Mets Rumors

NL East Links: Nats, Mets, Morrison, Cespedes

By Mark Polishuk | January 27, 2012 at 9:21pm CDT

As the Phillie Phanatic hangs out with Tina Fey and the gang on 30 Rock, here's the latest from the NL East…

Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told media (including Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post) that the Nats are still "not done with our bullpen," even after signing Brad Lidge. Rizzo said he is still looking to improve the rotation if possible but said the Nationals will stick with internal options for the center field job.
ESPN New York's Adam Rubin looks at the difficulties facing the Wilpon family as they try to keep ownership of the Mets.
The Mets could have the biggest one-year payroll drop in baseball history, reports Rubin.
Signing Yoenis Cespedes would be a "big risk" for the Marlins, opined outfielder Logan Morrison while appearing on Sirius XM Radio's First Pitch yesterday (passed on by the Miami Herald's Clark Spencer). Morrison thinks the club should try to sign him, but in reference to Cespedes' athletic feats in his famous YouTube intro clip, Morrison said "…you don't need to catch balls behind your back in games, and you don't need to jump 100 feet in the air and leg press 20,000 pounds, or whatever the heck he's doing. It's all about playing the game the right way and applying your skills to the game. And if he can do that, then he'll be very, very dangerous."
The Phillies' payroll and its proximity to the luxury tax threshold is examined by Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Minor Moves: Sweeney, Tuiasosopo, Redding, Cabrera

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 27, 2012 at 2:00pm CDT

The latest minor league deals…

The Mariners signed former MLB reliever Brian Sweeney to a minor league contract, MLB.com's Greg Johns reports. Sweeney spent the 2011 season with the Mets' top affiliate and last appeared in the Majors with the 2010 Mariners.
The Twins signed left-hander Luke French, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports (Twitter links). French owns a 4.99 ERA with 4.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 155 Major League innings.
The Mets signed infielder Matt Tuiasosopo, who picked up MLB experience with the Mariners from 2008-10, Eddy reports.
The Blue Jays signed right-hander Tim Redding and left-hander Bill Murphy, according to Eddy. Redding has substantial MLB experience as a starter for the Astros, Nationals and Mets.
Eddy reports that four catchers signed minor league deals: Mitch Canham joined the Rockies, Orlando Mercado agreed to terms with the Marlins, Kyle Phillips caught on with the Blue Jays and Max St. Pierre signed with the Red Sox. Phillips appeared in 36 games for the 2011 Padres and St. Pierre made his debut with the 2010 Tigers after 14 minor league seasons.
Former MLB starter Daniel Cabrera signed a minor league deal with the Pirates, Mario Rojas of CandelaDeportiva reports. Cabrera, 30, was a fixture in Baltimore's rotation from 2004-08, but hasn't pitched in MLB since 2009.
The Cubs re-signed infielder Bobby Scales, who started the 2011 season in Chicago before going to Japan, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweets.
The Phillies re-signed former Tigers outfielder Brent Clevlen, Goldstein tweets.
The Orioles signed 18-year-old outfielder Andres Aguilar, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. The speedy Guatemala native has a strong throwing arm.

Mets Monitoring Outfield Market

By Dan Mennella | January 26, 2012 at 6:37pm CDT

The Mets are "diligently monitoring" the market for left-handed-hitting outfielders such as Johnny Damon, Kosuke Fukudome, Rick Ankiel, Raul Ibanez and Juan Pierre, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. Crasnick adds that the surplus of players who fit that bill affords the cash-strapped Mets with some much-needed negotiating leverage (Twitter links).

Andres Torres is the Mets' projected starting center fielder, and he'll be flanked by Jason Bay in left and perhaps a platoon of Scott Hairston and Lucas Duda in right, so it's unclear as to what role one of the above-mentioned players would fill.

As our Transaction Tracker shows, it's been a pretty quiet offseason for the Mets, their most notable moves being the acquisitions of Torres and relievers Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch and Ramon Ramirez.

