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Mets Expected To Target Choo In Offseason

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It's no secret that the Mets are willing to spend this winter, and Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports that indications from rival executives and a pair Mets officials are that the team will be very interested in Shin-Soo Choo.

One Mets official told Martino, however, that GM Sandy Alderson and his staff aren't particularly interested in entering an aggressive bidding war over the 31-year-old Scott Boras client. Such a bidding war could end up being necessary to acquire Choo's services, given Boras' history and Choo's solid numbers.

While one big knock on Choo is his susceptibility to left-handed pitching — he's hitting just .211 against southpaws with a .247 slugging percentage — he's still managed a .350 OBP against same-handed pitchers and sports an overall batting line of .291/.425/.472 with 20 homers and 17 stolen bases.

The Mets would shift Choo back to right field if they were to sign him, Martino reports, due to Juan Lagares' outstanding defense in center field. That's the right call, as Choo grades out as the worst defensive center fielder in baseball, among qualified players, according to both UZR and The Fielding Bible. Those same metrics suggested that Choo was poor in right field in 2012 as well, but historically he's been a serviceable glove in right. Martino adds that Eric Young would likely shift to a fourth outfielder role and notes that the team would like to see Young at second base more as well.

Choo, who ranked fifth on the most recent edition of Tim Dierkes' Free Agent Power Rankings, will also reportedly be pursued by the Cubs this winter. Back in May, Reds GM Walt Jocketty very candidly said that the Reds would love to be able to re-sign Choo but would be hard-pressed to make such a deal work from a financial standpoint.

Mets Won’t Non-Tender Ike Davis

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There's still plenty of doubt about Ike Davis' future in Queens, but the Mets aren't willing to lose him for nothing.  There is no consideration being given to the idea of non-tendering the first baseman in December, team insiders tell Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

With Lucas Duda and the shaky Davis both in the fold, a decision has to be made regarding the club's plan at first base, so the possibility of trading Davis remains.  However, club officials believe that Davis will not be cost prohibitive in 2014 in a way that would force them to cut him loose.  Davis, 26, earned $3.125MM this season as a first-year arbitration eligible player.

It's extremely rare for a player’s salary to decrease during their arbitration years, but the Mets appear to think they may have a case for a salary reduction if it ever got to a hearing, Rubin writes.  A player could receive as much as a 20% cut from his previous year’s salary either through an arbitration hearing or a pre-hearing settlement, leaving Davis' floor to be $2.5MM for 2014.  

Rubin found only a handful of salary cuts in arbitration over the years with the most recent one taking place in 1993.  Royals pitcher Aaron Crow agreed to a 20% pay cut before the 2013 season, but that was an unusual case in which he was not yet arbitration eligible and his 2012 salary had been worked out when he was drafted No. 12 overall three years earlier.

Even if Davis gets a salary similar to his $3.125MM pay this year, it won't be a major impediment for the Mets, especially when considering the amount of money they have coming off of the books. 

Mets Could Trade Frank Francisco

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Frank Francisco made his season debut with the Mets yesterday, pitching two-thirds of an inning and issuing a walk in a scoreless appearance. A free agent at season's end, Francisco may not even close out the year with the Mets, as one team official told Adam Rubin of ESPN New York that it's "certainly possible" that the Mets will trade Francisco soon.

According to Rubin, the Mets weren't pleased with what they perceived to be a lack of urgency on Francisco's part to get back to the Major Leagues. Francisco is earning $6.5MM in the second season of a two-year, $12MM contract he signed to be the team's closer. He's been disappointing in New York, to say the least, having pitched to a 5.44 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in just 43 innings of work. Since joining the Mets, Francisco has missed time due to an oblique strain, right elbow tendonitis and recovery from surgery to remove bone spurs from that same elbow.

Interested parties could look at Francisco's track record and hope that he's a low-cost upgrade if he's back to full health. Prior to signing with the Mets, Francisco had compiled a 3.54 ERA with 10.5 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and 49 saves from 2008-11. He also dominated on his minor league rehab assignment, yielding just one run on eight hits and three walks with 14 strikeouts over 12 innings across three levels.

The Mets would be happy to simply receive some relief on the $746K remaining on his salary, writes Rubin. Of course, an acquiring team wouldn't be able to include Francisco on its postseason roster, but he could still play a role in helping a team get to the playoffs. Such acquisitions aren't particularly common, but the situation wouldn't be too dissimilar from the Rockies' 2010 acquisition of Octavio Dotel. Rubin speculates that the Yankees could be a fit for Francisco.

