Mets Rumors

Mets Notes: Rodriguez, Beltran, Wheeler

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 24, 2011 at 4:16pm CDT

Mets owner Fred Wilpon offered some revealing comments about his players and his finances in recent interviews with the New Yorker and Sports Illustrated. Here’s the latest on the Mets, including more fallout from Wilpon’s words:

Carlos Beltran told Newsday’s David Lennon that he’s not an incomplete player, as Wilpon suggested (Twitter link). "I'm not 65 or 70 percent,” Beltran said. “I'm 100 percent."
Mets ownership has chosen a preferred bidder to buy a minority stake in the team, according to Josh Kosman and Lenn Robbins of the New York Post. The Mets are in advanced talks with a group led by former commodities trader Ray Bartoszek and investor Anthony Lanza, according to the Post.
The Mets' front office has not yet provided manager Terry Collins with guidelines for using Francisco Rodriguez, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. If the closer finishes 55 games, a $17.5MM option vests for 2012, something the Mets would surely like to avoid.
Sherman can only see a team trading for Rodriguez as a setup man or part-time closer.
Giants prospect Zack Wheeler told Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group that he’s happy in the Giants organization, but finds it flattering to hear himself mentioned as possible trade bait for players like Jose Reyes. "It is a compliment, but also you're with a really good franchise right now that treats pitchers really good and they're good at developing pitchers," Wheeler said.

Fred Wilpon On Payroll, Reyes, Beltran, Minaya

By Tim Dierkes | May 24, 2011 at 1:54pm CDT

Fred Wilpon's media blitz was actually a two-part plan. Jeffrey Toobin's article in The New Yorker was the big story Monday morning, mainly because the Mets owner was so candid about his players and team. As informative as that article was, SI's Tom Verducci has more from an interview conducted with Wilpon last week.

The Mets are "bleeding cash," possibly $70MM this year according to Wilpon.
Wilpon talked about investing $100MM properly, an indication that the 2012 payroll may drop about 30% to that level. This isn't a surprise; I wrote on May 2nd that a $100MM payroll next year would still give GM Sandy Alderson around $20MM to play with before accounting for minimum salary players. So while Wilpon confirmed that the Mets are not likely to reinvest the money coming off the payroll after the season, it would have been nice if someone asked him how they'd handle a potential $10MM+ saved if veterans are traded during the season.
Verducci says the Mets "have studied the success of the Boston Red Sox in letting top veterans play out their contracts and taking the compensatory draft picks," and would only trade Jose Reyes if they receive a first-round type talent who is close to the Majors, similar to when the Athletics acquired Brett Wallace for Matt Holliday. Does this mean the Mets won't consider trades built around top prospects who are not big league ready, such as the Giants' Zack Wheeler?
On the Reyes topic, Wilpon said, "I know there's a great question about whether we can keep the shortstop, so we're preparing for that if that should happen." He admitted that Carlos Beltran "will be elsewhere" and the Mets hope Fernando Martinez could fill his shoes. Of Martinez, Wilpon said, "He's fragile, but he can hit."
The Mets' new investor will be treated as a partner and will have some say, even though Fred Wilpon will remain the team's designated "control person" and Jeff Wilpon will remain the COO.
On former GM Omar Minaya, Wilpon said, "It was painful to see what Omar did to himself. Why did he do that?" I'm not sure what Wilpon is referring to specifically here.

Olney On Reyes, Crisp, Braves

By Tim Dierkes | May 24, 2011 at 9:17am CDT

The latest from ESPN's Buster Olney…

The Mets must avoid diminishing or marginalizing GM Sandy Alderson, writes Olney. A source told the ESPN scribe, "If he gets some space, there is a lot of potential for great things to happen."
The Mets have not engaged Jose Reyes' agent Peter Greenberg in contract talks, reports Olney. Mets owner Fred Wilpon told Jeffrey Toobin of The New Yorker on April 20th that Reyes "thinks he's going to get Carl Crawford money," but Olney's source says Wilpon isn't in a position to know what Reyes wants. Perhaps Wilpon simply heard the Crawford comparison via the rumor mill.
Olney feels that center fielder Coco Crisp "would be in the shop window" if the Athletics look to move pieces. Crisp, 31, is hitting .278/.308/.420 in 170 plate appearances on the season and earns $5.75MM. Still, even after dropping six in a row the A's are only three games back in their division.
Olney speculates that Crisp would be a natural fit for the Braves, who will employ Jordan Schafer in center field while Nate McLouth is on the DL. Right fielder Jason Heyward is also on the DL. Olney says the Braves would love to add a leadoff hitter, something Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote about on May 16th.

