Ruben Tejada Could File Grievance Against Mets
Infielder Ruben Tejada could file a grievance against the Mets over a disagreement about his service time, Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan reports. Tejada is represented by the Legacy Agency.
The issue stems from a late promotion from Triple-A Las Vegas in September. Las Vegas was eliminated from the Pacific Coast League playoffs on September 7. The Mets waited to promote Tejada until September 10, and that left him with two years and 171 days of playing time. The Mets had promoted several players the previous day.
Another day of service time would have given Tejada three full years, thus potentially making him eligible for free agency after the 2016 season. As it stands, the earliest he can be eligible for free agency is after the 2017 season. He will, however, be arbitration-eligible this offseason as a Super Two player.
It is not uncommon for teams to time promotions based on service time considerations. Passan suggests, however, that they are not typically quite as obvious about it as the Mets were in Tejada's case.
If Tejada were to receive the extra day of service time, Passan writes, Charlie Furbush of the Mariners would become eligible for arbitration as a Super Two player. Super Two status is determined by a percentage of players with less than three years of service time, and Furbush would take Tejada's place among that group of players in such a scenario.
Tejada hit .202/.259/.260 in 227 plate appearances for the Mets last season. He currently appears to be in line to start at shortstop in 2014, although the Mets could pursue other shortstops in the offseason.
AL East Notes: Red Sox, Orioles, Choo, Yankees, Rays
Red Sox GM Ben Cherington has acknowledged teams are inquiring about their rotation depth, but the Boston Herald's Michael Silverman notes there's an element missing from the starters' equation: a potential ace in his mid-20s. Silverman believes it will be close to impossible to acquire such a pitcher through trade or free agency, so the best bet is an internal option. Henry Owens, the 36th overall selection in the 2011 amateur draft, tops Silverman's list of future homegrown aces, as the 21-year-old left-hander posted a 2.67 ERA, 11.3 K/9, and 4.5 BB/9 in 135 innings (26 starts) across Boston's Class A Advanced and Double-A levels. Here's more from the AL East:
- Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com wonders if the Orioles should make a play for free agent pitcher Bartolo Colon. On one hand, Colon pitched to a 2.65 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 30 starts and could possibly be signed for just one year. Of course, Colon will turn 41 early on in the 2014 season and missed a good chunk of 2012 thanks to having elevated testosterone levels.
- Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com looked back at ten moves by former GM Andy MacPhail that helped shape the Orioles. The list starts with MacPhail's signing of first-round pick Matt Wieters in 2007. The O's didn't have the best history with agent Scott Boras at that point, but MacPhail worked out a deal that included a $6MM signing bonus for the player who turned out to be the best catcher in club history.
- Shin-Soo Choo would bring more than just a solid on-base percentage to the Yankees or their crosstown rivals, writes David Lennon of Newsday. Lennon wonders if Choo's marketability overseas could give him extra value to one of the New York teams given that they have the second-largest Korean population in the U.S and offer more exposure than anyone else.
- Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times runs down possible targets for the Rays this winter at their different areas of need. The list starts with Mets first baseman Ike Davis, who could be an interesting buy-low fit.
- The Rays were interested in Mark Lowe last offseason before he was scooped up by the Dodgers, Topkin writes. Tampa Bay signed the 30-year-old reliever to a minor league deal yesterday.
Edward Creech contributed to this post.
NL East Notes: Mets, Phillies, Howard, Maholm
Here's today's look at the National League East..
- Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson insisted in a pair of interviews that he fully intends on making a notable move this offseason and isn't just sticking his toe in the water, writes Marc Carig of Newsday. Alderson said next season will be "a new day" for the franchise, but questions persist about whether the Mets can afford meaningful upgrades, either through free agency or the trade market.
- Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that the $125MM deal signed with Ryan Howard in 2010 is making the Phillies cautious this winter. GM Ruben Amaro has spent on a big-ticket item in each of the last three seasons but he does not sound like a man willing to splurge this winter. With that said, Gelb notes that Amaro's public face tends to differ from his true intentions.
- Jordan Hall of CSNPhilly.com sizes up Paul Maholm and Jason Vargas as possible targets for the Phillies.
East Notes: Murphy, Cano, Perez, Rays
The Mets are looking for players to buy into their offensive philosophy, and that means finding guys with discipline at the plate, writes Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. That might help to explain why the free-swinging Daniel Murphy has found himself on the pages of MLBTR over the last week or so. Marlon Byrd, who signed a lucrative two-year deal with the Philies, didn't show up on the Mets radar because he also doesn't fit the bill for what the Mets are looking for. Possible target Curtis Granderson, however, boasts a solid walk rate. Here's more out of the AL and NL East..
