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Mets To Let Other Teams Set Market For Reyes

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The Mets intend to allow other clubs to set the market for Jose Reyes this offseason, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Mets officials have suggested that the Nationals, Marlins and Angels could bid heavily on the free agent shortstop this offseason and the Mets would prefer that others clubs establish the market for him. 

Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggested a week ago that the Mets don't want to offer Reyes more than four years and Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog hears from team sources who give him the same impression. If that’s the case, there’s a strong chance Reyes’ best offer will come from another organization. The 28-year-old finished the season well and may have a case for a $100MM contract.

NL East Notes: Wilson, Brown, Mets, Hanley

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Some news from the NL East…

  • "Folks seem to think the Nationals are going to make [a] big play for C.J. Wilson," tweets Jon Heyman from Sports Illustrated.  Heyman thinks the Nats will offer Wilson a contract worth around $75-80MM.  In August, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes thought Wilson could fetch a $100MM deal this winter given the lack of quality starters in the free agent market, but Wilson's postseason struggles will probably prevent him from that nine-figure contract.
  • Dealing Domonic Brown or keeping him in the minors in 2012 would be a short-sighted move for the Phillies, argues CSNPhilly.com's Casey Feeney.
  • "With supply seemingly exceeding demand" on the free agent closer market this winter, the Mets can look beyond the biggest names (Heath Bell, Francisco Rodriguez, Ryan Madson and Jonathan Papelbon) and still find a solid closer at a reasonable price, writes Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.  Rubin also says the Mets are looking for another left-handed reliever to pair with Tim Byrdak, as the club worries that Danny Herrera will become less effective as opponents become more familiar with him.
  • The Marlins haven't discussed moving Hanley Ramirez away from shortstop or asking Ramirez about a position change, club president David Samson tells MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
  • From that same piece, Samson says the Marlins will be "very active" this winter with their expected rise in payroll.  "We're going to be very aggressive, but we're not going to be foolish," Samson said.  "That's the key. When you raise your payroll, you've got to do it smartly, because if you don't, you are losing 90 games at a higher payroll."
  • The Braves haven't yet decided if they will exercise Eric Hinske and Nate McLouth's 2012 options, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  McLouth's $10.65MM option will certainly be bought out for $1.25MM, that's a no-brainer.  As for Hinske, he's a useful reserve — he can play first base and both corner outfield spots, and he had a .754 OPS against right-handed pitching last season.  Hinske's option is worth just $1.5MM so my guess is Atlanta brings back the former AL Rookie of the Year.

Minor Moves: Dale Thayer

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Here’s where we’ll keep track of the day’s minor moves…

  • Right-hander Dale Thayer elected free agency, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). The Mets removed the 30-year-old from their 40-man roster last Friday. Thayer spent most of the 2011 season at Triple-A Buffalo, where he posted a 2.66 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 71 innings over the course of 54 relief appearances. Though he's probably not more than an 11th or 12th pitcher on a Major League staff, his minor league numbers suggest he may have value as a depth signing on a minor league deal.

Mets Outright Pascucci, Thayer, Alvarez

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The Mets removed infielder Val Pascucci and right-handers Dale Thayer and Manny Alvarez from their 40-man roster, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). The team's 40-man roster now includes 36 players (plus five others on the 60-day disabled list).

Pascucci, 32, appeared in the Major Leagues for the first time since 2004 this year after spending most of the season at Triple-A Buffalo, where he posted a .264/.375/.476 line with 21 home runs. Thayer, 30, also spent most of the season at Triple-A Buffalo. he posted a 2.66 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 71 innings over the course of 54 relief appearances. Alvarez, 25, has never appeared in the Major Leagues. The reliever has a 4.05 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in six minor leagues seasons, but appeared in just nine games in 2011.

