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Mets Sign Jason Botts

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The Mets have signed first baseman/outfielder Jason Botts, according to Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger (via Twitter).  Botts, who will be assigned to Triple-A Buffalo, was playing for the York Revolution of the Atlantic League.

The 30-year-old hooked on with the Nationals organization last summer, hitting .279/.345/.438 with eight homers for their Triple-A affiliate.  In parts of five seasons at the Triple-A level, Botts owns a .909 OPS.  In addition to the independent circuit, Botts also saw time overseas when he spent parts of two seasons with the Nippon Ham Fighters.

Draft Notes: Hultzen, Purke, Lindor

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Last year's top pick isn't arriving in the big leagues any time soon. Bryce Harper isn't going to play Major League baseball this year, Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said on Washington's ESPN 980. "It's not going to happen, because he's not ready for that to happen," Rizzo said. Mark Zuckerman of NatsInsider.com has the details from Rizzo. Here's the latest on this year's draft…

  • You've heard of Virginia left-hander Danny Hultzen and UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole, two possible first overall picks. Baseball America ranks other prominent draft-eligible pitchers, including Jed Bradley of Georgia Tech, high schoolers Daniel Norris and Henry Owens, Tyler Anderson of Oregon and Matt Purke of TCU. Every one of those southpaws is a first round talent, according to BA (subscription required).
  • Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Purke hopes to pitch tomorrow in TCU's final regular season series. He has been sidelined with a sore shoulder and last pitched April 16th.
  • MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo provides scouting reports and video on 50 of this year's top prospects. 
  • Jason A. Churchill of ESPN.com provides a list of top draft-eligible middle infielders, led by high schooler Francisco Lindor. Churchill can't imagine Lindor falling past the Mets, who select 13th overall.

Quick Hits: Posting System, Wright, Phillies

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Royals southpaw Danny Duffy makes his MLB debut tonight against the Rangers, a team that hits lefties well with players such as Michael Young and Mike Napoli.  Read about the service time implications for Duffy here, and predict his debut line in the comments.  Today's links:

  • NPB will review the posting system, reports Patrick Newman.  One interesting suggestion from Rakuten is to award negotiating rights to the top three bidders.
  • Third baseman David Wright talked to ESPN Radio New York's Mike Lupica about his future with the team, saying he wants to finish his career with the Mets.  Listen here and read the transcript here.
  • Great article from ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, who ranks ugly endings for beloved players, complete with "animosity quotients."
  • The Phillies' biggest need is a right-handed bat, writes David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News, and the Twins' Michael Cuddyer could be a feasible fit.  Cuddyer, however, is earning $10.5MM this season.  Earlier today I tossed the Phillies in as a speculative match for left-handed bat Garrett Jones.  It's admittedly a rough gauge, but the Phillies' OPS against righties ranks 13th in the NL while their OPS against lefties ranks sixth.

Mets Outright Chin-lung Hu

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The Mets outrighted shortstop Chin-lung Hu to Triple-A, reports MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.  With Ike Davis on the DL and David Wright headed there, the team will play Justin Turner at third base, Jose Reyes at shortstop, Ruben Tejada at second base, and Daniel Murphy at first.  Nick Evans will be recalled today to take a spot on the bench. 

Removing Hu from the 40-man roster drops it to 39 players, leaving a spot for Evans.  Another 40-man roster spot will be opened up when Chris Young is moved to the 60-day DL.

Hu, 27, was acquired by the Mets from the Dodgers in December for southpaw Michael Antonini.  Hu, who is known for his defense, had one hit and one walk in 23 plate appearances for the Mets this year.  He had to clear waivers before being outrighted.

Quick Hits: Vazquez, Mets, Brewers, Rays, O’s

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Here are some items of note for Sunday. On this day in 1941, 70 years ago, Joe DiMaggio began his Major League-record 56-game hitting streak, a mark that still stands today and has been largely unchallenged, as Jayson Stark of ESPN.com writes.

