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Make Or Break Year: Carlos Beltran

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This time the stakes are lower. When Carlos Beltran hit free agency after the 2004 season, he was in his prime, on the verge of a huge free agent deal. Beltran responded to the pressure with 38 regular season homers and eight more in the playoffs, tying Barry Bonds' postseason record and setting himself up for his current $119MM deal. 

Short of a Bonds-esque late-career breakthrough, Beltran won't come close to approaching his current contract when he hits free agency after the coming season. The market for 34-year-old corner outfielders with knee problems is not strong unless they're coming off of big seasons.

Beltran

2010 was not a big year for Beltran, who underwent a right knee operation in January and didn't return to the majors until July. He seemed healthy in September, when he posted a .967 OPS, but the sample size is small, so we can't be confident that Beltran can hit the way he did earlier in his career.

Despite his injuries, Beltran has hit .295/.384/.470 with 17 home runs in his last 612 plate appearances. If he stays healthy in 2011 and posts numbers like that, he and agent Scott Boras could ask for a multiyear deal next winter. Boras says Beltran can play center field or right, though clubs could be reluctant to put a 34-year-old with questionable knees in center, so it's not clear that Beltran's history as a Gold Glove center fielder will help him on the market.

If Beltran struggles again, he'll be in line for a one-year, incentive-based contract, which is nothing compared to his current deal. He can do better than a make-good contract if he puts together a big year in 2011, but it's hardly the same as in 2004, when his team's pennant hopes were on the line and the potential for a mega-deal existed.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Mets Notes: Wilpon, Perez, Rodriguez, Finances

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The latest on the Mets, including updates on two pitchers who haven't lived up to their contracts…

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says he finds it "increasingly difficult to believe that [Fred Wilpon] will remain viable as owner [of the Mets]." He believes Wilpon should sell the team and move on, for the good of all involved.
  • Andy Martino of the New York Daily News hears that the Mets are close to giving up on Oliver Perez and could release him if he doesn't pitch well against the Cardinals today. Manager Terry Collins says Perez will have another chance to prove himself after today, however. The left-hander earns $12MM this year in the final year of his contract.
  • Agent Paul Kinzer told David Lennon of Newsday that Francisco Rodriguez's 2012 option, which becomes guaranteed if he finishes 55 games this year, will be a "point of interest" that he'll watch closely. Kinzer says he hopes the Mets play to win instead of worrying about the $17.5MM option.
  • The owners of the Mets, Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, face more than a $1 billion lawsuit, but that's not all. They are expected to face additional allegations from a court-appointed trustee, according to Matthew Futterman and Michael Rothfeld of the Wall St. Journal.

East Notes: Lackey, Crawford, Dickey, Buck

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Some links from the East – both AL and NL..

East Notes: Joba, Wieters, O’s, Damon, Durbin

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Some items from the AL and NL East as the eastern clubs dive into Grapefruit League action…

  • Joba Chamberlain won't be a Yankee by this time in 2012, predicts Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com.
  • Matt Wieters is listed as one of "the most disappointing prospects of all time" by Steven Goldman of Baseball Prospectus.  "His glove and the dream of what might have been will keep him around for years, but stardom now seems spectacularly unlikely," Goldman writes.  Given that Wieters is entering just his third Major League season and hasn't turned 25 yet, this ranking seems awfully premature.
  • The Orioles' farm system lacks depth, especially in comparison to its AL East rivals, writes FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal.  "The team’s offseason moves…represent nothing more than a Band-Aid," Rosenthal says, noting that the O's "are practically a zero" when it comes to international scouting.  MLBTR's Tim Dierkes examined these issues in his offseason-in-review piece about Baltimore earlier today.
  • Johnny Damon tells Ken Davidoff of Newsday that his free agent discussions with the Yankees this past winter involved a scenario that would have seen Damon make three starts per week for New York.  Damon turned the deal down since the lack of playing time would have hurt his quest for 3000 hits. 
  • Damon also tells Peter Gammons (Twitter link) that had he known the Tigers weren't going to bring him back, he would have gone to the Red Sox when Boston claimed him on waivers last August.
  • The Phillies made Chad Durbin a $2MM offer in December, considerably more than the $800K deal Durbin eventually signed with Cleveland, reports MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.  Once Philadelphia signed Cliff Lee, however, the team pulled back the contract and instead offered just a minor league deal.  "When Cliff signed, it took any ability to go back there on a Major League deal off the table," Durbin told MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.  Durbin doesn't have any hard feelings towards the Phillies over the move: "You know, I'd take Cliff Lee over Chad Durbin."
  • Anthony DiComo of MLB.com looks at the twists and turns of Tim Byrdak's baseball career.  The veteran left-hander is trying to make the Mets' Opening Day roster after signing a minor league deal with the team in January.

Boras: Beltran Is An Outfielder, Not A DH

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Agent Scott Boras says Carlos Beltran could pursue jobs as a center fielder or as a right fielder after the season, but don't expect the five-time All-Star to DH. Boras told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that most teams would have room in their outfields for Beltran.

“Carlos Beltran is a great athlete, and I find it hard to believe that there would be three outfielders on a major league team that would match Carlos on a level to suggest he would be DH,” Boras said.

Beltran missed considerable playing time with knee issues last year and said yesterday that he'll move to right field to accomodate the Mets and Angel Pagan, who put together a strong season in 2010, when Beltran played just 64 games.

In 13 big league seasons, Beltran has appeared in three games as a right fielder and in two more as a left fielder. Boras says his client has the athleticism to return to center field in 2012, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The 33-year-old has not yet decided whether to pursue jobs as a center fielder or as a right fielder when he hits free agency this fall.

