVG, anything else he offers is pretty much “frosting” (ie: he does have some pop).
Is it bad that I’m almost excited about this deal? Like, more so than Bay?
Hardly. I think you’re right on the money. I mean…look what we got after Johan! The Mets BETTER come up with someone who can call a good game, ’cause with that starting crew we’re gonna need someone behind the plate who can wring out every ounce of competence he can find…or just flat-out manufacture it.
Exactly. Plus, his experience with Halladay as well as being on that Phillies line up a few years ago is an added bonus. The pop in his bat isn’t going unnoticed either.
He better be our starting catcher opening day.
“He better be our starting catcher opening day.”
There’s a choice?
>:)
“He better be our starting catcher opening day.”
There’s a choice?
>:)
Exactly. Plus, his experience with Halladay as well as being on that Phillies line up a few years ago is an added bonus. The pop in his bat isn’t going unnoticed either.
He better be our starting catcher opening day.
Hardly. I think you’re right on the money. I mean…look what we got after Johan! The Mets BETTER come up with someone who can call a good game, ’cause with that starting crew we’re gonna need someone behind the plate who can wring out every ounce of competence he can find…or just flat-out manufacture it.
Is it bad that I’m almost excited about this deal? Like, more so than Bay?
midseason…
-Reyes
-Castillo
-Bay
-Beltran
-Wright
-Francoeur
-Jacobs
-Barajas
-Santana
that seems like a pretty good lineup to me
there hitting is fine
if they pick up washburn they have a chance
midseason…
-Reyes
-Castillo
-Bay
-Beltran
-Wright
-Francoeur
-Jacobs
-Barajas
-Santana
that seems like a pretty good lineup to me
there hitting is fine
if they pick up washburn they have a chance
When the mets get Barajas to a minors deal that would be great
He is a starting catcher who plays great defense and can handle the pitching staff
So with Barajas and Blanco the mets have the best defenisive duo at catching
and Santos I one of the worst
Would be great to add Barajas
When the mets get Barajas to a minors deal that would be great
He is a starting catcher who plays great defense and can handle the pitching staff
So with Barajas and Blanco the mets have the best defenisive duo at catching
and Santos I one of the worst
Would be great to add Barajas
Good move ,especially being a minor league deal. He is atleast better than Santos. I do have concerns that he and Frenchy in the same lineup = a lot of k’s and rally killers.I would rather the Mets look at Lopez to fill in at 2nd but I think they don’t want to offend Johan and cut ties with his best friend Luis Castillo. I also heard Lopez was a cancer in the clubhouse. Anybody else hear this about Lopez?
mets will win nl pennat just watch
Is this before or after you wake up?
Not sure if anyone is still reading this thread but Mets upgraded their offer to a major league deal. I know I sound like a broken record but Barajas can’t pitch.