Mets Rumors

Luis Hernandez Drawing Trade Interest

By Tim Dierkes | March 23, 2011 at 11:42am CDT

Mets infielder Luis Hernandez is drawing trade interest, according to ESPN's Adam Rubin. The Mets appear poised to give the backup middle infield job to Chin-lung Hu instead. Hernandez is out of options, and Rubin does not think he would clear waivers. The Mets signed Hernandez to a minor league deal back in February of last year.

Hernandez's trade value is limited, as glove-only middle infielders are not hard to come by in most organizations. MLB.com's Corey Brock can envision the Padres having interest (Twitter link). The Padres are known to be eyeing Alberto Gonzalez and Robert Andino, who are both out of options. For our full list of out of options players, click here.

Olney On Shortstops, Juan Cruz, Mets

By Tim Dierkes | March 23, 2011 at 10:58am CDT

The latest from the blog of ESPN's Buster Olney…

Olney muses on who the Giants might look at as a midseason acquisition if Miguel Tejada does not work out at shortstop. He comes up with Jose Reyes, Marco Scutaro, and Jack Wilson as possible trade candidates. I can see Stephen Drew, J.J. Hardy, and Ronny Cedeno as other possibilities.
Evaluators tell Olney Rays reliever Juan Cruz looks excellent. Apparently recovered from shoulder surgery, Cruz has allowed one run in eight spring innings. He's whiffed nine and allowed only two hits, but also walked seven.
The Mets intend to keep Rule 5 picks Brad Emaus and Pedro Beato, according to Olney. With Justin Turner being cut today, Emaus certainly appears to be the second base starter. Joel Sherman of the New York Post digs into the Mets' logic with Emaus here. The infielder, 25 on Monday, hit .298/.395/.495 at Triple-A last year.

NL East Notes: Castillo, DePodesta, Braves

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 22, 2011 at 8:15pm CDT

Links from the NL East, as the Marlins declare that Josh Johnson is ready for the season…

After some confusion, Luis Castillo arrived in Phillies camp, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post de-bunks the notion that the Mets could have built up trade value for Castillo instead of releasing him.
Mets exec Paul DePodesta said in a chat at Baseball Prospectus that he likes to be aggressive in the draft and take occasional "shots where it's appropriate." However, DePodesta cautioned that it's possible to overspend on amateurs, since there is a finite number of future big leaguers out there (hat tip MetsBlog).
Joe Pawlikowski of FanGraphs predicts that the Braves will get something in exchange for Kenshin Kawakami, even if they have to eat some of his $6.67MM salary.
For the latest on the Nationals, click here.

Yankees Have No Interest In Oliver Perez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 22, 2011 at 3:35pm CDT

Turns out the rumor was too good to be true. Yankees GM Brian Cashman says he has no interest in left-hander Oliver Perez, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch (on Twitter). The Yankees considered the former Met, according to SI.com, before concluding that they would be better off without him. "It's not something that makes sense for us," Cashman said.

The Mets released Perez yesterday, making him a free agent. If an MLB team signs Perez, they'll contribute about $400K of his salary, with the Mets responsible for the remaining $11.6MM.

Pedro Feliciano and Boone Logan give the Yankees two serviceable left-handers out of the bullpen, so they never seemed like a likely destination for the 29-year-old. The Brewers aren't interested in Perez, either.

Nationals Notes: Elvin Ramirez, Ivan Rodriguez

By Tim Dierkes | March 22, 2011 at 2:27pm CDT

The latest on the Nationals, as John Lannan completes a strong spring start against the Astros…

Rule 5 pick Elvin Ramirez, a reliever taken from the Mets, should start throwing light bullpens soon according to GM Mike Rizzo. The info comes from Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, who suggests Ramirez could start the season on the DL and buy the Nationals some time. For my post on the latest on all 19 Major League Rule 5 picks, click here.
The Nationals contacted the Red Sox about a potential Ivan Rodriguez trade, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, the Sox are only looking for veteran Triple-A depth at most. Previously, reports have indicated that the Nats are willing to move a catcher.
The Nationals also have Roger Bernadina and Nyjer Morgan scrapping for a spot on the team, Rosenthal notes. Both players have minor league options remaining.
Nationals fans, don't forget that you can follow the club's rumors via our Facebook and Twitter pages and RSS feed.

Yankees Have Some Interest In Oliver Perez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 21, 2011 at 5:27pm CDT

Here's one for the back pages and talk show hosts. The Yankees have discussed Oliver Perez as a potential cheap addition, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). However, GM Brian Cashman doesn't seem enthused about the 29-year-old left-hander.

The Mets released Perez earlier today, eating his $12MM contract and ending his inconsistent five-year stint in New York. If the Yankees sign Perez, they would be responsible for paying him the MLB minimum salary and their crosstown rivals would be responsible for about $11.6MM.