  • It doesn't sound like the Marlins are ready to give up on Javier Vazquez, writes Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post. The Fish are paying Vazquez $7MM this year, but he allowed six runs in four innings today to raise his season ERA to 7.55.
  • The New York Post's Brad Hamilton reminds us that on July 1, the Mets will begin paying Bobby Bonilla $1.2MM each year for the next 25 years. New York struck that deal in 1999 to avoid paying the $5.9MM remaining on his contract when they released him.
  • MLB.com's Adam McCalvy writes that despite the offensive woes of Carlos Gomez and Yuniesky Betancourt, the Brewers are sticking with them for the time being.
  • Operating on a tight budget has its advantages for teams like the Rays, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Without extra cash to commit to pricey free agents, clubs like Tampa are rarely encumbered by poorly producing, highly compensated veterans, Sherman explains.
  • Meanwhile, the Orioles would like to emulate the Rays' formula for success, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com.
  • Should the Yankees come to part ways with Jorge Posada in the wake of Saturday's incident, they could use the DH spot to rest veterans like Alex Rodriguez, or they could pursue a new DH like Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com (subcription needed). Beltran is off to a great start with the Mets this season and could draw interest on the trade market, although Matt Klaassen of FanGraphs recently speculated that Beltran wouldn't yield much more than salary relief for the Mets.
  • Pete Rose is still seeking a second chance to manage, and he thinks it's hypocritical that players and coaches who have used PEDs, abused alcohol and been involved in domestic-violence incidents remain in the game, according to an Associated Press report (via ESPN.com).

Quick Hits: Astros, Lincecum, Yankees, Beltran

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Sad news in baseball today, as the Blue Jays announced the passing of player development senior advisor Mel Queen and Harmon Killebrew announced that his esophageal cancer has developed to the point that doctors don't expect a cure. MLBTR extends its sincere condolences to Queen’s family and Killebrew and his family. Here are today's links…

  • Astros manager Brad Mills was optimistic regarding the overall future of the organization after learning Drayton McLane Jr. had reached an agreement to sell the team to a group led by local businessman Jim Crane, according to Stephen Goff of Examiner.com.
  • Tom Singer of MLB.com takes an entertaining look back at some deals that didn't happen, including a possible trade that would have sent Tim Lincecum to Toronto. 
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he would like to add a southpaw to his team. “I’m just not going to get one right now,” Cashman said. “And I don’t know if I’ll get one this summer.”
  • Rosenthal says the Yankees shouldn't rush lefty Manny Banuelos to the Majors. "Let Manny become Manny … No sooner than 2012," Rosenthal writes.
  • Matt Klaassen of FanGraphs examines Carlos Beltran's trade value and says "it is hard to imagine the Mets getting more than a couple of C prospects in return for Beltran if they send a few million dollars along."

Minor Deals: Brewers, Clevlen, Alaniz, Boleska

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The D'Backs released Ron Mahay and the Mariners claimed Jeff Gray. Here are the rest of today's minor moves…

  • The Brewers released Alex Periard and Demetrius McKelvie, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (Twitter links).
  • The Reds signed Brent Clevlen, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Clevlen, a former top prospect who's now 27, has big league experience with the Tigers and Braves. 
  • The Phillies released Adrian Alaniz, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter). The 27-year-old right-hander struggled in eight appearances at Class A this year, posting a 7.71 ERA. He has a 3.19 ERA with 7.8 K/0 and 3.0 BB/9 in five minor league seasons, but has yet to pitch above Double-A.
  • The Pirates released Double-A right-hander Tom Boleska, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). Boleska, a 24-year-old right-hander, has a 2.73 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in five minor league seasons, but has struggled in 12 appearances at Double-A this year.
  • The Mets acquired Bubba Bell from the Indians and assigned him to Triple-A, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). The Indians acquired Bell from the Red Sox in March and he hit .292/.346/.375 at Triple-A..

