Mets Rumors

Abreu, Ramirez, Blanco, Mets On Waivers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 28, 2011 at 4:54pm CDT

D'Backs infielder Tony Abreu, Cubs catcher Max Ramirez, Royals outfielder Gregor Blanco and Mets infielder Luis Hernandez are on waivers, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork adds that Nick Evans and Pat Misch of the Mets are also on waivers.

It's not surprising to see Abreu on waivers, since Arizona made him available earlier in the month. Ramirez is no stranger to waivers, having been claimed twice this past winter. Hernandez doesn't have an obvious role on the Mets and has drawn trade interest.

New York Notes: Silva, Sanchez, Beato, Colon

By Luke Adams 2 | March 27, 2011 at 5:27pm CDT

Here's the latest out of Queens and the Bronx on the final Sunday before regular season baseball gets underway….

The Yankees have no plans to pursue the recently released Carlos Silva tweets Jack Curry of the YES Network. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild was Silva's pitching coach with the Cubs last season.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi told Chad Jennings of The Journal News that Romulo Sanchez was scratched from today's road trip "for reasons I can’t give to you at this point." The right-hander is out of options and a long shot to make the team, and Girardi gave a look that indicated a trade was in the works acording to Jennings.
Pedro Beato will make the Mets' Opening Day roster, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. The Mets selected Beato from the Orioles in the Rule 5 draft.
In another tweet, Heyman says the Mets are searching for a second left-handed reliever, in part to match up with some of the lefty sluggers in the NL East.
In a conversation with Steve Selby of the New York Post, David Wright says he's not concerned about the possibility of a Mets fire sale.
Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News argues that the Yankees took the "safe, easy" route in giving Freddy Garcia a rotation spot over Bartolo Colon.
The Yankees hope Colon can occupy the swing-man role previously held by Alfredo Aceves, writes Feinsand.

Opt-Out Notes: Batista, Isringhausen, Bush, Chavez

By Mike Axisa | March 26, 2011 at 7:00pm CDT

A few notes on veterans with opt-out clauses from around the league…

Non-roster invitee Miguel Batista has earned a spot on the Cardinals roster, writes B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com. The 40-year-old Batista could have opted out of his contract on Monday had the Cards not informed him that he would make the club.
The Mets have not asked Jason Isringhausen if he would accept a minor league assignment, because he has already said in the past that he won't, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
Dave Bush will use his opt-out tomorrow if he doesn't make the Rangers, writes Richard Durrett of ESPN.com. Bush says that he's not sure which way the club is leaning but wants to stay in Texas.
Russell Branyan could have opted out of his contract with the Diamondbacks yesterday, but he was instead informed that he has made the club according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Brandon Allen is likely to go to Triple-A while the out-of-options Juan Miranda stays with the team.
George A. King III of The New York Post reports that Eric Chavez can ask the Yankees for his release today if he doesn't make the team. "They haven't let me know anything," said Chavez, but his strong showing in camp (.421/.450/.605 in 40 PA) likely won him a bench job.
Isringhausen told Mike Puma of The New York Post that he will not accept a minor league assignment if he does not make the Mets out of Spring Training. There's a possibility Izzy would go to Extended Spring Training if his swollen elbow isn't fully healed though.

Heyman On Emaus, Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers

By Luke Adams 2 | March 25, 2011 at 7:28pm CDT

In a column for SI.com, Jon Heyman discusses the new-look Rays, examining the team's chances in a competitive AL East. While one Rays person candidly acknowledges "we've got a lot of holes," the general consensus around baseball is that it would be a mistake to discount the defending division champs. Here are a few other highlights from Heyman:

Rule 5 pick Brad Emaus has the Mets' second base job locked up "no matter whether they pretend there's still a competition ongoing."
Jarrod Saltalamacchia seems ready to become a starting catcher in the bigs, says one scout. Even so, the Red Sox would like to add a third backstop, if one were available via trade, to start the year in the minors behind Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek.
Heyman thinks Austin Romine may be the best bet for the Yankees' backup catcher opening. However, as we heard yesterday, Gustavo Molina continues to look like the favorite for the roster spot, according to Ben Shpigel of the New York Times. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports agrees, and suggests the role will be important, given potential concerns about Russell Martin.
The Rangers made attempts to acquire a closer, but never came close to landing one, which resulted in Neftali Feliz keeping the job.
Heyman adds Jorge Cantu's name to the list of possible fits at third base for the Marlins.