NL East Notes: Bethancourt, Tejada, Zimmerman

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The Braves will promote top prospect Christian Bethancourt today, according to Tom Hart of FOX Sports in Atlanta (Twitter link). The 22-year-old catcher hit .277/.305/.436 at Double-A Mississippi this season. While those numbers don't look tremendously impressive, Bethancourt turned it on after a slow start, batting .300/.339/.521 with 11 homers from June 13 on. He currently ranks as the Braves' No. 3 prospect and the fifth-best catching prospect in baseball in the eyes of MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. Here's more on Bethancourt and the rest of the NL East…

  • MLB.com's Mark Bowman tweets that Bethancourt's promotion will allow him to get acquainted with the Majors, which is a good thing, as it's likely that he or Evan Gattis will be the Braves' starting catcher in 2014. In doing so, Bowman implies that Brian McCann is likely to sign elsewhere as a free agent. That thought has been echoed by others in recent weeks, including David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  • The Mets will stall Ruben Tejada's promotion back to the Majors, writes Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, and in doing so, they will delay his free agency until after the 2017 season instead of the 2016 season. Tejada hasn't exactly torn the cover off the ball of late, as he's batted just .275/.324/.364 from July through Sept. 2 at Triple-A Las Vegas — one of the most hitter-friendly environments in all of professional baseball.
  • Ryan Zimmerman has regained confidence in his throwing and believes he can continue to play third base for the Nationals, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Zimmerman concedes that he doubted his future at the hot corner earlier in the season. He tells Kilgore that his shoulder injuries in 2012 wore his right arm down to the point where he couldn't lift it above his head, causing him to develop bad throwing habits. He had surgery to repair the shoulder last October, but breaking those poor habits and rebuilding the strength in his arm has been a slow process, Zimmerman says. Ultimately, the decision on when to move to first won't be Zimmerman's, Kilgore writes. The team could even move Adam LaRoche this winter and make the switch in 2014.

Quick Hits: Walker, Mets, Padres

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Monday's game between the Astros and the Mariners will feature Jarred Cosart and Taijuan Walker, two top 100 prospects who made their debuts this year, MLB.com's Jason Mastrodonato reports. Before the season, Cosart was ranked the No. 73 prospect in baseball by MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and No. 86 by ESPN's Keith Law. Mayo ranked Walker baseball's No. 4 prospect, and Law had Walker at No. 9. The game will also be Walker's first at Safeco Field, and his last of 2013. Here are more notes from around the Majors.

  • The Mets could pursue a free agent shortstop in the coming offseason, Andy Martino of New York Daily News writes. Stephen Drew might be a possibility, and Yunel Escobar could be as well if the Rays decline his option, Martino reports. It seems doubtful that Escobar will be on the free agent market, but Drew, who is making $9.5MM this season, might make sense. (Other free agent options include Jhonny Peralta and Clint Barmes; you can find the full list of free agents here.) Martino quotes a team official calling Ruben Tejada a "very disappointing kid," but it's still possible that Tejada could be the Mets' starting shortstop next year as well.
  • Padres manager Bud Black says had at least some interest in veteran pitcher Roy Oswalt before Oswalt signed with the Rockies, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock (on Twitter). Oswalt has struggled through four starts for Colorado this season. 
  • The difference between Xander Bogaerts and Derek Jeter mirrors the differences between the Red Sox and Yankees franchises in general, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Bogaerts, a dynamic young player, allowed the Sox to ship off Jose Iglesias (and three young players) in order to get Jake Peavy. Meanwhile, Jeter is declining and injury-prone. And more broadly, Sherman says, the Sox appear to have a well-stocked roster in place not only for 2013, but also for next year, whereas the Yankees' will feature a number of albatross contracts.

Minor Moves: Jhan Marinez, Aaron Harang

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Here are Sunday's minor moves from around MLB:

  • The White Sox outrighted reliever Jhan Marinez to Triple-A Charlotte, according to MLB.com's transaction page. Marinez posted a 6.11 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 for Charlotte in 2013. He had big-league cameos with the White Sox in 2012 and Marlins in 2010. The White Sox acquired him from Miami when they sent Ozzie Guillen to the Fish after the 2011 season.
  • The Mets tweeted right-hander Aaron Harang will join the club tomorrow along with catcher Juan Centeno and outfielder Mike Baxter. Neither Harang nor Centeno are on the Mets' 40-man roster and, with no openings, corresponding moves will need to be made. Harang was signed to a minor league deal by the Mets a week ago today and appeared in just one game at Triple-A Las Vegas: four innings, two runs (both earned), seven hits (one home run), five strikeouts, and one walk. Harang made 22 starts for the Mariners this year. In 120 1/3 innings, the 35-year-old posted a 5.76 ERA, 6.5 K/9, and 2.1 BB/9.

Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.

NL East Notes: Ruiz, Harvey, Collins, Sandberg

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Mets manager Terry Collins appears to be safe for next season, but GM Sandy Alderson told Jim Bowden (Twitter link) and Jim Duquette of SiriusXM that an official determination won't be made until after the current season.  However, Alderson gave yet another strong endorsement for the experienced skipper (link).  "He's done an excellent job with the resources he's had, [we're] very pleased with what he's done," said the GM.  Here's more out of the NL East..

