The Mets’ Asking Price For Jose Reyes
MONDAY, 9:12am: The Mets' internal discussions about trading Reyes were just "normal due diligence," reports Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, and he's more likely to stay with the team for 2011.
WEDNESDAY, 4:37pm: Jose Reyes is available, but the Mets want three or four players in exchange for their shortstop, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Reyes, 27, earns $11MM in 2011 before becoming a free agent. He hit .282/.321/.428 with 30 steals and 50 extra base hits in 603 plate appearances last year.
There's no indication that Mets GM Sandy Alderson is actively shopping Reyes, but there would be a market for him. Earlier today, Schulman reported that the Giants are focusing on finding a shortstop. Along with the Cardinals and Padres, they have interest in free agent Miguel Tejada. Tejada, Juan Uribe, Cesar Izturis Jason Bartlett, J.J. Hardy, Marco Scutaro and others are potentially available, but in general the shortstops available via trade or free agency aren't overly appealing.
Berkman Names Interested Teams
Add the Cardinals, Pirates, and Blue Jays to the list of teams known to have at least kicked the tires on free agent Lance Berkman. The first baseman/outfielder named those suitors in a conversation with Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle recently. Berkman had already referenced the Athletics, Cubs, and Rockies in a November 23rd Ken Rosenthal article. Berkman said at the time that eight teams had checked in. The Astros don't have a spot for him, and the Rangers won't unless Vladimir Guerrero departs.
Berkman told Rosenthal he won't rule out a full-time DH job like the one the A's have open, but he'd prefer to return to the National League as a first baseman/outfielder. Berkman plans to re-establish himself in 2011, blaming his power decline on his injured knee.
Berkman, who struggles against lefties, doesn't seem to be the ideal match for the Pirates. Back in September, GM Neal Huntington talked about adding a right-handed first base bat who beats up on southpaws. On the other hand, the Pirates aren't necessarily committed to Garrett Jones and that plan. The Cardinals would be one club that could only offer an outfield corner for Berkman. The Blue Jays have a crowded outfield but could use Berkman at first base or DH depending on where they like Adam Lind.
Week In Review: 11/21/10 – 11/28/10
Time to review the week that was, with the Winter Meetings just less than eight days away…
- The first big name free agent changed teams this week, with the Tigers signing Victor Martinez to a four-year contract worth $50MM. Fellow Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera helped lure him to Motown, and the Red Sox received two draft picks (including the 19th overall selection) as compensation.
- Aubrey Huff re-signed with the Giants for two-years and $22MM guaranteed, plus an option for a third year. GM Brian Sabean was given the okay to match any offer Huff received, and he's now focused on finding a shortstop.
- The Dodgers signed Jon Garland for one year and $5MM, plus an $8MM option for 2012 that will vest with 190 innings. GM Ned Colletti now turns his attention to a bat, a reliever, and his catching situation. The Marlins, meanwhile, landed Javier Vazquez for one year and $7MM, pending physical.
- The Twins won the rights to negotiate with Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka, and his NPB team announced that they've accepted the bid. The agent for right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma explained his side of the story after the A's broke off contract talks last weekend.
- Arizona acquired Zach Duke from the Pirates for a player to be named later, and will attempt to sign him for 2011 at a lower rate than his 2010 salary of $4.3MM. If they can't, they'll non-tender him. Pittsburgh has interest in Scott Olsen, who could fill Duke's vacated rotation spot.
- A total of 35 free agents (14 Type A, 21 Type B) were offered arbitration before the Tuesday night deadline. Pedro Feliciano is "seriously considering" accepting the offer, ditto Frank Francisco.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman encouraged Derek Jeter to test the open market after making several contract offers. The two sides remain far apart. The Yanks prefer to limit Mariano Rivera's contract to one year, and they have yet to make an offer to Cliff Lee.
- The Reds are going to talk to NL MVP Joey Votto about a long-term contract and the Rangers are going to do the same with AL MVP Josh Hamilton.
- Both the Cardinals and Padres are interested in trading for Jason Bartlett as well as Miguel Tejada (add the Giants), while the Brewers and Braves are making a push for Eric Hinske. Jose Reyes is available, but the Mets want three or four young players for their shortstop.