Nationals Sign Oliver Perez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 25, 2011 at 9:19am CDT

The Nationals signed Oliver Perez to a minor league deal and assigned him to minor league camp, the team announced (on Twitter). This marks the second time this week that an NL East rival has picked up a discarded Mets veteran; the Phillies signed Luis Castillo Monday.

The Nationals will be responsible for the Major League minimum salary if Perez makes the team and the Mets will assume the rest of his $12MM salary. Southpaws Sean Burnett and Doug Slaten figure to pitch at the major league level, while Perez works in the minors. Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter) that Perez will begin the season at Triple-A.

The Nationals signed Perez on the recommendation of Spin Williams, a pitching coordinator who knows Perez, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Perez will report to minor league camp and work with Williams, according to Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter).

As MLBTR's Agency Database shows, the Nationals already have eight Scott Boras clients: Rick Ankiel, Alex Cora, Danny Espinosa, Alberto Gonzalez, Bryce Harper, Ivan Rodriguez, Stephen Strasburg and Jayson Werth. Boras appears to have a strong working relationship with Nationals GM Mike Rizzo.

Yahoo's Tim Brown first reported the deal.

Alderson On Perez, Castillo, Beato, Emaus, Reyes

By Mark Polishuk | March 24, 2011 at 9:18pm CDT

Mets GM Sandy Alderson held a blogger conference call today, and Metsblog.com's Michael Baron has the transcript. Here are some of the hot stove-related notes…

Fan sentiment "came into play" in Luis Castillo's release, Alderson said. The Mets "became aware about the sentiment in New York for [Castillo and Oliver Perez]….It's difficult to overcome that, so you evaluate player performance against presumption in the minds of the fans." In Perez's case, Alderson said the southpaw just didn't pitch well enough to make the roster, so the fans' thoughts were moot.
Alderson says if the Mets are in contention, the club will have the money available to add a player if necessary.
Alderson thinks his team's farm system is underrated but he says the Mets "need to be more aggressive and successful in developing players out of the draft."
"There is a very good possibility we will keep both our Rule 5 picks" Alderson said, in regards to Pedro Beato and Brad Emaus. The GM said that Emaus' Rule 5 status was a major reason the team gave him every chance to win the second base job this spring. "If he was not a Rule 5 draftee, he wouldn’t have presented the immediacy that he does," Alderson said. "If he’s not the starting second baseman, I’m not sure how much he helps us in a bench role. At least at the outset, you’re going to give him every opportunity."
If the Mets have a reduced payroll next season, they should still be able to re-sign Jose Reyes if they wish, given the number of contracts the team has coming off the books this winter.

Doug Davis Throws For Eight Teams

By Mark Polishuk | March 24, 2011 at 8:05pm CDT

The Angels, Mets, Orioles, Rangers and Rockies were among the eight teams that sent scouts to Doug Davis' throwing sessions in Tempe today, reports MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez (Twitter link). Davis threw a 45-pitch bullpen session and said his arm "felt great" afterwards, according to Sanchez. As per recent reports, the three unnamed teams don't include the Astros or Davis' most recent team, the Brewers.

It isn't clear whether Davis expects a Major League or minor league contract, though given his injury history, the latter is much more reasonable. Of the named teams, Texas is the club with most sudden need for starting pitching, given that Tommy Hunter suffered a groin injury this afternoon and Neftali Feliz has been slotted back into the closer's job. The Rangers could sign Davis to a minor league deal to see how he performs in regular work, while putting Dave Bush into their rotation as Hunter's temporary replacement.

Mets Notes: Emaus, Alderson, Isringhausen

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 24, 2011 at 8:16am CDT

On this date in 2002, the Mets traded for Jason Bay and Jimmy Serrano, sending Lou Collier to the Expos. Here's the latest on New York's National Leaguers, one year into Bay's second tenure with the organization…

Though it appears that the Mets are strongly considering Rule 5 pick Brad Emaus for their second base job, the position is up for grabs as the Mets evaluate Emaus and others, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post.
Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle remembers that Mets GM Sandy Alderson was an outside-the-box thinker back in 1982, when he was an Oakland A's executive.
Alderson tells Steve Popper of the Bergen Record that he'd like to have veteran reliever Jason Isringhausen on the team. The right-hander heard a pop in his elbow last week and says if he can't pitch he'll play softball, like he did last summer.

