Nationals Notes: Elvin Ramirez, Ivan Rodriguez
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Luis Castillo Rumors: Friday
The Mets released Luis Castillo this morning, which means they're responsible for $6MM less the MLB minimum if he signs with another team. That's exactly what the second baseman intends to do, so we're going to keep track of which teams have potential interest right here:
- The Cubs are interested in Castillo, a source told Enrique Rojas of ESPNdeportes.com.
- The Orioles have "zero" interest in Castillo at this point, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
- The Marlins have spoken internally about re-acquiring Castillo, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Castillo would be a candidate to play second base in case Matt Dominguez doesn't make the team and Omar Infante shifts to third base.
- The Dodgers have no interest in Castillo, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).
- Asked about potential interest, Phillies assistant GM Scott Proefrock said "that remains to be seen," according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki (on Twitter).
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs argues that Castillo could hold down Philadelphia's second base job while Chase Utley recovers. Castillo isn't a long-term answer, but he could do enough to help the Phillies.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports expects that Castillo will sign shortly after clearning waivers on Sunday, and he confirmed that the Phillies, Marlins and Cubs are thought to be in on the veteran second baseman. Rosenthal added that the O's could be interested, depending on how Brian Roberts progresses with his back injury, and he tweeted that the Rockies are not in the mix.
Mets Notes: Castillo, Buyers, Lawsuit
Here are a few items of note coming out of Mets camp on Friday night …
- GM Sandy Alderson and manager Terry Collins admitted that Mets fans' disdain for Luis Castillo factored into the team's decision to release the embattled second baseman earlier today, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Collins implied that even if Castillo had played well, fans would have been hard on him at his first sign of struggles. Here are the early reports on where Castillo might and might not land.
- There is "decent interest" in buying a minority stake in the Mets, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.com, but the potential partners are apparently insisting on including a clause that would make the team theirs should the Wilpons not be able to afford running the team anymore. This would seem to indicate that the cash from a minority partner might not necessarily solve all the Wilpons' financial troubles.
- The trustee trying to recover funds from Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme in a lawsuit against Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz is now seeking a total of more than $1 billion, writes Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The previous amount sought by the trustee wasn't far short of $1 billion, so, either way, it's a lot of money. If the Mets' owners lose and have to pay, it could be crippling to their chances of retaining the team, depending on how much they are forced to pay, of course.
Mets Release Luis Castillo
Unable to delay the inevitable any longer, the Mets have released Luis Castillo. The team has confirmed the move via press release.
“This was [a] baseball decision,” GM Sandy Alderson said. “I met with Terry [Collins] and made a recommendation to Jeff [Wilpon] and Jeff approved on behalf of ownership.”
Luis Hernandez, Daniel Murphy and Brad Emaus remain in competition for the Mets' second base job. Earlier in the week it appeared that manager Terry Collins preferred Hernandez, but there's no clear-cut favorite.
Castillo hit .235/.337/.267 in 299 plate appearances last year and spent 47 days on the DL recovering from a left foot injury. The 35-year-old is entering the final season of the four-year, $25MM deal he signed after the 2007 season. Castillo impressed after the Mets acquired him in a mid-2007 trade with the Twins, hitting .296 and stealing 10 bases in a third of a season. That strong finish led to a $25MM guarantee from then-GM Omar Minaya.
Now a free agent, Castillo is available for the league minimum. The Mets will be responsible for his entire $6MM salary if he remains a free agent and they'll save just over $400K if he signs elsewhere.
Castillo Hopes To Sign With Another Team
Luis Castillo told Newsday's Jim Baumbach that he intends to play Major League Baseball in 2011 (all Twitter links). The Mets released him this morning, but he plans to sign elswhere.
"I'm going to wait, go home and hope to catch on with another team," Castillo said.
Castillo told Baumbach that he's frustrated the Mets didn't use him more. However, Castillo says he'll be "fine," since he has accomplished a lot as a major leaguer. The Phillies and Tigers have dealt with injuries at second base this spring, but there's no indication that either team is interested in Castillo.