What Wilpon’s Comments Mean For The Mets

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 23, 2011 at 8:55pm CDT

Mets owner Fred Wilpon offered some not-so-constructive criticism for his star shortstop, his highest-paid position player and his franchise third baseman in Jeffrey Toobin’s recent New Yorker article. Soon after the Mets comment publicly on what Wilpon (pictured) said about Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and David Wright, the reaction will subside and the focus will return to the field. But before long the 22-24 Mets may have to consider trading players, including Reyes, Beltran and Wright. Here’s what – if anything – Wilpon’s comments mean for the trio of Mets stars going forward.

Jose Reyes

"He thinks he’s going to get Carl Crawford money. He’s had everything wrong with him. He won’t get it." – Wilpon.

Wilpon's comments suggest the Mets are shying away from Reyes' apparent asking price of $142MM. The Mets owner sounds hesitant about paying top dollar for Reyes when the shortstop hits free agency after the season. That would eliminate one bidder for Reyes' services after the season, but won't necessarily prevent the 27-year-old from floating an exorbitant price tag.

As for Reyes' trade value, rival executives tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney that Wilpon's comments reduced the Mets' leverage (Twitter links). GM Sandy Alderson faces the perception held by some general managers that the Mets must trade him because they won't be signing him after the season.

Carlos Beltran

"We had some schmuck in New York [Wilpon himself] who paid him based on that one [2004 postseason] series. He’s sixty-five to seventy per cent of what he was." - Wilpon.

Beltran had trade value before the article came out and Wilpon’s comments haven’t changed that. Speculation has already begun regarding possible suitors for the outfielder.

Agent Scott Boras is well aware that Beltran is having a resurgent season and that figures to boost his asking price in free agency after the season. Wilpon’s comments about Beltran’s current contract won’t prevent Boras from obtaining a shiny new deal for his client. But at age 34, Beltran is almost certainly not going to sign another $119MM deal, even if he matches his historic 2004 postseason performance.

David Wright

“A really good kid. A very good player. Not a superstar." - Wilpon.

Alderson knows full well that Wright has had some superstar caliber seasons, and so do the rival GMs who might try to trade for him. If anything is limiting Wright's trade value, it's his pedestrian .226/.337/.404 line and the lower back stress fracture that has him on the disabled list.

Wright’s free agency is a long way off, as he’s under team control through 2013. He said this spring that he “can't imagine ever asking out" of New York and stated today that Wilpon is a “good man.” Could the owner’s comments change Wright’s stance on sticking it out with the Mets? It’s certainly possible, but we can’t assume that will happen.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Rosenthal On Rodriguez, Tejada, Brewers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 23, 2011 at 7:20pm CDT

MLB executives tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the struggles of large market teams such as the Mets and Dodgers have helped build competitive balance in baseball this year. Here are Rosenthal’s notes from around the league:

Though Francisco Rodriguez has 15 saves (16 chances) and a sparkling 0.76 ERA, his fastball velocity (90.4 mph) continues to drop and two scouts say his stuff is diminished. That perception could affect the right-hander’s trade value this summer.
D’Backs GM Kevin Towers told Rosenthal that righty Josh Collmenter’s arm angle almost makes him look left-handed and helps create deception.
While Miguel Tejada has struggled this year, he’s heating up at the plate and the Giants aren’t about to quit on him, according to Rosenthal.
The Brewers are pleasantly surprised by Yuniesky Betancourt’s defensive work this season. If you haven’t seen these plays, you’re in for a pleasant surprise yourself.
Rosenthal confirms that the Mariners figure to call top prospect Dustin Ackley up before long.

