Stark On Mets, Fielder, Nationals
The latest from ESPN's Jayson Stark…
- People all over baseball predict that Commissioner Bud Selig will eventually have to act on the Mets' situation, perhaps engineering a "soft landing" that would allow Fred Wilpon a graceful exit.
- A couple executives Stark spoke to don't feel that Adrian Gonzalez's seven-year, $154MM extension with the Red Sox will affect Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder. I imagine there are some teams that will try to say Fielder doesn't deserve significantly more than Gonzalez, but Gonzalez's contract wasn't signed on the open market and he's not represented by Scott Boras. Stark says the "early buzz" is that Boras seeks $200MM over eight years for Fielder. Of course, the early buzz around Boras clients is often way above what the player actually signs for. A few candidates to sign Fielder, in the eyes of SI's Jon Heyman: the Cubs, Mariners, Rangers, Orioles, and Dodgers.
- Though the Nationals could probably afford Pujols or Fielder, one source who has talked with them extensively told Stark they're more likely to spread their money around.
Jays Accept Brad Emaus Back From Mets
The Blue Jays have accepted infielder Brad Emaus back from the Mets, tweets ESPNNewYork's Adam Rubin. New York designated Emaus, a Rule 5 pick from Toronto, for assignment on Tuesday and since Emaus cleared waivers, the Mets had to offer him back to the Jays for $25K or work out a trade to keep him. Now that the Jays have taken Emaus back, he has been assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas.
Emaus won the second base job out of Spring Training for the Mets, but was DFA'ed after posting a .424 OPS in 42 plate appearances. Emaus, 25, was an 11th-round pick of the Jays in the 2007 amateur draft and he has a .276/.364/.426 line in four minor league seasons.
Mets Notes: Bay, Elvin Ramirez, Loan
Jason Bay makes his season debut for the Mets tonight, and hopefully he can inject some offense into an offense that ranks 12th in the NL with 4.00 runs per game. The latest links involving the team:
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post talks about the Mets' need for Bay to add some life to the club, with the team's clubhouse already giving out a mathematically-eliminated vibe.
- Elvin Ramirez, the 23-year-old reliever taken by the Nationals from the Mets in the December Rule 5 draft, received a cortisone injection in his shoulder last week according to this tweet from Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. ESPN's Adam Rubin attempts to decipher the situation, tweeting that Ramirez "must spend 90 non-September says active on 25-man roster to become Nats property."
- Commissioner Bud Selig said the $25MM the Mets borrowed from MLB is due back before the end of the season, and he's confident the team will make the payment, according to this tweet from Brian Costa of The Wall Street Journal.
Pat Misch Clears Waivers
WEDNESDAY, 12:48pm: Misch cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
SUNDAY, 8:43am: The Mets have made the move official, according to the team's Twitter.
SATURDAY, 9:46pm: The Mets will designate left-hander Pat Misch for assignment to make room for Dillon Gee before tomorrow's game, reports Andy Martino of The New York Daily News (on Twitter).
Misch, 29, was called up earlier today to serve as bullpen depth during the Mets-Braves doubleheader. He appeared in the first game, allowing one run across two innings of work. The Mets outrighted Misch to Triple-A at the end of Spring Training, and he opted to remain with the team instead of becoming a free agent after clearing waivers. They did the same thing to him last season as well.
Mets Prefer To Wait On Ike Davis Extension
One calendar year into his big league career, Ike Davis has a .266/.355/.441 line with 20 homers and 81 walks. The first baseman, who made his MLB debut one year ago today, is a fixture in the Mets’ lineup and, apparently, in their long-term plans. But Andy Martino of the New York Daily News hears that the Mets prefer to wait a few years before locking the 24-year-old up to an extension.
Davis is reluctant to discuss his success, but he’d be open to discussing an extension, according to Martino. The 2008 first rounder narrowly missed getting a full year of service time in 2010 because the Mets did not call on him until late April. He fell four days short of a full year of service, which means he won’t become a free agent until after 2016 (he would have been eligible after 2015 with a full year of service in '10). The Mets can safely wait to discuss extensions, since Davis won’t even be arbitration eligible until after next year.
Mets Designate Brad Emaus For Assignment
The Mets designated infielder Brad Emaus for assignment and recalled Justin Turner, tweets David Lennon of Newsday. Emaus, a Rule 5 pick from the Blue Jays, earned the second base job out of Spring Training but only received 42 plate appearances to establish himself. If he's not traded or claimed in the next ten days, the Mets have to offer him back to the Blue Jays (or work out a trade to keep him in the organization). If another team picks up Emaus, they'll still be subject to the Rule 5 restriction of keeping him in the Majors all year.
Emaus, 25, hit .290/.397/.476 in 534 plate appearances for the Blue Jays' Double and Triple-A clubs last year, playing second and third base.
Rosenthal On Tigers, Reyes, Trout, White Sox
The Rockies, who are about to start a series with the defending World Champions, have baseball's best record so far this year. GM Dan O'Dowd told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the team's resilience has contributed to its fast start. “We’re a confident, persistent club,” O’Dowd said. Troy Tulowitzki's hot streak hasn't hurt, either. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:
- One scout who has followed the Tigers this year predicts that they'll be looking for pitching help later this season. At some point minor leaguers Andy Oliver and Jacob Turner could help the Tigers, who are 12th in the AL with 77 runs allowed.
- A rival official says Mets GM Sandy Alderson will not offer Jose Reyes $100MM to stay in New York. It appears likely that Reyes will be on the trading block this summer, so MLBTR's Steve Adams recently outlined some possible destinations for him.
- Scouts are high on Angels prospect Mike Trout, praising his baserunning instincts, speed and power.
