Mets Rumors

Quick Hits: Harden, Wheeler, Padres, Votto, Mets

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 3, 2012 at 11:40pm CDT

Links for Tuesday as news and rumors pick up after a holiday lull…

Free agent right-hander Rich Harden is drawing interest from teams that would use him either as a starter or a reliever, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Harden posted 9.9 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 82 2/3 innings as a starter for the Athletics in 2011.
The Twins continue eyeing affordable right-handed relievers and have been in touch with the agent for Dan Wheeler, according to Phil Mackey of 1500ESPN.com. Wheeler, who has also drawn some interest from the Pirates, sits below a couple of pitchers on the Twins’ list.
The Pirates have had discussions with free agent left-hander Paul Maholm, but it remains highly unlikely that he'll return to Pittsburgh, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The Mat Latos trade improved a Padres farm system that already ranked among the game’s best, Jim Callis of Baseball America wrote in this week’s edition of Ask BA.
One MLB executive suggested to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Cubs and Blue Jays may prefer to pass on Prince Fielder, since Joey Votto projects to hit free agency two years from now when both Chicago and Toronto could have stronger teams (Twitter link).
Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com provides contract details for Mets relievers Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco, who both agreed to terms during the Winter Meetings.

Minor Moves: Davis, Quintanilla, Nelson

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 3, 2012 at 4:14pm CDT

Here's where we'll keep track of today's minor moves…

The Padres signed catcher Brad Davis to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock. Davis, a San Diego native, appeared in 33 games with the Marlins in 2011.
The Mets signed Omar Quintanilla to a minor league contract, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Quintanilla, 30, appeared in 11 games for the Rangers this past season and spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he posted a .298/.369/.452 line in 234 plate appearances. He'll provide the Mets with depth at shortstop.
The Rangers re-signed first baseman Brad Nelson to a minor league deal, tweets Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com. Nelson, a former top prospect, posted a .281/.360/.501 line with 24 homers at Triple-A last year. The 29-year-old made it to the Major Leagues as a member of the Brewers in 2008-09.

Braves, Rays, Mets Interested In Ryan Theriot

By Mike Axisa | December 29, 2011 at 11:48am CDT

The Braves, Rays, and Mets are among the teams looking at Ryan Theriot, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The Reds and Rockies are also said to have interest in the infielder, who was non-tendered earlier this month.

Theriot, 32, hit .271/.321/.342 in 483 plate appearances for the World Champion Cardinals last season. He only stole four bases (in ten chances) though, ending his streak of three consecutive seasons with 20+ steals. Theriot had been in line for a $3.9MM salary his third time though arbitration according to our projections.

Quick Hits: Theriot, Smith, Athletics, Dodgers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 27, 2011 at 11:29pm CDT

It’s been a quiet day from a transactions standpoint, but we’ve got some late night links to pass along as Tuesday turns into Wednesday…

The Rockies have some interest in free agent infielder Ryan Theriot, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter links). The Rockies are considering many options at second base and there’s no indication that the team is seriously pursuing Theriot at the moment, but it’s the first time he’s been linked to Colorado since the Cardinals non-tendered him earlier this month.
It’s “very likely” that the Rockies will trade Seth Smith before Opening Day, Renck writes.
Athletics managing partner Lew Wolff told Jane Lee and Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com that the club isn't any closer to moving to San Jose to his knowledge. "We're still looking for a 'yes' or 'no' answer," he said. USA Today recently reported that the A’s may soon obtain permission to move.
Free agent infielder Omar Vizquel suggested on Twitter that he wouldn't consider signing with the Mets. The 44-year-old has indicated that he would be interested in signing with the Giants.
Billionaire Steven Cohen is bidding for the Dodgers, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. Agent Arn Tellem and former deputy commissioner Steve Greenberg are allies with Cohen, who has already met with some MLB owners, according to Shaikin.

Quick Hits: Beltran, Corpas, Dickey, Ross

By Tim Dierkes | December 27, 2011 at 1:01pm CDT

Six years ago today, the Diamondbacks officially traded third baseman Troy Glaus and shortstop prospect Sergio Santos to the Blue Jays for righty Miguel Batista and second baseman Orlando Hudson. Josh Byrnes and J.P. Ricciardi were the respective GMs. Glaus' retirement came with little fanfare despite 320 career home runs and four All-Star Game appearances. Santos eventually found his way to the White Sox, who helped him become a successful reliever and recently traded him back to Toronto. Batista is a 40-year-old free agent with 101 career wins to his name. Hudson, a four-time Gold Glove winner, is a trade candidate for the Padres, the team Byrnes now heads up. Ricciardi now serves as a special assistant to Mets GM Sandy Alderson, who appears to have interest in re-signing Batista.

MLBTR was less than two months old at the time of the Glaus trade; you can read my paragraph on it here. Back then the site was a one-man show with gray text against a black background, and Twitter did not exist. We've come a long way! On to today's links…

Carlos Beltran offered to sign with the Yankees for the same two-year, $26MM deal he ultimately signed with St. Louis, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Adds Heyman, "Like seven years ago, they declined."
Reliever Manny Corpas, who agreed to a non-guaranteed split contract with the Cubs, has a $1MM base salary while in the bigs with another potential $1MM in incentives, tweets Heyman.
The Mets sent R.A. Dickey's agent a letter to warn that they can void his contract if he's injured climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in January, writes Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal. As GM Sandy Alderson noted, that hasn't dissuaded the 37-year-old knuckleballer.
The Rockies' interest in Cody Ross is based on whether they trade Seth Smith, writes ESPN's Buster Olney.
Yahoo's Jeff Passan looks at the 2012-13 free agent class, writing, "What the class lacks in breadth up top it makes up for in depth." We've got the full list here. The potentially available young starting pitching looks deep in theory, but we'll see which of Matt Cain, Cole Hamels, Zack Greinke, Anibal Sanchez, and Brandon McCarthy are extended.