NL East Notes: Cora, Rodriguez, Phillies, Mets

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 26, 2012 at 3:41pm CDT

The latest links from the NL East…

Though Alex Cora announced his retirement from winter ball, he intends to play in the Major Leagues this year. He has drawn interest as a coach and infielder, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. According to the Puerto Rican paper El Nuevo Dia, Cora says he'd still like to play in the majors for another year, even though he hasn’t seen official offers yet (translation by Nick Collias).
Ivan Rodriguez, who caught for the Nationals last year but hasn’t signed with a new team yet, tells Amanda Comak of the Washington Times that it’s tough not having a job. “At the same time, what you going to do?” Rodriguez said. “You really cannot do anything. The only thing I can tell you is that I'm in good shape.”
The Phillies are bottom fishing for infielders, Heyman tweets. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets that the Phillies could look for someone with a little more power than Wilson Valdez — perhaps Ryan Theriot.
The Mets don’t expect to re-sign Jason Isringhausen, though they haven’t ruled anything out, Dan Martin of the New York Post reports.

NL East Notes: Musser, Young, Marlins, Upton

By Mark Polishuk | January 23, 2012 at 9:49pm CDT

Long-time Phillies broadcast Andy Musser passed away today at age 74. Throughout his distinguished, 45-year broadcasting career, Musser covered several college and pro sporting events and teams including the NBA's 76ers, the NFL's Eagles and over 25 years calling Phillies games. All of us at MLBTR send our condolences to Musser's family, friends and listeners.

Some items from around the NL East…

Sandy Alderson tells ESPN's Jerry Crasnick that the Mets are open to bringing back right-hander Chris Young, likely on a minor league contract. Young made just four starts for the Mets last year before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, but he tells Crasnick that he hopes to be pitching by April and his "arm feels the best it has felt in quite some time" (both Twitter links).
The Marlins aren't interested in Prince Fielder in part because they feel his large contract would prevent the team from making other moves, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro as part of a reader mailbag. To wit, signing Fielder could make it hard for Miami to sign Mike Stanton to a multiyear extension.
The Marlins' arbitration hearings with Anibal Sanchez and Emilio Bonifacio have been set for February 3 and 7, respectively, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. You can keep track of those and all other cases and potential signings on the MLBTR Arbtracker.
In regards to a recent Nick Cafardo item about how the Rays could again pursue a B.J. Upton trade, Pete Kerzel of MASNsports.com thinks the Nationals may still be interested in Upton but as a free agent next winter, not via a trade that would create another roster hole.
Nationals manager Davey Johnson tells Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that his roster is basically settled going into Spring Training. Kilgore thinks if the Nats make another move, it will be for a bench bat (barring a major signing like Fielder, of course).
The Phillies have the resources to be perpetual contenders, and "should never stink again," writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Braves had to wait until recently to re-sign Jack Wilson since many of the club's offseason trade talks involved a starting or backup shortstop, writes MLB.com's Mark Bowman.

Cody Ross Decision Expected Today

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 23, 2012 at 6:56pm CDT

6:56pm: The Red Sox have "made some progress" with Ross, a team source tells Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

4:33pm: It sounds like Ross will probably end up with the Red Sox, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. Rubin suggests the Mets didn't want to spend more than $1MM.

3:59pm: The Braves aren't among the finalists for Ross, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets.

2:56pm: Free agent outfielder Cody Ross is expected to pick a team by the end of the day, Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News tweets. The Red Sox are having an ongoing dialogue with Ross, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick tweets.

The Mets also have some interest in the free agent outfielder, but the Red Sox can offer more money and a hitter-friendly home park, according to Baggarly. The Mets aren't sure Ross fits for them, so the Red Sox and others are more likely fits, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.

Ross, 31, posted a .240/.325/.405 line with 14 home runs in 461 plate appearances for the Giants in 2011, while playing all three outfield positions. The SFX client has a career .282/.349/.563 line against left-handed pitching. Ross won the NLCS MVP in 2010, when he hit three homers against the Phillies. The Braves and Rockies have also been linked to Ross this winter.

Mets Interested In Cody Ross

By Mark Polishuk | January 22, 2012 at 3:57pm CDT

SUNDAY: Andy Martino of the New York Daily News gets the feeling that the Mets' level of interest in Ross isn't very strong right now, and that there is certainly nothing imminent (Twitter link).