- Jason Marquis is a potential trade candidate, according to Rosenthal. The Nationals' right-hander has a 3.26 ERA in three starts so far this season.
- The White Sox don't plan to look outside of the organization for bullpen help at this point, despite their issues holding leads late in games.
Heyman On Young, Emaus, Rays, Wilson, Melky
The Rangers were close to sending Michael Young to the Rockies for two young players before the season, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. The deal didn’t go through, but the Rangers appear to have assured the Rockies that they’ll have the first chance to acquire Young if he becomes available once again. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors:
- One GM told Heyman that Mets Rule 5 selection Brad Emaus looks like a Quadruple A player.
- The Rays could have interest in adding a hitter now that Manny Ramirez isn’t around and Heyman suggests Chris Davis would be a fit. I wrote last month that the Rays are one team that could have interest in the first baseman if the Rangers make him available.
- C.J. Wilson could ask for $82.5MM on his next contract, as Heyman points out. The left-hander hits free agency after the season and could compare himself to A.J. Burnett and John Lackey in negotiations with the Rangers and/or other clubs.
- Alex Rodriguez worked out with Melky Cabrera this offseason and “begged” the Yankees to sign the outfielder to no avail.
- The Orioles are “very high” on Jake Arrieta, the 25-year-old who made 18 starts as a rookie in 2010 and remains in Baltimore’s rotation.
Trade Candidate: Jose Reyes
Good shortstops are always in demand, especially midseason. The number of contending teams in need of infield help almost always outweighs the number of quality MLB shortstops, so it stands to reason that a team not expecting to contend would be open to dealing its shortstop in the right situation. That's likely to be the scenario that we'll see this summer with the Mets and Jose Reyes.
Reyes, 28 in June, signed a four-year deal in August of 2006, and the Mets exercised their $11MM option this past offseason. Reyes hit the disabled list last year due to a thyroid issue after missing most of 2009 with a hamstring injury. He also battled through oblique strains over the course of the 2010 season, but appears healthy now. He's off to a nice .304/.333/.478 start with five stolen bases in five attempts.
Vintage form would see the switch-hitting Reyes as a 60-70 SB threat capable of hitting around 15 home runs while playing solid defense. That type of production would have teams lining up, but even with a more pedestrian season (by his standards), Reyes should attract significant attention at the deadline.
One knock on Reyes may be his career OBP of just .335, which the Mets said they'd like him to improve before considering a new deal. That OBP and his injury history may have been contributing factors in the recent Jayson Stark report that quoted one NL scout saying he'd recommend Reyes on a two-month rental, but not on a long-term deal. That may be just what's in store, as a month ago when Joel Sherman talked to five non-Met executives, not a single one saw Reyes returning to the Mets in 2012. So where might he end up? Let's look at some possible destinations:
- Milwaukee – The Brewers are stuck with Yuniesky Betancourt as their primary shortstop for the time being, so it stands to reason they'd look to upgrade at the deadline. Their farm systems have been picked pretty clean by the Shaun Marcum and Zack Greinke trades, however.
- San Francisco – The Giants are trusting Miguel Tejada and his nearly 37-year-old frame to be their everyday shortstop, and they don't have much in terms of contingency plans. Tejada's defense and OBP woes may have San Francisco looking for external options come July.
- Cincinnati – The Reds are going with Paul Janish and Edgar Renteria to fill out their shortstop position, but they've looked for a leadoff hitter and a more concrete solution at short in the past. Reyes could fill both of those roles on a short-term basis in 2011 as they look to defend the NL Central title.
- Minnesota – If the Twins can turn around their terrible start to the 2011 season, they could certainly use an upgrade over Alexi Casilla at shortstop. With newcomer Tsuyoshi Nishioka on the shelf, their middle infield depth is particularly weak at the moment. The Twins were said to be at their payroll limit entering the season, however.
- St. Louis – Ryan Theriot and Skip Schumaker are currently playing up the middle for Tony La Russa, so it's not a stretch to see the Cardinals in search of a midseason improvement if they can remain in contention without Adam Wainwright. Like Minnesota, we heard that the Cardinals were low on funds late in the offseason.
Of course, injuries and other factors could lead other teams to enter the running for Reyes, as he currently only represents a midseason rental. The Mets will likely have a steep asking price for the three-time All Star, but teams are willing to part with elite prospects to make short-term pushes every year; 2011 should be no different.
Davidoff On Sabathia, Wilson, Calero
While it's still too early in the season to draw conclusions about a player's performance, Ken Davidoff of Newsday takes note of a few impending free agents who are off to hot or cold starts. Players like Prince Fielder (hot) and Albert Pujols (cold) are locks to put up numbers and score big contracts, but some names Davidoff mentions can significantly affect their stocks based on their performances in 2011. Continued health and success from Jose Reyes should earn him a lucrative deal, while a good year from Edwin Jackson would set him up nicely in a free agent class thin on top starters. Let's check out the other updates from the Newsday piece….
- Davidoff thinks there's a "decent chance" that the Yankees and C.C. Sabathia work out a contract extension before the left-hander's opt-out date next winter.
- If that were to happen, C.J. Wilson would likely be the most desirable southpaw on the market, but Wilson is trying to avoid thinking about or talking about his walk year: "I'm just pretty much approaching it like I did last year. I'm not going to be looking at my stats too often, because that doesn't really help."
- Davidoff wonders if the Mets or another club could take a flier on Kiko Calero, who agent Burton Rocks calls a "no-risk, high-reward, high-return guy for any organization." Health is the concern with Calero, though for what it's worth, Rocks says the 36-year-old is in "fantastic shape."