Wilpon Fallout: Reyes, Beltran, Wright

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 23, 2011 at 5:05pm CDT

Mets owner Fred Wilpon publicly criticized three of his team’s best players in a piece by Jeffrey Toobin in the New Yorker. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes explained and weighed in on the drama earlier today and others have since done the same. Here’s the latest on Wilpon, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and David Wright:

ESPN.com's Buster Olney says it was a "really, really bad idea" for Wilpon to agree to do the New Yorker interview in the first place. People aren't going to feel sorry for him and the news will generate lots of headlines for the wrong reasons.
Olney reports that the Mets would trade Reyes between the middle of June and the beginning of July if a deal occurs (all Twitter links). Though Wilpon's comments appear to be true, they cut into the leverage GM Sandy Alderson has, according to Olney. The Mets haven’t engaged Reyes in talks about a possible extension yet, Olney reports.
Reyes' agents are not going to comment, but the shortstop himself is not bothered by the story, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
Agent Scott Boras told Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal that he was surprised by Wilpon's jabs at Beltran, given how well the outfielder is playing this year. Boras also suggests he'd prefer to see Wilpon be more supportive of his team's players.
Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog wonders how Wilpon's words will impact the trade market for Reyes and how the story will impact players like Reyes and Wright as they try to focus on their jobs.
Author Jeffrey Toobin said today on WFAN that he expects the Mets to try to re-sign Reyes and keep Wright, according to Cerrone.
As Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out, the sympathetic portions of the 11,000 word article "are obscured in total by Wilpon's critical comments on Jose Reyes, David Wright and Carlos Beltran." Mets officials say Wilpon is an obsessed fan who cares about every game, rather than a detached owner.
Though many owners and club officials talk critically about players in private moments, Wilpon made a mistake in expressing his thoughts publicly, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Mets skipper Terry Collins told Mike Puma of the New York Post that his team consists of professionals who can tune out distractions like this (Twitter link).
The Mets are formulating a response, according to Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger (on Twitter). It could take a while, he reports.

Fred Wilpon On Reyes, Wright, Beltran

By Tim Dierkes | May 23, 2011 at 7:29am CDT

Jeffrey Toobin of The New Yorker has penned a must-read article about Mets owner Fred Wilpon, although at almost 11,000 words you may have to save it for your lunch break. Toobin spent significant time with Wilpon, and also conversed with Bernie Madoff. The article serves as a great primer on Wilpon's rise. A few items within MLBTR's realm:

Wilpon on Jose Reyes on April 20th:

"He thinks he’s going to get Carl Crawford money. He’s had everything wrong with him. He won’t get it."

MLBTR's take: We've heard the rumor that Reyes could seek a contract in the seven-year, $142MM range, but it gains credibility coming from the Mets' owner. While it's rare to hear this kind of blunt honesty from a team owner, there's nothing surprising here. Reyes may have raised his stock beyond Crawford's in the month since Wilpon's quote, and a Mets extension has seemed unlikely for some time.

Wilpon on David Wright on April 20th:

"He’s pressing. A really good kid. A very good player. Not a superstar."

MLBTR's take: Again, there are plenty of people who consider Wright less than a superstar at this stage in his career, but now we can count the Mets' owner among them. Since Wright can be under team control through 2013, there's not much reason to consider an extension right now anyway.

Wilpon on Carlos Beltran:

"We had some schmuck in New York who paid him based on that one series [his 2004 postseason with the Astros]. He’s sixty-five to seventy per cent of what he was."

Toobin notes that Wilpon was referring to himself in this quote. I imagine most GMs agree that Beltran is 65-70% of what he was, especially since he's playing right field rather than center. But Wilpon's comment doesn't exactly boost Beltran's trade value.

Wilpon on Ike Davis and the Mets in general on April 20th:

"Good hitter. Shitty team—good hitter."

MLBTR's take: I just thought this was a funny quote coming from Wilpon.

Bernie Madoff on Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz:

"He must feel that I betrayed him, as do most of my friends who were involved. Hopefully, they will understand the pressures I was under. I made money for them legitimately to start, but then I got trapped and was not able to work my way out of it. It just became impossible for me to extricate myself, or even try and extricate myself…Fred and Saul were only guilty of trusting their friend and I will live with that guilt and shame forever."

Toobin feels "there are many levels of self-delusion" in this quote, but it is "relevant evidence" as Irving Picard attempts to prove that Wilpon and his associates just looked the other way in Madoff's Ponzi scheme.

Fred Wilpon on investing money with Madoff:

"We certainly wouldn’t have had five hundred and fifty million dollars invested in something that’s a Ponzi scheme, when you know it can only evaporate at some point. We didn’t know."

