Mets Rumors: Trades, Reyes, Beltran, Nimmo, Kazmir
After an off day yesterday, the Mets remain five games out in the wild card at 35-37 as Dillon Gee prepares to face the Athletics. The latest rumors around the club:
- Mets COO Jeff Wilpon told Dan Martin of the New York Post that GM Sandy Alderson will "have all the opportunity in the world to bring anybody he wants in." Alderson is restriction-free, but must bring ideas to his bosses on a case-by-case basis. Regarding the Mets' status as buyers or sellers, Alderson remarked, "The next three to four weeks will tell a lot."
- Asked by Martin if he had lost hope on keeping Jose Reyes, Wilpon replied, "Why would we? There's a long time between now and next year [and there are] a lot of things that can happen in a lot of different directions." Though he's been mum on the subject of his next contract publicly, the shortstop talks about the situation privately all the time, one friend told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Said the friend, "If the Mets think they're getting him for, like, $95 million, they're wrong. He's going to get paid. He is clear about that." Martino feels that even if Reyes gives the Mets a discount, he'll still require "well north of $100 million." Alderson said recently that the Mets will reach out to Reyes at some point.
- SI's Tom Verducci thinks the Mets will approach Reyes in July. A team source told him, "I'm sure there will come a point where we sit down and see what Jose wants. But there's nothing that says we won't try to keep the guy." The Mets would need to be overwhelmed with an offer of three top prospects to trade Reyes, in the opinion of Verducci.
- Martin talked to Mets right fielder Carlos Beltran, who said he is not worrying about trade possibilities.
- Mets first-round draft pick Brandon Nimmo "was asking for $2.5 million," tweets Baseball America's Jim Callis. Nimmo, drafted 13th overall, is committed to Arkansas. If Callis' rumor is correct, he's looking for $844K over slot.
- The Mets' front office wanted to annul the 2004 trade that sent Scott Kazmir to Tampa Bay for Victor Zambrano on medical grounds, reports ESPN's Adam Rubin. Mets employees believed the Rays did not supply the full trainers' log on Zambrano, who had elbow issues at the time of the deal. However, the Wilpons elected not to try to revise or undo the trade. Still, GM Jim Duquette isn't off the hook, because trading Kazmir for a healthy Zambrano wouldn't have been a good deal either.
Giants Asked Questions About Mark Ellis
The Giants "asked questions" about Athletics second baseman Mark Ellis over the weekend, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Schulman's Ellis note was parenthetical, in an article that focused on the lack of clear sellers here in late June. Still, the assumption is that the Giants asked those questions of Athletics brass, as the teams faced off Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Ellis, 34, was hitting .211/.245/.287 in 224 plate appearances this year before hitting the DL with a hamstring strain. The Athletics' longest-tenured player, Ellis is expected to be activated from the DL tomorrow, wrote Jane Lee and Tom Green of MLB.com on Saturday. The strong play of rookie Jemile Weeks in 12 games complicates the second base situation.
Even with the A's hanging around the fringes of contention at 5.5 games out, Ellis could be expendable. Earlier this month I named him as a viable second base trade candidate, with the Giants one of six potential suitors. Ellis has good pop for the position, and his defense is highly regarded. Still, he's a tough sell right now with a $6MM salary. The Giants have a need given Freddy Sanchez's shoulder injury, but in-house they've got Emmanuel Burriss and Bill Hall as well as Mike Fontenot and Mark DeRosa on the DL.
According to our Transaction Tracker, Billy Beane and Brian Sabean have never matched up for a trade. They represent the game's longest-tenured GMs.
Rays Sign First-Round Pick Jake Hager
The Rays signed first-round pick Jake Hager for $963K, tweets Baseball America's Jim Callis. That's $9K over slot for the high school shortstop, who was chosen 32nd overall. Hager is represented by Paragon Sports International.
Hager, who had committed to Arizona State, was ranked 122nd on BA's top 200. BA wrote that Hager "doesn't have one standout tool, but he can do a little bit of everything and always plays hard."
The Rays had a dozen picks within the first 89 this year, and so far they've signed six of them in Hager, Jeff Ames, Blake Snell, Kes Carter, James Harris, and Granden Goetzman.
Hager is the fourth first-round pick to sign, as teams begin by locking up those willing to sign around slot. Click here to see our full list of first and supplemental round picks to sign.
Potentially Available Left-Handed Relievers
On Thursday I identified a big group of potentially available right-handed relievers. Today let's check out the left-handed group.
- Athletics: Brian Fuentes, Craig Breslow, Jerry Blevins. Blevins, designated for assignment in May, cleared waivers and is enjoying a strong June after a rough start at Triple-A. Fuentes and Breslow are less likely to be dealt, as they might be penciled into future Oakland bullpens.
- Cubs: John Grabow. The real prize is Sean Marshall, though I don't see why the Cubs would move him. Grabow would be a salary dump, as he hasn't done much to earn his $4.8MM.
- Orioles: Mike Gonzalez, Mark Hendrickson. It's been a rough year for Gonzalez, who has allowed 30 hits and seven home runs in 24 innings. However, he remains very tough on lefties. Hendrickson was outrighted to Triple-A in March and has been solid as expected against lefties.
- Marlins: Randy Choate. Choate, who is signed for 2012, has been nasty on lefties but should not face righties.
