Mets Rumors

Quick Hits: Tigers, Phillies, Soriano

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 11, 2011 at 3:40pm CDT

Padres center fielder Cameron Maybin is starting to look like one of the top acquisitions of last offseason. He has a .279/.332/.408 line with seven homers and 29 stolen bases after today's game. Here are today's ilnks…

Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press suggests the Tigers should be relying on younger players rather than the likes of Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen.
Yahoo's Jeff Passan says it's Justin Verlander's Cy Young Award to lose, though C.C. Sabathia and Jered Weaver can’t be ruled out yet.
David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News explains that Phillies manager Charlie Manuel could use a second left-hander out of the bullpen, not that the need is that pressing.
Mets third baseman David Wright isn't available, but the Rockies do like him, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
Alfonso Soriano told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that he thinks there's a 50-50 chance he returns to Chicago next year. The Cubs still owe him $54MM through 2014, so they'd have to eat a lot of money in any trade.

Heyman On Reyes, Ortiz, Cole, Twins

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 10, 2011 at 11:51am CDT

The market for Jose Reyes should still be strong after the season, Jon Heyman writes at SI.com. MLB executives tell Heyman that the Giants, Cardinals, Tigers, Angels, Nationals, Braves, Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees and Mets could be fits for the shortstop in terms of finances and positional need. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors…

Yankees people suggest they’re unlikely to pursue Reyes and Red Sox people say they don’t expect to spend big on a position player this winter.
The Red Sox haven’t discussed a new deal with David Ortiz, though they’re confident that they’ll be able to re-sign him after the season. Ortiz has expressed interest in a multiyear deal for a while, but the Red Sox don’t want to guarantee more than one year.
First overall draft pick Gerrit Cole is looking to approach Stephen Strasburg’s $15.1MM bonus and top Mariners pick Danny Hultzen is looking for $13MM plus money for school, Heyman reports. Keep track of which top picks have signed here.
The Twins appear to want to keep Joe Nathan when he hits free agency after the season, but they’ll probably let Matt Capps sign elsewhere.

Stark On Reyes, Bell, Astros, Slowey

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 9, 2011 at 2:04pm CDT

Jose Reyes’ injuries have hurt his free agent stock, as we saw earlier today. ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark surveys people around MLB to determine what kind of contract the shortstop will obtain in free agency. Here are the details and the rest of Stark’s rumors:

There’s buzz that the Mets were prepared to offer Reyes $100MM over five years earlier in the summer, Stark reports. It’s not hard to imagine the Mets scaling back their offer or replacing guaranteed years with vesting options now.
One of Stark’s sources estimates that each day on the disabled list costs Reyes $500K. However, there's no doubt that Reyes will see some substantial offers this winter.
Rival teams expect the Padres to trade Heath Bell this month, Stark reports. The Cardinals and Diamondbacks are the serious NL contenders with the worst record (62-53), which makes them prime candidates to make a claim on Bell. Assuming he does get claimed, the Padres will only be able to trade with the claiming team, so they’ll want to time his placement on waivers carefully.
The Astros’ sale is just a week away, Stark writes. Other clubs are hearing that incoming owner Jim Crane may drive payroll down to $50MM or below from $71MM.
One executive expressed his surprise at the Twins’ decision to keep Kevin Slowey, a non-tender candidate who’s currently earning $2.7MM at Triple-A. “If they'd traded him, at least they would have gotten something,” the person said. At least they would have gotten rid of the money. So I'm just not sure why he's still there."