New York Notes: Posada, Cano, Mets

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 23, 2011 at 5:32pm CDT

The Yankees claimed a minor league pitcher today. Here's the rest of what you need to know about New York's two teams…

Jorge Posada told Kevin Kernan of the New York Post that he hopes to re-sign with the Yankees after the season, when he hits free agency. If the Yankees don’t want him back, he would consider playing elsewhere, even though he doesn’t want to sign with another team. "I would [leave], if it's the right situation," he said. "It's got to be the right situation."
As Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal explains, Robinson Cano is helping young Yankees learn how to deal with the media, even though media relations haven't always been his forte.
Yahoo's Jeff Passan says that while Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez are gone, the Mets' problems are only beginning. "When the best thing about a team is the hamburger available at its stadium," Passan writes, "it’s bad."
Be sure to read Tim Dierkes' take on the Mets' offseason.

Offseason In Review: New York Mets

By Tim Dierkes | March 23, 2011 at 12:10pm CDT

The Mets are next in our Offseason In Review series.

Major League/International Signings

Jose Reyes, SS: one year, $11MM. Club option exercised.
D.J. Carrasco, RP: two years, $2.4MM.
Chris Capuano, SP: one year, $1.5MM.
Ronny Paulino, C: one year, $1.35MM.
Scott Hairston, OF: one year, $1.1MM.
Chris Young, SP: one year, $1.1MM.
Taylor Buchholz, RP: one year, $600K.
Total spend: $19.05MM.

Notable Minor League Signings

Boof Bonser, Blaine Boyer, Tim Byrdak, Willie Harris, Taylor Tankersley, Mike O'Connor, Russ Adams, Dusty Ryan, Raul Chavez, Casey Fossum, Dale Thayer, Jason Isringhausen, Chris Shelton

Extensions

R.A. Dickey, SP: two years, $7.8MM. Includes $5MM club option for 2013 with a $300K buyout.

Trades and Claims

Claimed 2B/3B Brad Emaus from Blue Jays in Rule 5 draft
Claimed RP Pedro Beato from Orioles in Rule 5 draft
Acquired SS Chin-lung Hu from Dodgers for SP Mike Antonini

Notable Losses

Hisanori Takahashi, Pedro Feliciano, Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez, Raul Valdes, Elmer Dessens, Fernando Nieve, John Maine, Sean Green, Chris Carter, Henry Blanco, Fernando Tatis, Mike Antonini

Summary

The biggest move of the Mets' offseason was undoubtedly the hiring of Sandy Alderson as GM in October. Alderson's small-market experience will be an asset with the Mets, as his payroll flexibility may remain limited for part of his four-year contract due to the Wilpons' Madoff-related issues. The new Mets front office has an analytical feel to it, as Alderson hired Paul DePodesta and J.P. Ricciardi. Additionally, Terry Collins is aboard as the new manager. Let's take a look at Alderson's first offseason.

Exercising Reyes' option at $11MM was a no-brainer. If Reyes has a strong first half, Alderson may be tasked with restocking a poorly-rated farm system by trading his shortstop. Releasing Oliver Perez was also a fairly obvious choice, as he simply isn't worth a roster spot despite his $12MM salary. Cutting Castillo might be considered a baseball decision as well as one for the fans. If Emaus has even a little bit of upside, he's the right pick at second base.

Like the Mariners, the Mets are a big-budget team but don't appear to be a player or two away from contention in 2011. Shopping the bargain bin was the right move for Alderson. Capuano and Young in particular have upside for a minimal commitment. The other moves amount to tinkering. Between second base, the rotation, and the bullpen, the Mets have a lot of opportunity for players to step up.

Speaking of the bullpen, it's imperative that the Mets find a way to prevent Francisco Rodriguez from finishing 55 games, as that would trigger a 2012 option adding a net cost of $14MM. I agree with Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal – the Mets could employ a more sabermetric bullpen strategy, using K-Rod in all kinds of high leverage situations. Then when the reliever's agent files a grievance, the Mets can cite legitimate baseball reasons as their motivation. The downside is that future free agent targets may be turned off if the Mets try to sneak around a contract clause to which they agreed. One DL stint for Rodriguez may make the whole issue a moot point.

2011 figures to be a transition year for the Mets, perhaps with the goals of trading Reyes, getting Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran off the books, spending more on amateur talent, and figuring out what the team has for 2012.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

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