Mets Seek New Loan

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The Mets are 'desperately' seeking a new loan for tens of millions of dollars to cover their operating expenses, according to Josh Kosman, Mark DeCambre and Dan Mangan of the New York Post. The Wilpon family, which owns the team, faces a $1 billion lawsuit and says they are open to selling 20-25% of the Mets.

JPMorgan Chase is working with other companies to put together a loan that would provide the Wilpons with cash until they sell part of the team, according to the Post. The team received $25MM from MLB in November but has exhausted its credit with the league, according to the New York Times. 

NL East Notes: Beltran, Cox, Vazquez

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On this date five years ago, the Mets signed Pedro Feliciano, who had spent the previous season playing for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the NPB. He posted a 3.09 ERA from 2006-10, appearing in more than half of the Mets' games during that time. Feliciano and his durable left arm still play for a New York team, but he will now show up for work at Yankee Stadium. Here's the latest on the NL East…

  • Carlos Beltran says he'll move to right field to keep Angel Pagan in center. Beltran explained that Carlos Delgado and agent Scott Boras helped him make the decision, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. Beltran, a free agent after the season, says he feels capable of playing center field, but wants to do what's best for the Mets.
  • ESPN.com's Jayson Stark details the transition from Bobby Cox to Fredi Gonzalez, explaining that the Braves were not looking for something "dramatically different from the previous administration." Gonzalez says the Braves model is "really not broke," so he isn't looking to make radical changes.
  • New acquisition Javier Vazquez was only throwing 88 mph yesterday, but the Marlins aren't concerned about his velocity, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Vazquez, who has consistently thrown 91-92 mph throughout his career, averaged 88.7 mph on his fastball last year.

Valentine Interested In Owning Part Of Mets

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Former Mets manager Bobby Valentine could return to the organization after all. Valentine has spoken with serious financial backers about bidding to buy part of the Mets, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Valentine says he's interested in the possibility of owning part of the team.

"I'’ve talked to a number of people interested in purchasing part of the New York Mets, but I'’m not formally with any group that is actively pursuing this venture," Valentine told Rubin.

The Wilpon family is open to selling a minority share in the club, as it faces a $1 billion lawsuit and financial instability. When the Mets needed financial support last fall, they borrowed $25MM from MLB.

Valentine was a candidate for a number of managerial openings last year, though he wasn't a finalist for the Mets position. Terry Collins beat Bob Melvin and Chip Hale for the job in November.

Mets Received Loan From MLB

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SATURDAY, 5:51pm: Union head Michael Weiner told Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York that despite the team's financial trouble, he's confident the Mets will pay their players on time.

"I rely upon both the assurances we received from the commissioner's office as well as the documents that we are entitled to under the basic agreement," said Weiner. "What I said when I was in [Mets camp] was that I have every confidence that all the obligations to players under the basic agreement in their contracts will be met, and I still have every confidence that that's going to be the case."

The player's union was aware the commissioner's office was giving the Mets a loan since the Collective Bargaining Agreement entitles them to such financial information. 

FRIDAY, 5:49pm: The Mets, dealing with a cash shortage, received $25MM from Major League Baseball in November, according to Michael S. Schmidt and David Waldstein of the New York Times.

MLB typically extends its 30 clubs a credit of $75MM, according to the report, which the Mets have already exhausted in addition to the $400MM debt they have on the team. To boot, more financial damage looms for the Mets, as they face a $1 billion lawsuit by Irving Picard, the trustee of the victims of the Bernard Madoff ponzi scheme.

The Mets issued a statement, confirming the report and offering no further comment, per Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter links):

We said in October that we expect to have a short-term liquidity issue. To address this, we did receive a loan from Major League Baseball in November. Beyond that, we will not discuss the matter any further.

The loan is expected to be paid back "relatively quickly," according to Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal.

It is speculated in the Times report that Selig's assistance to offer financial aid to a big-market franchise, on the hook for about $140MM in player salary this year, might anger other owners. As well, it signals that the Mets are in dire financial straits, according to sports-industry consultant Marc Ganis, because the league is typically a "lender of last resort."

In January, the Wilpons announced that they are looking to sell a minority stake — perhaps 20 or 25 percent — in the team, and so far, that search has generated only "modest interest," according to the Times, with fewer than 12 investors applying to investigate the team's finances.

Aside from the Madoff mess, the Mets were wise to be stingy with their cash this offseason, writes Ed Price of FanHouse.com, because there wasn't a big-ticket free agent who could have put them over the top. And with a lot of money coming off the books after this season, the franchise will have flexibility moving forward — even if it doesn't spend $150MM per year on payroll — because teams can compete with any payroll so long as they spend wisely.

2012 Options Notes: Wainwright, K-Rod, Sabathia

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Some rumblings about 2012 options from around the league…

  • The Cardinals could still pick up the 2012 ($9MM) and 2013 ($12MM) options they hold on Adam Wainwright even though he's having Tommy John surgery, writes Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A pitcher of Wainwright's caliber is a bargain at that price, even if he doesn't get back to being himself until midway through the 2012 season. The options will not vest now that the right-hander will spend the season on the disabled list.
  • When asked about the possibility of the options not being picked up and becoming a free agent, Wainwright simply told Strauss "I think I'd end up doing all right."
  • SI.com's Jon Heyman says (on Twitter) there's a zero percent chance the Mets will allow Francisco Rodriguez to finish the 55 games needed to vest his $17.5MM option. The player's union figures to be vigilant, especially if K-Rod is healthy.
  • Rival GMs told Heyman (on Twitter) that the chances of Yankees ace CC Sabathia opting out of his contract after the season are "100 percent." Sabathia was non-committal when asked about the clause two weeks ago.
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