Jose Reyes Injury Reactions

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 9, 2011 at 9:08am CDT

Jose Reyes will be the top free agent middle infielder this offseason and one of the top free agents overall. However, the Mets announced yesterday that the shortstop is on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain for the second time this year. There's lots to like about Reyes, but injuries, especially recurring ones, can scare free agent bidders away. Here's the latest on Reyes:

Mets GM Sandy Alderson told Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger that to evaluate Reyes, you have to take everything into account. “As with all players, you’ve got to accept certain aspects of their performance, their makeup, their physical characteristics — and evaluate accordingly,” he said.
Newsday's Ken Davidoff wonders how the narrative surrounding Reyes' free agency will unfold this winter. Ultimately, we need to see how the season plays out first – as we've seen in the last six weeks, perceptions can change quickly.
One unnamed Mets player told Newsday's David Lennon that Reyes is "probably losing $100K a day on the DL."
I said five weeks ago that Reyes would probably prove owner Fred Wilpon wrong and sign for Carl Crawford money. I now expect that Reyes will fall short of $142MM.

New York Notes: Reyes, Wade, Posada, Pelfrey

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 8, 2011 at 6:11pm CDT

The Mets have placed Jose Reyes on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain after examining the results of an MRI, the team announced. This break in Reyes' season won't be filled by contract talks, however, as Newsday's David Lennon tweets that Reyes and his agents still plan to wait until after the season to begin negotiations. Reyes' latest health issue isn't helping his reputation as an injury-prone player; as one unnamed Mets player tells Lennon (Twitter link), Reyes "is probably losing $100K a day on the DL," in regards to his next contract.

Here's the latest on the Mets and Yankees…

Right-hander Cory Wade has been the Yankees' "secret weapon" since joining the club on a minor league deal in June, writes Mike Axisa of the River Ave Blues blog.
Another low-profile Yankee acquisition, Eric Chavez, has also paid off for the Bombers, writes MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
Rival executives say the Yankees lead the league in waiver claims, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
As ESPN.com’s Buster Olney points out (on Twitter), the Yankees could use a second left-hander out of the bullpen in October. It won’t be surprising if they consider Arthur Rhodes, who will officially hit free agency later this week.
Jorge Posada will have to choose between a bench role and asking for his release, according to Olney, who says the Yankees won’t cut him (Twitter link).
The Mets intend to tender Mike Pelfrey a contract this winter, according to Newsday’s David Lennon. The right-hander earns $3.925MM now and could earn over $6MM in 2012.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

NL East Notes: Phillies, Strasburg, Reyes

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 8, 2011 at 10:15am CDT

Dan Uggla will look to extend his hitting streak to 29 games tonight, when the Braves take on the Marlins, Uggla's former team. Here's the latest on the division, as Florida starter Brad Hand prepares for Uggla and his teammates…

Bill Conlin of the Philadelphia Daily News shows that the Phillies have traded prospect after prospect in recent years. But the established big leaguers they've obtained – Brad Lidge, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence – have propelled the Phillies from contender to baseball superpower, Conlin writes.
Stephen Strasburg can mean to the Nationals what Justin Verlander means to the Tigers, Yahoo's Jeff Passan writes.
Newsday's Ken Davidoff wonders how MLB teams including the Mets will value Jose Reyes this offseason, when the shortstop hits free agency. Reyes left yesterday's game with an injury and questions about his health could prevent teams from guaranteeing $142MM, the amount Carl Crawford obtained last winter.

Quick Hits: Nationals, Reyes, Red Sox, Upton

By Zachary Links | August 7, 2011 at 9:57pm CDT

Sunday night linkage..

With the August 15th deadline a week away, the Nationals have yet to make any real progress in reaching agreements with their top four draft picks, GM Mike Rizzo told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The Nats are satisfied that infielder Anthony Rendon, pitcher Alex Meyer, supplemental round pick outfielder Brian Goodwin and third round pick Matt Purke are all in good health.
One Mets official last week told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (via Twitter) that he expects the Red Sox, Angels, and Nationals to be the top competition for Jose Reyes this winter.
Back in November when the Diamondbacks were shopping Justin Upton, it was rumored that they would likely request Daniel Bard and Jacoby Ellsbury from the Red Sox in a deal. Today, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic writes that it looks like a good no-deal for Arizona.
It took a little bit of time, but outfielder Kosuke Fukudome appears to be getting used to life with the Indians, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The Tribe acquired Fukudome and roughly $3.9MM from the Cubs for minor leaguer outfielder Abner Abreu and reliever Carlton Smith.

