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Discussion: Is Marquis Perfect Fit On Mets?

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Jason Marquis, native of Staten Island, has made no secret of his desire to pitch for the Mets, describing himself as a "perfect fit" to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post.

But is this the case? 

The Mets themselves aren't sure, ranking Marquis below both John Lackey and Joel Pineiro on their pitching wish list, according to Hubbuch.

Marquis' strengths are durability and his hitting. Both, particularly the former, would be something the Mets could use.

However, Marquis will likely command a sizable contract, particularly after making the 2009 All Star team. Is a big investment worth it for a pitcher whose strikeout rate over the past three years is just 4.9?

More to the point, if the Mets don't improve their defense, would Marquis or any pitcher that pitches to contact (such as Pineiro) be a good choice for New York?

Diamondbacks Set To Add Payroll, Says CEO

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TUESDAY 3:41pm: D-Backs' managing general partner Ken Kendrick says the payroll will likely increase to north of $75MM next year, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. The payroll in 2009 was appoximately $73.5MM.

"We definitely have more than $10 million to spend in the market," Kendrick said. "There are other moves that we may make that could change the money landscape that have yet to be determined."

MONDAY 6:54pm: Arizona Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall said his team is "definitely adding to the payroll" during a web chat on MLB.com Monday.

Hall weighed in on a huge number of issues, including:

  • He wants to look at free agent starting pitchers, relievers, and a bench player. He expects most acquisitions to come through trades.
  • He believes both Juan Gutierrez and Esmerling Vasquez can pitch the sixth, seventh or eighth innings next season.
  • Only Brandon Webb, Dan Haren and Max Scherzer are guaranteed rotation spots in 2010. Billy Buckner, Kevin Mulvey, and possibly free agents could also be in the mix.
  • Stephen Drew "would be too tough to replace if we ever moved him."

Check out the full discussion. This is a great example of a team using new media to connect to fans.

Discussion: Sabean And The Giants

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Some of the moves we can expect from San Francisco came into focus with Chris Haft's terrific interview with Giants' GM Brian Sabean for MLB.com. Among the tidbits:

  • The Giants are unwilling to offer Bengie Molina more than a one-year contract, though they will offer him arbitration.
  • Brad Penny's current contract demands are "out of reach at this point."
  • Juan Uribe, who hopes to earn something similar to his $4.75MM deal from 2008, won't get close to that from the Giants.
  • Still, this doesn't mean the Giants won't be spending money this winter. Haft writes, "Sabean said that he envisions the Giants filling their personnel needs through free agency rather than trades."

The full piece, including Sabean's take on why he dislikes trades, is worth checking out. And now that you know what Sabean won't do, what do you think he should do?

Odds & Ends: Phillies, Nationals, Mariners

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There's no such thing as an offseason- just different kinds of on-seasons.

Mets Notes: Adrian Gonzalez, Marquis, DeRosa

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The incomparable Marty Noble answers many of the fan inquiries with his usual mixture of information and wit. Among other ideas, he considers:

  • Just what would it take, hypothetically, to bring Adrian Gonzalez to Queens? Noble believes a package of John Maine, Fernando Martinez and Ike Davis "and perhaps more would be one to consider seriously."
  • Noble likes Joel Pineiro more than Jason Marquis, adding that "I know the Mets are interested in [Bengie] Molina."
  • He says that while Mark DeRosa wouldn't be a top priority, "If they can't bring back Alex Cora, DeRosa would an even better fit."
  • He counters a fan's proposal to trade "Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez and Omir Santos to the Angels for Erick Aybar, Gary Matthews Jr., Ervin Santana and Jeff Mathis" with one of his own: "How about Perez for the rights to Albie Pearson?" Pearson was the 1958 AL Rookie of the Year, of course.

As usual, Noble is must-reading.

Padres Discussion: Non-Adrian Gonzalez Edition

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Padres fans have plenty to think about beyond considering the future of Adrian Gonzalez, and Corey Brock of MLB.com does a terrific job breaking down some of those potential moves in his latest mailbag.

  • Brock says that he doesn't see Kevin Correia "going anywhere."
  • His "GM-for-a-day" scenario involves signing Mike Cameron and Henry Blanco.
  • He's a big fan of the minor league third basemen in the organization.

The entire mailbag is worth a read. Do you agree with Brock's prescriptions?

Discussion: Phillies And Roy Halladay

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Despite Philadelphia GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. describing his needs this winter as "Third base, bullpen, bench," many people within baseball think the Phillies will make a run at Roy Halladay, reports Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Salisbury quotes a rival front office member as saying, "Philadelphia is into winning now, and Halladay fits that." 

Toronto's asking price this past July – pitchers Kyle Drabek and J.A. Happ and outfielders Dominic Brown and Anthony Gose – was too high for Philadelphia. But with Halladay moving closer to free agency, will that price come down?

If you are the Phillies, do you trade a significant package to bring Halladay in? If you are the Blue Jays, what do you need to get this done?

Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Phillies, Nationals

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As the immortal Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe puts it, "Standing around an airport hotel lobby at night just in case Scott Boras walks by was not covered in journalism school." Meanwhile, you get to keep up with the latest rumors in the comfort of your own home!

Braves Discussing Extension for Vazquez

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David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that "Someone here at the meetings who would probably know, told me the Braves have at least discussed trying to sign [Javier] Vazquez to a contract extension."

Vazquez was quietly an elite pitcher for Atlanta in 2009, posting a 2.87 ERA in 219 1/3 innings, striking out 238 and walking just 44. He's signed to an $11.5MM deal for 2010, after which he will be a free agent.

There has been speculation that Atlanta will deal Vazquez, since with the return of Tim Hudson, they appear to have six starting pitchers for five spots. Meanwhile, a deal for the underachieving Derek Lowe, who was far worse than Vazquez and has $45MM left on his contract, would presumably yield far less than Vazquez.

Bradley Being Discussed In Three-Way Deal

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9:01pm: The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan is reporting that Toronto "wants no part of Milton Bradley." Meanwhile, Cubs GM Jim Hendry said that Chicago hasn't given up on Bradley, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin. Of course, Hendry has to say that until the moment Bradley is traded.

5:55pm: A very interesting idea is being reported by Ken Rosenthal: a three-way deal, with Milton Bradley going to the Blue Jays, Luis Castillo to the Cubs, and Lyle Overbay to the Mets. Rosenthal said "The teams indeed have discussed the framework of such a deal, though not in direct fashion, according to major-league sources."

Breaking it down, the trade makes the most sense for the Mets, who would clear second base for long-coveted Orlando Hudson, a free agent. Overbay has also mashed righties for his entire career – .847 OPS career, .905 in 2009 – and could be paired with Daniel Murphy or Nick Evans for a high-reward platoon.

Castillo does block the movement of Ryan Theriot to second base when Starlin Castro arrives, but adding Castillo's on-base percentage would be a boon to the top of Chicago's lineup.

As for the Blue Jays, the deal would open up first base for Adam Lind, with Bradley slotting in as designated hitter. The question is: Overbay slugged .466 in 2009, while Bradley slugged just .397 – so is this an upgrade?

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