  • The Phillies should re-sign catcher Carlos Ruiz because of his offensive resurgence and because the alternatives aren't ideal, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • Ruiz told reporters, including MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, he has not heard from the Phillies about next year but is open to negotiate whenever they want. "Everything depends on the Phillies. If they want to talk before the end of the season, we're OK with that. If not, we'll wait and see what we've got in the market. It's not in my hands, you know?" said the 34-year-old, who will become a free agent at the end of the season.
  • Alderson told Bowden and Duquette that the club will have money to spend on the free agent market this winter (link).  The GM made it clear that he will target free agent bats this offseason but also noted that he'd like to add a starter, even if Matt Harvey elects not to have surgery (Twitter links).
  • Speaking of Harvey, he'll have a second visit with Dr. James Andrews this week and a determination will be made by the third week of September (link).
  • Collins isn't the only NL East manager whose job isn't locked down for 2014.  Phillies GM Ruben Amaro told the SiriusXM duo (Twitter links) that he is still analyzing Ryne Sandberg's performance and hasn't decided yet if there will be an interview process for the position.  From the conversation, Bowden didn't get the impression that it's a slam dunk that Sandberg will have his interim tag removed.

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

Rosenthal On Angels, Gibson, LaRoche, Dodgers

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports brings us his latest edition of Full Count this weekend.  Let's take a look inside..

  • There's still a month to go in the regular season, but the Angels are already scouting pitchers they could go after in free agency or in trades.  The needs in the rotation will be less glaring if they re-sign Jason Vargas – that would give them a front four of Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Garrett Richards, and Vargas.  The Halos nearly traded Howie Kendrick for a package headlined by the Dodgers' Zach Lee in July and they could pursue something similar with teams deep in young starters this offseason, like the Nationals and Mets.
  • A number of Diamondbacks players are frustrated with manager Kirk Gibson's changing lineups and they relate more with third base coach Matt Williams, but he could leave to manage the Nationals or another club once the season is through.  However, the D'Backs have no plans to replace Gibson with Williams or anyone else.
  • The first base free agent market will be thin this offseason with Justin Morneau, James Loney, and Mike Napoli headlining the class.  The trade market doesn't look much better, but it does have a few options.  Adam LaRoche of the Nationals figures to be among them as they look to move Ryan Zimmerman to first and Anthony Rendon to third.  The Mets' Ike Davis will probably be another and he could benefit from a move to a more hitter-friendly park.
  • The Dodgers will not lack rotation options next offseason – they'll try to re-sign Ricky Nolasco and they'll eventually get Chad Billingsley and Josh Beckett back.  The team also has three minor league prospects in Lee, Ross Stripling, and Matt Magill, who figure to pitch at some point in 2014.  The good news is that the Dodgers should be deep enough to give them time to develop.

New York Notes: Backman, Hughes, Rodriguez

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As we ease into the evening's slate of ballgames, here are a few quick notes on the two ballclubs that call New York home:

  • If the Mets retain manager Terry Collins next season, as is widely expected, the team could stand to lose Triple-A manager Wally Backman, writes the New York Post's Mike Puma. Backman, who was a finalist for Collins's job, could look elsewhere to advance his career if he isn't given a seat in the New York dugout.
  • The notion of the Yankees giving struggling starter Phil Hughes a qualifying offer at year end has gone from plausible to laughable, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. While GM Brian Cashman was reportedly telling other clubs at the trade deadline that a QO was a serious consideration, a competing GM now tells Heyman: "They may make a qualifying offer. And I may run for president."
  • A schedule has been set for hearing Alex Rodriguez's appeal of his 211-game suspension, reports Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com. If the Yankees fail to qualify for the postseason, the proceedings will begin on September 30th, the day after the regular season ends. If the Yanks sneak back in, a delay would be likely since Rodriguez is entitled to be personally present. At least 45 more days are expected to be needed for a decision. Of course, the longer it takes to resolve the situation, the longer the New York front office will remain in the dark on how much money it will save on the rest of A-Rod's deal. 

Mets Notes: Kazmir, Prospects, Duda, Yankees

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Scott Kazmir will take the mound for the Indians on Friday night in his first career start against the Mets, the team that originally drafted him 15th overall in 2002 and infamously traded him for Victor Zambrano in July 2004.  ESPN New York's Adam Rubin talks to Kazmir about the trade, his brief tenure with the Mets and his comeback with Cleveland.  Here are some items about the Amazins…

  • The Mets heavily scouted other organizations for power-hitting prospects earlier this season, a rival executive tells Newsday's Marc Carig.  The Mets will put a priority on obtaining some big bats this winter, as manager Terry Collins admitted the team is lacking in power. 
  • Some of that power could come from internal options like Lucas Duda, who has hit well since taking over the first base job from the injured Ike Davis.  Metsblog.com's Maggie Wiggin thinks Duda could be a cheap and potentially very productive first base option for New York next season.  Duda has hit better over his career when playing first, possibly due to being freed from the pressure of playing the outfield, where Duda is a major defensive liability.  If nothing else, Wiggin thinks Duda's September audition could make him a trade chip for an AL team looking for first base or DH help.
  • The Mets could look across New York for help on the free agent market this winter, as ESPN New York's Mark Simon lists Curtis Granderson, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain as possible fits for the Mets in 2014.
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