Quick Hits: Hairston, Angels, Pirates, Phillies

By Luke Adams 2 | August 7, 2011 at 12:12pm CDT

On this date in 2009, the Indians sent Carl Pavano to the Twins for a player to be named later (Yohan Pino). Pavano won five games down the stretch for Minnesota and has worn a Twins uniform ever since. Pino, meanwhile, now pitches for the Blue Jays' Double-A affiliate in New Hampshire, having been dealt for cash considerations earlier this year. As we wait to find out whether we'll see any major August trades this year, let's check out today's links….

The Mets came very close to trading Scott Hairston to the Braves in July, but ultimately nixed the deal, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
A club official tells Peter Gammons (Twitter link) that the Red Sox and Yankees are blocking waiver claims on relievers and starters, respectively.
Newsday's Ken Davidoff identifies a few August trade candidates and a few contenders with outstanding needs.
The Angels are one team named by Davidoff as an August buyer, and GM Tony Reagins agrees. As he says to Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times, "We think there will be some opportunities later on that may materialize."
GM Neal Huntington tells Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the Pirates hope to become a "consistent championship caliber organization," rather than merely finishing above .500. Unfortunately for the Pirates and their fans, the team's current nine-game losing streak has put them on pace for a 19th straight losing season.
Despite frequently moving prospects for impact players, the Phillies haven't depleted their farm system, writes Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

New York Notes: Jimenez, Nova, Collins, Wade

By Luke Adams 2 | August 7, 2011 at 8:54am CDT

The Yankees enter today's action tied for the American League's best record, while the Mets sit at just .500. But it was the team from Queens that enjoyed the better Saturday, slugging four home runs en route to an 11-7 win against the Braves, while C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees were beat up by the Red Sox. As the Mets and Yanks prepare for the rubber matches of their respective series, let's round up the latest links on the two clubs:

Speaking to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Gordon Blakeley, a special assistant to GM Brian Cashman, defended the Yankees' inactivity at the trade deadline: "We were ready to do something if there was someone who could make a big impact. If the kid in Seattle (Felix Hernandez) is available, that is different. But we didn’t see huge impact, and now we think we may get huge impact from kids we didn’t trade in August and September."
Within the same piece, Blakeley goes on to discuss the Yankees' July pursuit of Ubaldo Jimenez, saying that the organization feels Ivan Nova "is as good as this version of Jimenez."
The starting rotation won't be a priority for the Mets this offseason, as GM Sandy Alderson will focus instead on re-signing Jose Reyes and bolstering the bullpen, writes Newsday's David Lennon.
While Alderson praised the performance of Terry Collins, the GM said the club wouldn't even think about extending the skipper's contract until after the season, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. Collins is currently signed through 2012.
Cory Wade, who has recorded a 1.86 ERA in 17 relief appearances for the Yankees this year, told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Rangers were also interested in signing him after he was released by the Rays, but the Yankees "made a stronger push."

Quick Hits: Nimmo, Indians, Rays, Starling, Pomeranz

By Zachary Links | August 6, 2011 at 10:11pm CDT

Links for Saturday evening..

Without directly saying so, Mets GM Sandy Alderson intimated that it's no big deal that first-round pick Brandon Nimmo remains unsigned, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
After dealing right-hander Alex White and left-hander Drew Pomeranz, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer looks at the arms that remain in the Indians' farm system.
Suddenly, the Rays find themselves with a surplus of catchers, writes MLB.com's Bill Chastain.
Royals first-round pick Bubba Starling is not on Nebraska football's official 105-man roster and won't practice at NU until he decides on his baseball future, tweets Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star.
Indians prospect Drew Pomeranz officially transferred from Double-A Akron to the Arizona League Indians today, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Pomeranz will work out in Arizona until he can officially be dealt to the Rockies on August 15th.
The newest member of the Marlins Alfredo Amezaga has always been known as utility man but reports are that he's gained a bit of weight and is better suited for either second or third base rather than shortstop, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.

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