For me, this is hard to argue. Toobin notes that as the Mets' risks in the Picard lawsuit far outweigh Picard's, "some kind of settlement seems likely, if not inevitable." For Fred Wilpon's sake, hopefully the sides can agree on an amount closer to the owner's initial $160MM-range expectation rather than Picard's one billion-range figure.

New York Notes: Montero, Colon, Alderson

By Luke Adams 2 | May 22, 2011 at 11:30am CDT

Here are today's Yankees- and Mets-related links, as Ivan Nova and Mike Pelfrey prepare to square off in the rubber match of this weekend's Subway Series….

Newsday's Ken Davidoff and Joel Sherman of the New York Post each examine the perception that the Yankees' offense, which leads the AL in runs (226) and OPS (.780), is underachieving. Both writers note that Jesus Montero's eventual arrival should provide a boost, while Sherman ponders the possiblity of acquiring a veteran bat like Carlos Beltran.
Major League Baseball is looking into the doctor who performed Bartolo Colon's stem cell procedure, according to Christian Red of the New York Daily News. The doctor, Joseph Purita, has links to HGH, which raised a red flag for MLB. MLBTR's Nick Collias took a look at Colon's stem cell treatment earlier this month.
Sandy Alderson's competitive nature means he's not eager to make any "so-called white-flag trades" and give up on the 2011 season, writes David Waldstein of the New York Times.

Cafardo On Reyes, Soriano, Braves, Myers

By Luke Adams 2 | May 22, 2011 at 10:23am CDT

In his Baseball Notes column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo says baseball stadiums should dial back the between-innings entertainment, arguing that the on-field action is engaging enough. He also has a few hot stove notes to share:

An American League scout says if the Mets hear an offer they like for Jose Reyes, they'll take it: "They can’t afford not to and let him leave as a free agent and not get value for him."
Cafardo points out that Rafael Soriano seems unhappy in a setup role and does have an opt-out clause at season's end. However, as Cafardo suggests, it seems extremely unlikely the right-hander would leave $25MM on the table when no other team would match that.
The Braves would like to add some offensive insurance in case Chipper Jones' knee doesn't hold up all season.
Brett Myers "seems to have Yankees written all over him," Cafardo says. Once Jim Crane's ownership group officially takes over, the Astros' trade deadline intentions will become clearer. At this point though, it's hard to imagine the team, whose 16-30 record is the National League's worst, not being sellers.

Quick Hits: Branyan, Bedard, Vazquez, Turner

By Mike Axisa | May 21, 2011 at 3:14pm CDT

On this date in 1999, the Twins traded Scott Downs and Rick Aguilera to the Cubs for Kyle Lohse and Jason Ryan. Aguilera and Ryan ended their careers years ago, but Downs has a 0.84 ERA in 10 2/3 innings for the Angels this year while Lohse owns a 2.17 ERA in 66 1/3 innings for the Cardinals.

Here are Saturday's links, as Cliff Lee prepares to pitch against his former Rangers' teammates…

Since joining the Red Sox, the club has learned that Adrian Gonzalez is a great mentor for their young Latin players, writes Peter Gammons of MLB.com.
As Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter) points out, the Diamondbacks' release of Russell Branyan marks the end of his time with his tenth different club. He's had multiple stops in the same place as well as the Indians had and traded him four different times while the Brewers and the Mariners each had him twice.
In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says that any team interested in trading for Erik Bedard would have to convince themselves that he could find the same comfort zone on their team that he has with the Mariners.
Seattle is "almost certainly in position to ask for a top prospect" for Bedard according to Olney, who has a 3.94 ERA in eight starts this year but remains an injury risk given all his shoulder trouble.
Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez indicated that Javier Vazquez is not pitching for his job today, writes Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. Vazquez has a 7.55 ERA with more walks (24) than strikeouts (20) in 39 1/3 innings across eight starts this year, in part because his fastball velocity has disappeared.
Joel Sherman of The New York Post points out that the Yankees once drafted Mets' infielder Justin Turner, but he turned down a $200K offer as 29th round pick in 2005 and returned to school for his senior season. Turner signed with the Reds for $50K as a seventh round pick in 2006, then was traded to the Orioles in the Ryan Freel–Ramon Hernandez swap and was later claimed off waivers by the Mets. He went 3-for-4 with an RBI against the Yanks last night.

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