SATURDAY: The Mets are "making a run at signing" free agent outfielder Cody Ross, reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link). Ross would give the Mets depth at all three outfield positions, join ex-Giants teammate Andres Torres in a center field platoon or join Scott Hairston as right-handed complements to the left-handed hitting Lucas Duda in right field.

The Braves, Rockies, Reds and Athletics have all shown some interest in Ross this winter, though the latter two teams have already largely addressed their outfield needs. We heard last month that the Rockies would look at Ross only if Seth Smith was dealt, so now that Smith has been sent to Oakland, Colorado could have renewed interest.

Ross, 31, hit .240/.325/.405 in 461 plate appearances for the Giants last season. He was reportedly looking for a two-year contract, but with his market thinning out, he may have to settle for a one-year pact.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Rockies “Remain Strongly Interested” In Justin Turner

By Mike Axisa | January 21, 2012 at 8:52am CDT

With their pitching needs generally satisfied following the Seth Smith trade, the Rockies have turned their attention to adding another second baseman. They had talks with the Red Sox about Marco Scutaro, and Troy Renck of The Denver Post says they "remain strongly interested" in Justin Turner.

Last month we heard that the Mets have interest in Eric Young Jr., and that the two sides could potentially work out a trade with Turner going to Colorado. At the moment, the Rockies have DJ LeMahieu, Chris Nelson, and Jonathan Herrera penciled in at second base. The 27-year-old Turner hit .260/.334/.356 with four homers and seven steals in 487 plate appearances for he Mets last season, spending most of his time at second while also playing third and a little bit of shortstop.

Quick Hits: Lincecum, Red Sox, Gordon, Francis

By Zachary Links | January 20, 2012 at 11:02pm CDT

Friday night links..

The Giants and the agent for Tim Lincecum have made significant progress since exchanging arbitration figures and both sides are confident that a resolution can be reached before a hearing would be scheduled, writes Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News.
The Reds could look to land an infielder via trade, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
It appears that talks between the Rockies and Red Sox regarding Marco Scutaro are dormant, but Rob Bradford of WEEI.com writes that Boston's possible motivation for a move involving Scutaro would be to free up payroll. The club has reportedly expressed interest in White Sox starter Gavin Floyd and free agent outfielder Cody Ross, but neither move could be made unless a trade was made to offer budgetary relief according to a source.
The Royals and Alex Gordon aren't particularly close on a deal but talks remain cordial and both sides want to get something done, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
Left-hander Jeff Francis is starting to attract more interest from teams in the market for a starting pitcher including the Mariners, Reds, Blue Jays, and Mets, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (Twitter links)
Jesus Montero has dealt with his visa issue and is scheduled to travel from Florida to Seattle today for his Mariners physical, tweets Ken Davidoff of Newsday.
Braves GM Frank Wren doesn't believe that his club has a major personnel need, writes Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Wren also believes that this year's bullpen figures to be even deeper that last year's.
Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post (via Twitter) is told that the Marlins have no interest in bringing Ivan Rodriguez back.

NL East Notes: Lidge, Cabrera, Nationals, Wright

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 19, 2012 at 3:22pm CDT

It's been a busy offseason in the NL East and Yoenis Cespedes and Prince Fielder could join the division before the winter's up. Here are the latest links…

The Phillies have stayed in touch with Brad Lidge this offseason, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
The Braves have not offered Roy Oswalt a contract, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets.
The Braves offered Orlando Cabrera a one-year deal this winter, Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets. Cabrera, who announced his retirement yesterday, presumably obtained the offer before the Braves re-signed Jack Wilson six days ago.
The Nationals could hope to double or triple the $29MM they obtained from MASN last year when they reset their regional TV deal, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post confirms. The team hired an outside expert to re-negotiate the deal in the hopes of boosting revenues substantially, Kilgore adds. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported earlier this month that the Nationals' TV revenues could “double, triple or more” when they reset the deal.
Any team that acquires David Wright from the Mets this summer wouldn't get a draft pick if he opts out of his contract after the season and leaves as a free agent, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork confirms on Twitter. Wright can void a $16MM club option for 2013 if he's traded, so Rubin suggests the third baseman's trade value may be highest next offseason.

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