- Nine teams have interest in Jesse Crain, eight have interest in Lance Berkman, seven have interest in Brandon McCarthy, a half-dozen have interest in Cliff Lee, and several have interest in Jarrod Washburn. The Royals are interested in Kevin Millwood, the Red Sox Rod Barajas and Matt Guerrier, the Cubs Carlos Pena, the Rockies and Nationals Brandon Webb, the Dodgers Juan Uribe, and the Phillies Dennys Reyes. Both the Cubs and Rockies have interest in several free agent pitchers.
- Lots of players signed minor league contracts this week, including Dontrelle Willis (Reds), Dana Eveland (Dodgers), Raul Valdes (Cardinals), and Charlie Haeger (Mariners). Former first overall pick Bryan Bullington landed with the Hiroshima Carp while Kaz Matsui joined the Rakuten Golden Eagles.
- Kevin Towers is growing more pessimistic about trading Justin Upton.
Odds & Ends: Vazquez, Nationals, Yankees, Werth
Links for Sunday…
- Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel says (via Twitter) that the Marlins never give out no-trade clauses, but they gave one to Javier Vazquez to get his price down.
- Meanwhile, Ben Goessling of MASN Sports looks at some pitching options for the Nationals now that Vazquez is off the board.
- With the Yanks and Derek Jeter still far apart during negotiations, Seth Livingstone of USA Today looks at some other star Yankees that ended their career elsewhere.
- Jayson Werth told CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury that he's not close to signing via text message. "It’s very early. I will make an informed decision in due time," said the free agent outfielder.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explains why Juan Uribe would make sense for the Dodgers.
- Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wonders if the Pirates are sincere with their interest in several big name free agents, but he notes they do in fact have money to spend.
- In the wake of Victor Martinez signing with the Tigers, John Tomase of The Boston Herald looks at how the Red Sox have done with their extra draft picks over the years.
- SI.com's Jon Heyman says that Magglio Ordonez remains a possibility for the Tigers (Twitter link), who have already committed close to $90MM for four players this offseason.
- Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News explains how declining his option and not offering Vladimir Guerrero arbitration suggests the Rangers want him back.
- Right-hander Waldis Joaquin, who was released by the Giants then claimed off waivers by the White Sox, have rejected the claim and elected to become a free agent according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin (Twitter link).
MLBTR Originals: 11/21/10 – 11/28/10
Let's recap the original content produced by the MLBTR crew this week, shall we?
- Ben Nicholson-Smith explained free agent rankings and draft pick compensation, and then told us what we learned from this week's arbitration offers. He also wrote about how teams build their roster to fit their home stadium, and showed us how the AL MVP candidates were acquired.
- We reviewed the stock of several free agents, including Arthur Rhodes (formerly of the Reds), Miguel Olivo (Blue Jays/Rockies), Matt Guerrier (Twins), Pedro Feliciano (Mets), Mariano Rivera (Yankees), and Kevin Gregg (Blue Jays). We also looked at Russell Martin's non-tender case.
- This week's poll questions asked which relievers will sign multiyear deals, which Type A free agents will be offered arbitration, which Type B's will accept arbitration, whether or not someone will sign Manny Ramirez, who is the top remaining free agent catcher, and if George Sherrill will have to settle for a minor league deal.
- I rounded up the best links from around the web in this week's Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
- Ben's chat transcript can be found here.
This Date In Transactions History: November 28th
Not one, but two trades involving big-name starting pitchers have taken place on November 28th in the not-too-distant past. Let's review…
- The Rays and Twins completed a six-player swap on this date in 2007. Tampa received Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, and Eddie Morlan while Minnesota received Delmon Young, Brendan Harris, and Jason Pridie. The move looked like a steal for the Rays initially, especially after Garza and Barlett helped their new team to its first World Series in 2008, but Young started to even things out with a big season in 2010.
- While that was going on, the Reds signed Francisco Cordero to a four-year, $46MM contract on the same day. He's pitched to a 3.13 ERA with 113 saves in his three seasons in Cincinnati, helping get the team back to the playoffs this year.
- Four years earlier, the Red Sox acquired Curt Schilling from the Diamondbacks for Casey Fossum, Brandon Lyon, Jorge de la Rosa, and minor leaguer Michael Gross. Schilling helped Boston to World Championships in 2004 and 2007, and other than Lyon (4.03 ERA in 232 IP), Arizona didn't get much out of this trade.
