Stark On Twins, Reyes, Beltran, Draft
Jose Bautista and Josh Beckett are the player and starting pitcher of the month for ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. Here are Stark's latest rumblings from around the league:
- Barring a miracle, the Twins will be sellers this July, but they aren’t ready to trade anyone yet.
- One rival executive says they will eventually talk about trading prospective free agents including Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, Jim Thome and Matt Capps. The Twins would have interest in re-signing some of those players after the season and could conceivably do so even after trading them (the Indians did that with Austin Kearns last year).
- Though Jose Reyes is the Mets’ most exciting player, the consensus is that the Mets are going to have an easier time trading Carlos Beltran, partly because they will feel the need to get more in return for Reyes.
- The draft could be significantly different under a new collective bargaining agreement (baseball’s current CBA expires in December) and one scouting director says MLB needs to make changes, including a possible worldwide draft. "The dollars that are being asked now in Latin America are a joke,” the director said. “And this is the only way to address it."
- One small-market official says a slotting system would hurt small market clubs, since it would prevent them from out-spending deep-pocketed teams on draft picks.
- One GM suggests moving the draft back to the All-Star break and making it more of an event.
NL East Notes: Pudge, Einhorn
Here are a couple items of note out of the NL East as the Mets kick off their series against the Pirates without the services of Jose Reyes, who was added to the bereavement list Monday.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said he's not actively shopping Ivan Rodriguez and that the catcher won't be dealt for a "pittance," writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Pudge's name surfaced in rumors last week in the wake of Giants backstop Buster Posey's season-ending injury.
- Mets soon-to-be part-owner David Einhorn spoke to reporters Monday, and Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com has the highlights.
- The purchase of Einhorn's stake of in the Mets should be finalized "within weeks, and certainly by the end of June," writes Rubin.
- Einhorn thinks the agreement is fair for both him and the Wilpons.
- No assurances were issued by Einhorn as to whether the state of the Mets' finances would improve in the coming years: It'll be what it'll be. It's not that people aren't going to try really hard to avoid that sort of a circumstance, but the future is uncertain. And there is a wide range of possible outcomes of all sorts of things. That's true in life in general. And it's true in this circumstance as well.
Quick Hits: Reyes, Webb, Posey
Babe Ruth played his last MLB game on this date in 1935. The slugger played one inning against the Phillies and grounded out in his final at bat. Here's the boxscore from that game and here are today's links. Happy Memorial Day!
- Ever since Mets owner Fred Wilpon publicly questioned Jose Reyes' earning power, the shortstop is producing even more than usual, David Lennon writes at Newsday. Reyes leads the National League in hits, doubles, triples and stolen bases, though he'll be on the bereavement list for three to seven days (Twitter link).
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney wonders if Brandon Webb, who is now rehabbing, could be a fit for the Reds later this season.
- Dave Groeschner, a trainer for injured Giants catcher Buster Posey, told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that Posey is done for the season, but should be ready for the 2012 season opener.
Quick Hits: Pirates, Reyes, Mariners, Galarraga
Links for Sunday, after John Danks was unable to get his first win of 2011 this afternoon….
- It seems likely that the Pirates will place Ryan Doumit on the disabled list after he injured his ankle today, and Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh-Tribune Review says (on Twitter) that Dusty Brown would get called up to replace him since Jason Jaramillo is also hurt. Pittsburgh's 40-man roster is full, so a move will have to be made to accommodate Brown.
- Andy McCullough of The Star-Ledger reports (on Twitter) that Mets shortstop Jose Reyes was again asked about his contract following today's game. "I've told you like a million times already," said Reyes, an impending free agent. "If [an extension] comes, it comes. If not, I'm going to continue to play."
- Larry Stone of The Seattle Times spoke to Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik about the upcoming draft, who indicated that he will not draft based on team need and that they have a group of about five players they're specifically targeting for the second overall pick.
- Bob Cohn of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wrote about the importance that decision-making plays into the success of small market teams.
- Armando Galarraga wasn't pleased about his demotion to Triple-A, writes Chris Gabel of the Reno Gazette-Journal. The right-hander was blunt about why he stayed in the Diamondbacks' organization and accepted his minor league assignment: "The money. They have to pay me $2.3MM to come here."
- The trade pulled off by the Yankees, Tigers, and Diamondbacks in 2009 was the rare three-way deal that worked out for each team, says Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- Asked whether the Indians could pursue Jim Thome this summer, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer points out that if the Twins make him available, it likely won't be until after he hits his 600th home run. Hoynes doubts that the veteran slugger is a fit for the Tribe anyway.
- While the Red Sox committed over $300MM to Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez this year, their smaller investments are also paying dividends, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- P.J. Walters was removed from the Cardinals' 40-man roster and cleared waivers earlier this weekend, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
New York Notes: Reyes, Felix, Hughes, Jeter
Even before reports of David Einhorn's $200MM investment in the Mets surfaced, things could've been worse in Queens, writes Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post. Vaccaro points out that New York's baseball history includes plenty of stretches more dismal than the one endured by the present-day Mets, and breaks down his top five. Here are some other Sunday morning notes on the Mets and Yankees:
- Einhorn got a first-hand look at Jose Reyes on Saturday, but refused comment when asked about the possibility of re-signing the shortstop, says Kevin Kernan of the New York Post.
- Whenever Felix Hernandez faces the Yankees, as he did Saturday night, it seems invariably to lead to speculation about King Felix someday wearing pinstripes. However, as Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News writes, that's not about to happen anytime soon.
- Phil Hughes took "a step in the right direction" this weekend, throwing off a mound for the first time in over a month, according to Feinsand.
- The New York Post's Steve Selby argues that if there's one player who deserves to be cut some slack when he struggles, it's Derek Jeter.