NL East Notes: Beltran, Nationals, Hanley

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On this date in 2000, the Mets released Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson. You might think a 41-year-old with a .219 average would have trouble finding work, but Rickey Henderson was no ordinary 41-year-old. The speedster signed with Seattle, where he stole 31 bases in 40 attempts. Remarkably, Henderson stole another 42 bases in 2001, his age 42 season. Here are some links from the NL East (though none of them can keep up with the Man of Steal)…

  • It will be interesting to see how Carlos Beltran’s $18.5MM salary affects other teams’ interest in him midseason, as ESPN.com's Buster Olney explains. Few teams have $6MM kicking around for a two-month rental, and that’s how much will remain on Beltran’s contract at the end of July. Olney suggests the Mets could get a decent prospect for Beltran if he continues his hot hitting (the free agent to be had a three-homer game yesterday).
  • Brian Broderick and Henry Rodriguez are on the Nationals' roster because demoting them to the minors would mean exposing them to waivers, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. As a result, Broderick, a Rule 5 pick, and Rodriguez, who is out of options, stay in the organization, though they aren't called upon in crucial situations.
  • Before yesterday's game, struggling Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez promised he'll have seven homers and a .290 batting average by May 30th, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Ramirez, 27, has two homers and a .217/.308/.302 line after homering last night.

Heyman On Mets, Pujols, Chapman, Yankees

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Mets owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon are closer to settling on a limited partner who will bring cash and keep the organization running, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Unlike the Dodgers, whose ownership situation “seems to be deteriorating,” the Mets are doing fine, according to Commissioner Bud Selig. Here’s the latest from Heyman:

  • If Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has support, it’s either “minute or nonexistent.”
  • People who know Mets GM Sandy Alderson expect him to trade Jose Reyes and others if he believes it’s best for the organization.
  • There’s no indication yet that the Cubs would be willing to offer Albert Pujols $200MM or more in free agency, Heyman writes. However, the Cubs have money and no long-term answer at first base.
  • Some baseball people believe Aroldis Chapman and Mike Leake could use time in the minors.
  • Though the Yankees aren’t concerned with Derek Jeter’s bat, they are “very concerned” about Jorge Posada. The DH has a .162/.273/.352 line with 6 homers this year.

NL East Notes: Proctor, Kimbrel, Mets, Harper

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As Carlos Beltran enjoys a three-homer day against Colorado, here's the latest from the NL East…

  • "At least two teams" contacted the Braves about right-hander Scott Proctor, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  When the Braves re-signed Proctor last month, the team agreed to trade Proctor before May 15 if he so desired, since Atlanta couldn't call the righty up before that date due to releasing him during Spring Training.  Proctor wanted to stay with the Braves, and will be called up to the Major League roster on Sunday.  
  • In another item, O'Brien thinks the Braves should consider making Jonny Venters at least a part-time closer alongside incumbent stopper Craig Kimbrel.  You can keep track of all the end-game news and rumors by following @CloserNews, MLBTR's sister Twitter feed.
  • Talks between Steve Cohen and the Mets "are at a little bit of a stalemate right now," reports CNBC's Kate Kelly (passed along by Matthew Cerrone of Metsblog.com).  Cohen is willing to pay around $200MM for 49% of the franchise, but "he wants some significant say over how they do what they do," including getting some seats on the team's board of directors.  Despite this setback, Kelly says negotiations "are still happening and the goal is to get this thing done ASAP.”
  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson recently noted that most serious trade negotiations don't begin to develop until June, but ESPNNewYork.com's Rob Parker argues that the Mets should be looking to deal Jose Reyes quickly, since the shortstop's trade value is at its highest.
  • Is Bryce Harper the "best prospect ever"?  Fangraphs' Dave Cameron thinks it could be the case, given how Harper is just 18 years old.
  • The Nationals, who aren't selecting first overall for the first time since 2008, intend to take the best players available to them this June. Yet amateur scouting director Kris Kline told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he intends to "really focus on pitching." The Nationals select 6th, 23rd and 34th, so they're expecting to obtain three "really good players."
  • With the Marlins off to such a good start, ESPN's Jim Bowden thinks team management has to be looking into extending Edwin Rodriguez's contract.  The manager is just signed through this season and would seem like a no-brainer extension candidate, were it not for Jeffrey Loria's history of interest in bigger-name managers (such as Ozzie Guillen or Bobby Valentine).

MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith also contributed to this post

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