Mets Notes: Reyes, Wright, Rockies

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The Mets' offseason will revolve, in large part, around their pursuit of Jose Reyes. The latest Mets-related links: 

  • Five Mets executives gave Joel Sherman of the New York Post the impression that Reyes will sign elsewhere and one of them said "I don't think it is happening with the shortstop." Reyes' injuries and the Mets' financial problems may prevent them from winning the bidding on the free agent-to-be. Sherman gets the sense that the Mets don't want to offer more than four years with an option, though they would like Reyes back.
  • The Mets will be open-minded when teams inquire about David Wright.
  • One team official acknowledged that it would be foolish not to explore the market for the third baseman. "However, I expect actually pulling the trigger is a long shot," the person said. If traded, Wright can void a 2013 option for $16MM, so the acquiring team would be getting him for one year.
  • The Rockies, who inquired on Wright this summer, will call if the Mets are willing to listen, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (all Twitter links). The Rockies wouldn't move Dexter Fowler or be willing to trade multiple prospects for one year of Wright, so Renck suggests the Rockies will want to extend Wright if they acquire him.

NL East Notes: Reyes, Johnson, Phillies, Sandberg

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Some news from the NL East…

  • Two Mets players "wouldn't be surprised to see" Jose Reyes sign with the Nationals this winter, tweets David Lennon of Newsday.
  • The Nationals are conducting a managerial search to abide by MLB rules, but Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweets that the job is Davey Johnson's if he wants it.
  • All six members of the Phillies' coaching staff have signed new contracts for 2012, according to a team press release.  This includes bench coach Pete Mackanin, who has been mentioned as a candidate to become the next Red Sox manager.
  • As Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer points out, the intact coaching staff means that Ryne Sandberg (who managed Philadelphia's Triple-A affiliate last season) isn't getting a promotion.  Gelb predicts that Sandberg will manage or coach somewhere in the Major Leagues next year, which would mean he'll leave the Phillies' franchise unless Mackanin gets the Boston job and Sandberg is promoted to bench coach.
  • Also from Gelb, he examines Ruben Amaro's plan to sign a proven closer if Ryan Madson leaves and compares it to how the Cardinals relied on unproven (and cheaper) closing options like Jason Motte and Fernando Salas to great success this season.
  • Despite the Braves' collapse in September, Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution thinks the club is close to a World Series.

Mets Release Ryota Igarashi

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The Mets have released reliever Ryota Igarashi, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.  The Japanese right-hander signed a two-year, $3MM deal with the Mets in December 2009 but struggled to adjust to pitching in North America.  Igarashi posted a 5.74 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP in 79 career appearances with New York and was designated for assignment by the Mets last January.

Since Igarashi and the Mets couldn't agree on a new deal, Igarashi is now a free agent due to a clause in his original contract with the club.  The 32-year-old has said he wants to keep pitching in the Major Leagues.

Nationals Return Elvin Ramirez To Mets

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The Nationals announced that they returned Rule 5 selection Elvin Ramirez to the Mets. The right-hander spent the season on the 60-day DL after undergoing an operation on his throwing shoulder. The Nationals conserve 40-man roster space with the move.

Ramirez, 24, was sidelined all season and never pitched in a game for the Nationals or one of their affiliates. He posted a 4.16 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9 in 80 innings for two of the Mets' affiliates before the Nationals selected him in last December's draft.

Players have to spend 90 non-September days on the active roster to become official property of their new teams. Otherwise, their Rule 5 status carries forward until the players spend 90 non-September days on the active roster. For a complete recap of the December 2010 Rule 5 draft, click here.

Offseason Outlook: New York Mets

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The Mets' attempt to re-sign Jose Reyes will dominate their offseason and determine how much they can spend on other areas of need, like the bullpen.

Guaranteed Contracts

Arbitration Eligible Players (estimated salaries)

Free Agents

As expected, 2011 was a year of transition for the Mets.  New GM Sandy Alderson did fine work in escaping Francisco Rodriguez's vesting option and maximizing the return on Carlos Beltran.  Alderson's most debatable decision, though, was not trading Jose Reyes at the July deadline.  Reyes' status is now likely to shape the Mets' offseason.

Reyes missed about six weeks of the season, enduring two separate DL stints due to a hamstring injury.  The Mets must determine whether they see Reyes as a player who can be depended upon for only 130 games a year moving forward, or one capable of returning to the 150-games-played plateau.  Reyes' season was phenomenal even with the time missed, and his strong finish bodes well for him in free agency.  Still, all five to seven year, $100MM+ contracts are very risky.  So far, Alderson's biggest risk as Mets GM was keeping Reyes.  If that July decision doesn't result in an offseason discount, the Mets will have to settle for a couple of draft picks.