- Red Sox: Hideki Okajima. Earlier this month he said he's hoping for a trade, but he hasn't drawn much interest to date.
- Dodgers: Hong-Chih Kuo. Just activated from the DL for anxiety disorder, Kuo is nasty when healthy. He's under team control through 2012 and would have a strong market if the Dodgers are willing to move him. But even at seven games out they might just prefer to add stability to their own bullpen.
- J.C. Romero of the Phillies, Dustin Richardson of the Marlins: Both southpaws are currently in DFA limbo, so they won't require much to acquire.
Outrighted: Herrera, Brad Davis
The latest group of players who cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A:
- The Brewers outrighted Danny Ray Herrera to Triple-A Nashville, according to MLB.com's transactions page. They designated the left-hander for assignment on Saturday.
- Marlins catcher Brad Davis, designated for assignment Wednesday to open a 40-man spot for Jose Lopez, is headed to New Orleans according to the team's Twitter account.
Rays Sign Supplemental First Round Pick Harris
The Rays signed supplemental first round pick James Harris for $490K, MLBTR has learned. Harris is represented by Adam Karon and Tripper Johnson of Sosnick Cobbe Sports.
As Harris was not ranked within Baseball America's top 200, it appears likely that a predraft deal was in place. He signed for about $116K under slot. Harris, a high school outfielder, was the 60th overall pick and the last of the supplemental round. The Rays received the pick as compensation for the loss of reliever Chad Qualls.
According to Baseball America's Conor Glassey, Harris has "huge upside" and is an "explosive athlete." He narrowly missed BA's top 200.
MLB Rejects McCourt’s Deal With Fox
Dodgers owner Frank McCourt was notified today that MLB will not approve the 17-year television rights contract with Fox, reports Yahoo's Tim Brown.
Bud Selig's decision comes as no surprise. Rejection of the Fox deal would mean McCourt's divorce settlement is off and the Dodgers are unlikely to meet payroll at the end of the month. If the Dodgers cannot meet their payroll obligation, MLB will seize and sell the Dodgers, though perhaps not without a legal battle from McCourt.
Heyman On Reyes, Beltran
The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…
- One NL exec believes the Mets will have to be "overwhelmed" or get a "clear win" to trade shortstop Jose Reyes, which is in line with previous reports. The Mets are 4.5 games back in the wild card, but have the luxury of seeing how the next 30 days or so unfold. For our look at the shortstop market, click here.
- I assume the same logic applies to Carlos Beltran, that the Mets wouldn't deal him for prospects if they're still in contention. Heyman says the Mets would eat most or all of Beltran's remaining money if they can get a decent young piece or two, and that the right fielder would probably waive his no-trade clause to go to a contender. At the trade deadline he'll have about $6MM left on his contract.
- Josh Willingham, Michael Bourn, and Ivan Rodriguez fill out the top five on Heyman's list of the best potentially available position players. The Nationals' Roger Bernadina sneaks onto the list at #23.
Contenders In Need Of A Shortstop Upgrade
As many as six contenders are lacking at shortstop. Let's take a look.
- Rays: The Rays have been employing Reid Brignac at shortstop lately, though Elliot Johnson and Sean Rodriguez are also capable. None of them are hitting, though Brignac's defense is a plus and Rodriguez has some pop.
- Brewers: The Brewers have used Yuniesky Betancourt at short, with Craig Counsell pitching in. The numbers say Betancourt has been terrible both offensively and defensively.
- Cardinals: Ryan Theriot has been manning shortstop for the Cards, and his bat has been more than acceptable. However, he's probably better-suited defensively for second base.
- Reds: They've used the Paul Janish/Edgar Renteria tandem, with the 28-year-old Janish getting more playing time. Janish is strong defensively, and since the Reds have the best offense in the league they might be able to tolerate his struggles with the bat. Prospect Zack Cozart is hitting .317/.361/.498 at Triple-A, but the Reds are not at the point of making a move yet.
- Pirates: The Bucs have been searching for a long-term answer at short for a while now, but right now they have Ronny Cedeno. Brandon Wood is showing some signs of life this month, and he could be an option at shortstop. The Pirates also have Chase d'Arnaud playing well at Triple-A.
- Giants: Miguel Tejada was signed as the team's shortstop, but it's rookie Brandon Crawford at present. He's strong with the glove but doesn't provide much offense and skipped Triple-A upon his call-up.
All four NL Central contenders are weak at shortstop, so if one of the clubs acquires a prize like J.J. Hardy it also takes an option away from direct rivals. The Orioles aim to talk extension with Hardy before the All-Star break. If that possibility falls through with time to spare before the July 31st deadline, Hardy will be a hot commodity.
A couple of top options in Jose Reyes and Stephen Drew appear to be off the board, since the Mets and Diamondbacks are in contention. Jamey Carroll, Clint Barmes, and Rafael Furcal (if healthy) may be available.
Minor Moves: Twins Sign Diamond
Collecting the latest minor moves…
- The Twins signed righty Thomas Diamond, according to the Rochester Red Wings Twitter account. The 28-year-old, who was drafted by the Rangers tenth overall in 2004, was released from the Cubs' Triple-A club earlier this month after posting an 8.66 ERA in 44 2/3 innings.