- The Astros dealt Pete Harnisch to the Mets for two players to be named later on this date back in 1994. Harnish pitched to a 4.33 ERA in two-plus seasons in New York while neither of the players Houston received, righties Juan Castillo and Todd Beckerman, played in the big leagues after the trade.
- The Mariners signed a young slugger out of the Dominican Republic by name of David Arias in 1992, and eventually traded him to the Twins four years later. Seattle had incorrectly listed his name after signing him, but everyone knows him by his nickname now: Big Papi.
- Some other players involved in transactions on this date: Chad Bradford, Adam Kennedy, Randy Wolf, Gregg Zaun, Rickey Henderson, and Dennis Eckersley.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Kevin Gregg
The Blue Jays declined their option(s) for closer Kevin Gregg earlier this month, making the right-hander a free agent for the second time in as many offseasons. Let's review his stock…
The Good
- Gregg has always been a strikeout pitcher, posting at least an 8.8 K/9 in three of the last four years. His ground ball rate has settled in close to 42% over the last three seasons.
- With at least 23 saves in each of the last four seasons, Gregg has experience late in games and would be able to step right into the ninth inning for an interested team.
- He's never been on the disabled list.
- Gregg is a Type B free agent, so it doesn't matter that the Jays offered him arbitration. A team will not have to surrender a draft pick to sign him.
The Bad
- All of those strikeouts come with a healthy amount of walks. Gregg has walked 4.2 batters per nine innings over the last three season, and that doesn't include intentional free passes.
- He can be prone to the long ball, surrendering one homer for every nine innings pitched over the last three seasons.
- Gregg is 32 (33 in June), so the prime of his career could be in the rear-view mirror.
The Verdict
Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos has kept in touch with Gregg this offseason, and the Rockies are expected to have some interest as well. Although he's obviously a notch below Rafael Soriano, Gregg is a solid free agent option for a team looking to shore up its late-game bullpen at a reasonable cost.
Frank Francisco Likely To Accept Arbitration
Free agent right-hander Frank Francisco is likely to accept the Rangers' offer of arbitration according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. As a Type-A free agent, a team would need to surrender a high draft pick to sign him, something many clubs won't be willing to do for a reliever.
To make matters worse, the 31-year-old Francisco missed the last month of the season (as well as Texas' playoff run) due to a strained rib cage. He's certainly a quality reliever, striking out 10.9 and walking just 2.9 batters unintentionally for every nine innings pitched over the last three seasons. He saved 25 games for the Rangers last season, but was usurped as closer by Rookie of the Year Neftali Feliz early in 2010.
I examined Francisco's free agent stock late last month, noting that he could accept arbitration and receive a $4MM or so salary in 2011 (he earned $3.265MM in 2010). Earlier today we learned that the Rangers have explored the idea of signing a closer and moving Feliz into the rotation, a move Francisco could help facilitate.
Dodgers Interested In Juan Uribe
With the starting rotation solidified, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said his focus has turned to among other things, a bat. MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports that the Dodgers are now targeting infielder Juan Uribe, a pickup that would serve the double-purpose of helping LA and hurting the rival Giants.
Uribe, 31, hit .248/.310/.440 with 24 home runs this season, then hit a pair of huge homers in the playoffs to help the Giants to their first World Championship in San Francisco. He's spent considerable time at second, third, and short during his career, and UZR has nice things to say about his defense at all three spots. Uribe earned $3.25MM in 2010, his third straight one-year deal. As a Type-B free agent, he would give the Giants an extra draft pick if he signed elsewhere, though his new team would not have to give one up.
Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explained why Uribe would make sense for the Dodgers.
Rockies Interested In Brandon Webb
Let's add the Rockies to the ever-growing number of teams interested in free agent right-hander Brandon Webb. Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets that Colorado has expressed interest in the sinkerballer, who would be a nice fit in Coors Field if healthy.
The Cubs, Pirates, Twins, Rangers, and Nationals are already in on Webb, who is a big unknown at this point. He hasn't been on a big league mound in close to 21 months because of shoulder problems. Two weeks ago, Webb's agent Jonathan Maurer gave MLBTR his take on Webb's September/October instructional games. Maurer said Webb is expected to prepare at a normal pace and is ready to make 30-plus starts in 2011.
Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.