Wright had a disappointing season as he missed more than two months with a back injury.  Trading him now would result in a disappointing return.  Wright can void his 2013 club option if traded, meaning Alderson only would be offering one season of the third baseman.  The Beltran formula might be applied here: Alderson could hope Wright rebuilds his value in the first few months of 2012 and becomes the best bat on the trade market.  Players like Pelfrey and Pagan could also become useful trade chips.  I'd tender contracts to both despite their disappointing 2011 seasons.

If the Mets don't re-sign Reyes, another consolidation season might be in order.  Daniel Murphy, Lucas Duda, and Josh Thole had promising seasons, and the rotation has useful pieces.  Still, the team is facing question marks all around the diamond and in the rotation.  I think they can contend if Reyes returns and Wright, Santana, and Bay also contribute star-caliber seasons, but that's unlikely and reason to find Alderson's decision to keep Reyes confusing.  In Alderson's defense, Reyes spent half of July on the disabled list, perhaps cutting down his trade value to the point that two draft picks wasn't much worse.

A $110MM payroll would give the Mets plenty of flexibility, and the bullpen will be one focus.  I expect Alderson to make improvements, yet still exercise caution and avoid a big commitment to any one reliever.  The rotation is a similar issue, with Alderson needing to make a few more Capuano-type signings.  Hopefully if Reyes leaves there won't be an expectation to spend the entire surplus just for the sake of spending.  The team just has too many questions to make 2012 contention likely.

Plenty of questions remain in Irving Picard's lawsuit against Mets owners Saul Katz and Fred Wilpon, but the tide seems to be turning in the owners' favor with a judge capping their potential loss at $386MM.  Should Picard fail to prove the Mets owners were willfully blind to Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme, they might have to pay out less than $100MM.

Perhaps by 2013 the Mets can have the Picard lawsuit settled and the decks mostly cleared of bad contracts.  Alderson can make determinations on the futures of Reyes and Wright, while his other big-money players, Santana and Bay, will be entering their walk years barring vesting options.  The Mets will have more clarity on players such as Ike Davis, Jon Niese, Bobby Parnell, Duda, and Murphy, while Jenrry Mejia should be fully recovered from Tommy John surgery.  If Alderson continues laying a proper foundation, the Mets should be competitive by '13. 

East Notes: Backman, Red Sox, Rays, Phillies

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Here are a handful of items out of the AL and NL East …

  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson cites three different sources in reporting that Wally Backman, who currently manages in the Mets minor league system, was never offered a position with the Nationals' Major League club.
  • Backman told Ed Randall of New York's WFAN radio that he will remain in the organization rather than accepting a position on another team's Major League staff, according to MetsBlog. Backman interviewed for the Mets' managerial vacancy before it went to Terry Collins last year.
  • The Red Sox are not expected to interview former Diamondbacks skipper A.J. Hinch for their managerial vacancy, a source familiar with the situation tells Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Hinch is currently vice president of pro scouting for the Padres.
  • The Rays are unlikely to make quick decisions on whether to re-sign free agents Johnny Damon and first baseman Casey Kotchman, writes Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Tampa will look to improve its offense, according to Topkin, but that won't be easy without detracting from its deep well of pitching talent, which it won't want to do. Andrew Friedman will likely do most of his roster shuffling via trade, writes Topkin.
  • As their core position players are getting older and dealing with injuries, the Phillies' window of opportunity may be closing, opines Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. One talent evaluator told Brookover that the Phillies should let Jimmy Rollins walk in free agency. "It might be time to find out about a guy like Freddy Galvis," the scout said. "I saw him this year and he really is improving. I don't know if he's ready to be an everyday player in the big leagues, but I just think they need to get younger."
  • Former Yankees pitching prospect Brandon Weeden, now 28, has resurfaced as the starting quarterback of the Oklahoma State Cowboys, writes Tom Spousta of the New York Times (cap tip to Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues). Weeden was a second-round pick of the Yanks in 2002 (a compensatory selection for Tino Martinez signing with the Cardinals), but he washed out of baseball by 2007 due to injuries and ineffectiveness.
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