- It was hard to find an executive at the GM Meetings who didn't expect to see Robinson Cano back with the Yankees, but almost everyone expects a leverage battle between the two sides, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman suggests that the Bombers could invoke a similar strategy to what they did with Andy Pettitte after the 2008 season. The Yanks offered the hurler a pay cut from $16MM to $10MM and when he declined, they cautioned that the offer would go down if they signed someone else. After they spent megabucks on Mark Teixeira, Pettitte (reluctantly) accepted a $5.5MM deal.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson told Mike Francesa of WFAN Radio that he wouldn’t trade Noah Syndergaard under virtually any circumstances, according to Matthew Cerrone of Metsblog.
- The Nationals have interest in free agent Oliver Perez, a person familiar with the situation tells Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Left-handed batters hit .238/.358/.288 against the 32-year-old reliever last season.
- After numerous conversations with player agents and other teams, Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman headed home from the GM Meetings with a better sense of potential moves, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The Rays are looking for a first baseman, catcher, and one or two late-inning relievers. Friedman isn't sure if their next move is a trade or signing, but he "would be surprised" if nothing happened between now and the winter meetings on December 8th.
Mets Notes: Aceves, Collins, Alderson, Peralta
Is Ike Davis on his way out of New York? Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that a deal involving Davis appears likely while Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported yesterday that the Orioles, Astros, Rays, Rockies, and Brewers are all interested. More on the Mets..
- There is "a good possibility" the Mets will sign Alfredo Aceves, ESPN's Buster Olney tweets. We heard yesterday that the Mets were amongst the team interested in the reliever.
- Terry Collins said the club's top offseason priority is to find a middle-of-the-order bat to protect David Wright, ESPN New York's Adam Rubin reports. The manager expects his team to also look at adding some starting pitching and adopt "the Red Sox model" of signing multiple mid-tier free agents
- No one will take the Mets seriously until they spend money and sign a free agent, writes David Lennon of Newsday. Despite that, GM Sandy Alderson says that he doesn't feel any undue pressure. "Do I sense it? Yeah, to some extent," Alderson said. "Do I tune it out? Yes, to the largest extent possible. Because for us this is a day-to-day proposition and it's not that predictable, so I sort of have to take it out of the equation. I sense it, but work through it."
- In the face of Scott Boras' job comparing the Mets to NASA – an outfit that has big rockets but few astronauts – signing Jhonny Peralta would be a great way for them to launch their offseason, writes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. The Mets met with the free agent shortstop yesterday.
- Alderson isn't looking to tie up big bucks in just a few players, writes Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal.
Rosenthal On Wieters, Butler, Choo, Davis
Here's a look at the latest news from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- Major league sources say it's not a surprise that the Orioles are willing to deal Matt Wieters. The bigger question is how Baltimore would reshape the roster if they made such a move. The O's don't have much breathing room to spend, but Rosenthal suggests the Orioles could gain flexibility by moving the catcher and also closer Jim Johnson, who projects to earn $10.8MM through arbitration. The O's could then find cheaper alternatives at both positions and be aggressive on the open market.
- If the Royals sign Carlos Beltran or another right-handed slugger, they could afford to trade designated hitter Billy Butler, who is signed for $8MM in 2014 with a $12.5MM club option for ’15. The Mariners are among the teams that covet Butler, a major league source tells Rosenthal.
- The Reds haven’t given up on re-signing Shin-Soo Choo, but they probably would need to trade Brandon Phillips and possibly Homer Bailey to create the necessary room, sources say. We've heard that Phillips is a likely a goner, but Bailey a more difficult call since losing him would require the Reds to move Aroldis Chapman to the rotation, unless they acquired another starter. All that might be too much to ask to accommodate the signing of a $100MM+ free agent, but they'd ideally like to have Choo back to give them another year before putting Billy Hamilton in center field. If they lose Choo, they likely would go with Hamilton and seek out a veteran complement in center.
- The Mets appear likely to trade Ike Davis, who is drawing interest from a number of clubs. Rosenthal also cautions not to be surprised if they move Daniel Murphy as well.
- Opinions are split on Jacoby Ellsbury's value. One rival exec's statistical analysis rated Ellsbury as the top Red Sox player last season, ahead of Dustin Pedroia. Others in the industry, however, are wary of Ellsbury’s diminished power since he has hit only 13 home runs over the past two seasons.