Longtime Met Pedro Feliciano (upper arm) and Boone Logan (back) have dealt with soreness this spring, but both lefties made progress in recent days. It seems likely that Cashman was simply being diligent when he considered Perez.

Quick Hits: Carlos Guillen, Dennys Reyes, Mets

By Tim Dierkes | March 21, 2011 at 2:16pm CDT

Opening Day is just ten days away! Our latest collection of links:

As first mentioned on Twitter, MLBTR learned that Tigers infielder Carlos Guillen switched agencies this spring, from Peter Greenberg to Octagon. Our new Agency Database has all the goods.
Dennys Reyes' opt-out date with the Red Sox is Friday, tweets WEEI's Rob Bradford. The lefty has allowed one run in seven strong innings this spring.
With the Mets eating $12MM to release Oliver Perez today, ESPN's Adam Rubin looks at the other big contracts the Mets have gobbled up to make a player go away.
The Tigers and White Sox have better pitching staffs than the Twins, explains Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
Kirby Arnold of the Everett Herald projects the Mariners' 25-man roster.

Mets Release Oliver Perez

By Tim Dierkes | March 21, 2011 at 8:58am CDT

The Mets released lefty Oliver Perez, the team officially announced today. The move comes three days after the release of second baseman Luis Castillo, as the team's new regime bailed on Omar Minaya's two worst contracts with one year remaining. The Mets still owe Perez $12MM for 2011.

Perez, 29, re-signed with the Mets on a three-year, $36MM deal in February of 2009. The contract was fairly well-received in the media at the time. The signing quickly became unpopular, with the southpaw posting the two worst seasons of his career. The numbers: a 6.81 ERA, 7.9 K/9, 8.0 BB/9, and 1.7 HR/9 over 112 1/3 innings. New GM Sandy Alderson allowed Perez a chance to make the 2011 club as a reliever, but he allowed 13 hits and nine runs in 9 2/3 spring innings.

The Phillies signed Castillo yesterday and appear to have big league playing time for him. It'll be a much longer road back for Perez. The Mets ate $18MM to make the pair go away, minus the Major League minimum if they play in the Majors. The cuts should be popular with fans, and hopefully the team can generate a few positive storylines heading into the 2011 season.

Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal first tweeted the news of Perez's release.

Mets Notes: Perez, Isringhausen, Castillo

By Zachary Links | March 20, 2011 at 9:12pm CDT

Some Mets-related items…

Andy Martino of The New York Daily News says that GM Sandy Alderson and manager Terry Collins are scheduled to meet with Oliver Perez on Monday morning, and an announcement that the left-hander has been released could come shortly thereafter.
ESPN New York's Adam Rubin passes along a press release issued by the Wilpons answering the $1 billion lawsuit filed against them in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Perez left the Mets complex this morning and says no one has told him what's next, tweets Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal. Costa says to expect a decision by tomorrow.
Pitching coach Dan Warthen says that no decision has been reached on Perez yet and he doubts that anything will happen today, Costa tweets.
Warthen's assessment is supported by a team official who told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that the Mets are not expected to make any roster moves today.
Only an injury would prevent Jason Isringhausen from breaking camp with the Mets, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The 38-year-old said earlier this month that he would retire before accepting a minor league assignment.
Second baseman Luis Castillo will almost certainly have a new job within 24 hours after he clears waivers today at 1pm EST, writes Buster Olney of ESPN. Olney points out that it's worth remembering Castillo's history and relationship with the Marlins. When owner Jeffrey Loria visited the Vatican in 2002, he brought back a blessed cross for Castillo.

Mets Notes: Perez, Collins, Warthen

By Zachary Links | March 19, 2011 at 7:28pm CDT

After cutting ties with Luis Castillo, many are wondering if Oliver Perez is next on the Mets' chopping block. Here's a batch of Mets news with a heavy focus on the beleaguered left-hander..

After a rough outing today against the Nationals in which he gave up a pair of homers to career minor leaguers, this is probably the end of the line for Perez, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Even before this afternoon's performance, Martino says that he couldn't find anyone in organization who truly believed that the Perez experiment would work.
Martino (via Twitter) has been told that Perez won't be released tonight but he wouldn't be surprised to see the Mets cut Perez tomorrow or shortly thereafter.
A person with direct knowledge of the team’s thinking told Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger that no decision on Perez would be made before today.
McCullough (via Twitter) agrees that the end of the left-hander's time in New York is near though, pointing out that even supportive pitching coach Dan Warthen, says Perez's pitches are not good enough.
After the team's 7-4 win over the Nationals today, manager Terry Collins said he wants to have compassion for the hurler, but the reality is that he needs to pitch better, writes Rich Coutinho of MetsBlog.
Collins realizes now that his intensity has worked against him in the past and he's determined not to let it happen again, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.

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