Quick Hits: Garza, Mets, Pirates, Red Sox, Astros

By Zachary Links | December 24, 2011 at 9:15pm CDT

Here's a look at some items out of the AL and NL East..

The Cubs aren't going to stop their rebuilding process with their trade of Sean Marshall to the Reds, writes Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune. The next move for Theo Epstein & Co. might be to flip Matt Garza if he doesn't sign a contract before free agency but yesterday the Cubs GM said that he's exactly the type of pitcher he wants to build around.
The Mets worry MLB enough to be seen as a troubled franchise on a short tether, writes Richard Sandomir of the New York Times. Mets officials declined to speak about the team's debt but Sandomir talks with to a number of people familiar with the Mets' financial situation including Howard Megdal.
A reader asked Keith Law of ESPN.com (via Twitter) if the recently DFA'd Jai Miller would be a good fit for the Pirates. The Athletics designated the 27-year-old for assignment last night to bring their 40-man roster back to the limit.
New Red Sox pitching coach Bob McClure has a special familiarity with his toughest task this year, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. Like Alfredo Aceves and Daniel Bard, McClure also made the jump from reliever to starter during his playing days with the Brewers.
Baseball was lucky to have former Astros owner Drayton McLane involved in the sport for as long as they did, writes MLB.com's Richard Justice.

Mets Sign Rob Johnson

By Mike Axisa | December 22, 2011 at 11:32am CDT

The Mets have signed catcher Rob Johnson to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, the team announced.

Johnson, 28, hit .190/.259/.285 in 199 plate appearances for the Padres last year and owns a .197/.275/.297 career line in parts of five big league seasons. He's thrown out 28% of attempted basestealers and is a .272/.328/.385 career hitter in nearly 1,400 Triple-A plate appearances. Johnson gives the Mets some veteran depth behind Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas.

New York Notes: Thole, Wright, Yankees

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 22, 2011 at 8:08am CDT

The Yankees and Mets play in baseball’s biggest market, but both are in the midst of quiet offseasons, as our Free Agent Tracker shows. The Bronx Bombers re-signed Freddy Garcia and extended C.C. Sabathia after exercising options on Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano. The Mets lost Jose Reyes to the Marlins, traded for Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez and signed Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco. Here are the latest rumors from New York:

The Mets continue to explore possibilities behind the plate and they had interest in Luis Martinez before the Padres sent him to the Rangers yesterday, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. Josh Thole, the Mets’ projected starter, will head to Dallas to work on his receiving with catching coordinator Bob Natal in the coming weeks, Puma writes. Mike Nickeas projects as the Mets' backup now that they non-tendered Ronny Paulino.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post expects the Mets to hold onto David Wright until the July trade deadline (Twitter link).
The Mets and Yankees are two of the teams that continue to seek a utility infielder, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. The Braves, Cubs and Giants are also interested in utility infielders and Jack Wilson, Ronny Cedeno, Craig Counsell and Aaron Miles are among the available free agents.

Mets Interested In Eric Young Jr.

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 20, 2011 at 11:46am CDT

The Mets have expressed interest in Eric Young Jr. of the Rockies, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Rubin's source indicated that the Mets may be able to obtain Young by sending Justin Turner to Colorado and that the teams continue discussing Jon Niese. However, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets that Turner's name hasn't come up yet.

Young, 26, has a .246/.324/.295 line with 15 extra base hits in 479 career plate appearances in three stints at the Major League level as an outfielder and second baseman. The Rockies' plans at second remain unclear, but the outfield has become crowded with the recent additions of Tyler Colvin and Michael Cuddyer.

The Rockies nearly traded Young to the Mariners during the Winter Meetings, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). All signs point to a trade involving Young before Spring Training, Renck reports.

NL East Notes: DeRosa, Hamels, Martinez, Prado

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 19, 2011 at 9:41pm CDT

Ed Wade is heading back to the NL East after four years in Houston. Here are more links from the division, starting with Wade’s longtime team…

Mark DeRosa says he's interested in playing for the Nationals, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (Twitter links). However, other teams are interested and DeRosa is not close to making a decision.
Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says he's comfortable heading into Spring Training with the team he has, according to Paul Hagen of MLB.com. The Phillies have already made major free agent signings, added complementary players such as Laynce Nix, Jim Thome and Dontrelle Willis and signed players to minor league deals, as our Free Agent Tracker shows.
Those who know Cole Hamels doubt he would give the Phillies much of a discount on a potential extension, according to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. The 27-year-old John Boggs & Associates client posted a 2.79 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and a 52.3% ground ball rate in 215 innings this past season. He's set to hit free agency after the 2012 season (MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $14MM salary for Hamels in his final season of arbitration eligibility).
Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com shows that the Mets already have a projected payroll in the $90MM range. GM Sandy Alderson has suggested the team's payroll could be less than $100MM, so the Mets may not have much offseason shopping remaining.
The Mets are interested in catcher Luis Martinez, who was designated for assignment by the Padres on Sunday, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post (on Twitter). The 26-year-old hit .203/.309/.305 in 68 plate appearances with the Padres this past season.
The Braves and Rockies have continued discussing a possible deal that would send Seth Smith to Atlanta for Martin Prado, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The Braves appear to be seeing what they can get for Jair Jurrjens first, however. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports examined possible suitors for Smith earlier today, including the Braves despite their preference for a right-handed hitter.

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