Mets Agree To Sell Minority Stake In Team
7:23pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Mets have shot down this morning's report, issuing a statement saying "[there] is uninformed speculation regarding terms of a potential deal." Rubin points out that the team has made a series of misstatements in the past.
ESPN's Buster Olney wonders how MLB will respond since the deal is "seemingly a body blow to [the] perceived franchise value of team," and the league could be wary about how future investors perceive the club's worth (Twitter links).
SATURDAY, 8:54pm: Adam Rubin of ESPN New York has learned the terms of the purchase, which sound extremely favorable for Einhorn. The $200MM buys him 30-35% of the team, and he has an option to increase his stake to 60% in three years. If the Wilpons do not want to give him a majority (and controlling) share at that time, they can refund the $200MM while Einhorn still gets to keep his 30-35% stake.
THURSDAY: The Mets have agreed to sell a minority share of the club to David Einhorn, president of Greenlight Capital Inc., according to ESPN's Karl Ravech. The Mets confirmed that Einhorn is their preferred partner, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. MLB has not yet approved the deal, but the Mets stand to obtain $200MM from Einhorn. The Mets expect to enter into definitive agreemets within a month.
Though the Wilpon family has had its share of financial troubles, the Mets say they're going to continue spending. They are prepared to exceed the commissioner's recommended bonuses in this year's draft and expect to maintain a payroll in the $100-145MM range next year. The influx of cash figures to help the Mets pay their bills.
Closer Notes: Rodriguez, Bell
Happy 23rd birthday to Braves' closer Craig Kimbrel, who has struck out 78 of 192 batters he's faced as a big leaguer (40.6%). Make sure you follow @closernews for all the latest on fantasy's most unpredictable category, the save. Here are some notes on the ninth inning…
- Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweets that the Rangers will consider K-Rod along with other top right-handed relievers, though he doesn't see them accounting for his $17.5MM option.
- Andy Martino of The New York Daily News explains why Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez might be more tradeable than we think. "Instead of signing someone like (Jonathan) Papelbon or(Heath) Bell this winter for three or four years, a team could pick up that option and have K-Rod for a year and a half," said one NL executive. "That could be very tempting, and the Mets might actually get a prospect back in that case."
- In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says it would make sense for the Cardinals to try to acquire Padres closer Heath Bell to solve their ninth inning woes. Olney wonders if they would attempt to expand a deal to include Jason Bartlett, who St. Louis had interest in over the winter.
- Dan Mennella looked at both K-Rod and Bell as trade candidates recently, and Tim Dierkes listed some potentially available relievers.
Rodriguez Open To Setting Up
Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez doesn’t want to be dealt to a team that would use him as a setup man, though he would be willing to fill that role under the right conditions, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. If a team were willing to sign him to a contract extension and return him to the closer’s role next season, K-Rod says he wouldn't object.
“That would be great,” the 29-year-old said. “That would be no problem.”
Teams, of course, are wary about the clause in Rodriguez's deal that would guarantee his $17.5MM option for next season if he finishes 55 games. The veteran is currently on pace to finish 62 games.
The Rangers could be interested in Rodriguez under such conditions, says Rosenthal. They could use Rodriguez as a setup man for the remainder of the year then make him the closer in 2012 and move Neftali Feliz to the rotation.
Mets Notes: Wright, Alderson, Giants, Fossum
In the wake of Fred Wilpon's already-infamous New Yorker interview, David Wright tells Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link) that he wants to "close the book" on the incident, and that Wilpon contacted him to say that he "misspoke." Wright also seems to have a sense of humor about the situation, saying "My parents texted me and told me I was their superstar." (Quote from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports).
Some other news from the Mets camp….
- In light of Wilpon’s comments, Joel Sherman of the New York Post asks whether Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes should care for anything but “padding their free-agent resumes” at this point. Sherman also says Wright has been handed an opportunity to step down from his unofficial position as team spokesman.
- GM Sandy Alderson said he hasn't spoken to Wright, Beltran or Reyes about Wilpon's statements, reports Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com. “They’re professionals, and things happen from time to time and they’re able to take that in stride,” Alderson said. “I don’t think this has been a major issue for them." The link also contains Alderson's thoughts on next season's payroll and his first impressions of new Mets minority owner David Einhorn.
- The Giants need a big bat more than ever in the wake of Buster Posey's season-ending injury, but a source tells Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (Twitter link) that San Francisco hasn't been in contact with the Mets about any of their available hitters.
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Casey Fossum is "not inclined to pitch right now" and has been placed on the restricted list at the Mets' Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, reports Adam Rubin. (Twitter link) Despite this, the veteran southpaw has no plans to retire, and Buffalo manager Tim Teufel said that Fossum is trying to "reinvent himself" (via the Twitter feed of The Buffalo News' Mike Harrington). Fossum, who last pitched in the majors in 2009 and pitched in Japan last season, signed a minor league deal with the Mets in February. He has a 6.56 ERA in nine games (six of them starts) with Buffalo this year.
MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith also contributed to this post
Mets Designate Pat Misch For Assignment
The Mets designated Pat Misch for assignment to create roster space for Dale Thayer, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). In related moves, the Mets optioned Fernando Martinez to the minor leagues and promoted Thayer.
Misch, 29, made six relief appearances this year and has allowed 11 hits and four walks in 7 innings, striking out five. The left-hander has a 4.80 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in six seasons with the Giants and Mets.
Thayer, a right-hander who had brief stints with the Rays in 2009-10, has been pitching for the Mets' Triple-A affiliate. He has a 2.05 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 26 1/3 innings with Buffalo. A 47th round selection in 1999, Thayer has struck out nearly a batter per inning over the course of his nine minor league seasons.