- One rival exec described the Rangers' infield logjam as an untenable situation.
East Notes: Mets, Blue Jays, Nationals
Mets GM Sandy Alderson says it doesn't make sense for his team to sign a player who will cost more than $100MM, Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal reports. That means they likely won't pursue Shin-Soo Choo, even though he would make sense for their roster. "If you want to look at the data and the way we look at data and associate winning teams with payroll concentration, you realize that there are limits to how effective an overall team can be with their payroll concentrated in a small number of players," says Alderson. The Mets already have $138MM tied up in David Wright. Here are more notes from the East divisions.
- Wright wants the Mets to follow the Red Sox' lead in free agency, Newsday's Marc Carig writes. "It seemed like it worked for Boston last year. If you can get three or four — maybe not those marquee free agents — but three or four guys that are very good, solid, players I think it helps us fill more holes," says Wright, referring, presumably, to Boston's offseason acquisitions of players like Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, Stephen Drew and Koji Uehara.
- The Blue Jays plan to turn to the trade market before trying to sign any big free agents, writes Shi Davidi of SportsNet.ca. The Jays appear likely to try to deal for Jeff Samardzija of the Cubs, and they already asked about Reds catcher Ryan Hanigan, who may have become superfluous when Cincinnati signed Brayan Pena. They may have also considered a run at Astros catcher Jason Castro. Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos notes that the Jays are not likely to deal veteran players for prospects. They could, however, trade catcher J.P. Arencibia, or a reliever.
- The Nationals want to improve their bench and bullpen this offseason, the Washington Post's Adam Kilgore writes. They've already made contact with lefty relievers like Javier Lopez and Boone Logan, and they could look into J.P. Howell and Manny Parra as well. They could also look for a left-handed bat for their bench.
Mets Meet With Jhonny Peralta
The Mets recently had a meeting with shortstop Jhonny Peralta at the GM meetings, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman writes. The Mets are in the shortstop market after struggling through the 2013 season with Omar Quintanilla and Ruben Tejada at the position, and the two best shortstops on the free agent market are Peralta and Stephen Drew. Unlike Drew, signing Peralta would not require the Mets to sacrifice a draft pick, although the Mets' first-round pick, at No. 10 overall, is protected either way.
Heyman notes that players do not normally attend the GM meetings, but that, after Peralta's Biogenesis suspension in 2013, appearing in person might have been a smart move. Peralta hit .303/.358/.457 with the Tigers in 107 games last season.
Central Rumors: Hart, Pelfrey, Suzuki, Cubs, Indians
Today's news out of the AL and NL Central..
- The Brewers are considering bringing back Corey Hart to fill their first-base need and it appears they may favor him over other first base options like Mets first baseman Ike Davis and free agent Justin Morneau, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. A Brewers person didn't look overly enthused when asked about Davis or Morneau and added that the rumored trade of Norichika Aoki for Davis would not be happening.
- Agent Scott Boras says that he's gotten good interest from a "variety of teams" on client Mike Pelfrey and said the Twins are amongst those clubs, tweets Phil Miller of the Star Tribune. He also claims that Pelfrey holds a multi-year offer.
- The Cubs don’t plan to drop big bucks on a free agent catcher like Brian McCann or Jarrod Saltalamacchia and sources tell Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com they have their eye on a cheaper target: Kurt Suzuki. The Cubs are seeking out a veteran backstop to complement Welington Castillo.
- Cubs GM Jed Hoyer told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) there's been ongoing trade interest in Nate Schierholtz since mid-season.
- Justin Masterson will listen if the Indians want to approach him with a multi-year offer, writes Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.
NL East Rumors: Brown, Mets, Aceves, Phillies, Price
The latest from the NL East..
- The Phillies are willing to listen on Domonic Brown, but a rumored Brown-for-Jose Bautista swap isn't happening, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
- Jeff Wilpon said the Mets are close to making some sort of transaction earlier today, but GM Sandy Alderson seemed genuinely surprised when that was relayed to him by reporters, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post.
- The Mets are among the clubs with interest in former Red Sox hurler Alfredo Aceves, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro isn't eager to move young talent, tweets Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Everybody is looking for the same thing, and that's young controllable players. There is no reason for us to be moving any of them," the GM said.
- A trade to land Rays ace David Price would probably call for the Nationals to part with Anthony Rendon, Lucas Giolito, and another prospect or two from the club's top-tier, writes Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider. Because of the steep price, it's probably not worthwhile.