Mets To Sign Matt Harvey
The Mets agreed to sign Matt Harvey for a bit more than $2.5MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). ESPN.com's Keith Law reports that Harvey gets $2.525MM (Twitter link). The 21-year-old sought a $4.5MM deal, according to Heyman (on Twitter).
Back in 2007, the Angels selected the right-hander in the third round. This year, the Mets drafted Harvey seventh overall. Last year, MLB recommended a $2.178MM bonus for the seventh-overall selection.
Click here for the complete list of 2010 first-rounders to sign.
Mets Considering Attempt To Void K-Rod’s Contract
Not only did Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez face trouble with the law last week, he tore a ligament in his thumb and will require season-ending surgery. The Mets are now looking into voiding K-Rod's contract, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
The injury does not appear to be baseball-related, something the Mets could point to if they decide to attempt to void the contract and sidestep the $18MM they owe Rodriguez. The MLBPA would presumably object if the Mets do attempt to void the deal. The Mets signed K-Rod to a three-year $37MM deal after he set the single-season saves record in 2008.
A Mets official told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork that "you can make the assumption that the injury resulted from the incident last week." K-Rod has $3MM remaining on his contract this year, so the Mets could focus on that amount if they look to void part of the deal, since the closer will likely be ready for the 2011 season.
Mets Intend To Exercise Reyes’ Option
The Mets plan to exercise Jose Reyes' $11MM club option for 2011, reports Mark Hale of the New York Post. Hale also echoes Andy Martino's report for the New York Daily News from eleven days ago, saying the Mets will explore a multiyear deal.
Reyes, 27, made his season debut on April 10th after missing most of 2009 due to a hamstring injury. He's hitting .279/.316/.419 on the season; his 4.9% walk rate is his lowest in several years. The $11MM option is worth exercising for the Mets, as the shortstop market is perenially weak and Reyes is decent value even at a reduced level of performance. I'm guessing that to sign Reyes to a multiyear deal when his stock is still pretty low, the Mets would require a discount.
Odds & Ends: Glaus, Orioles, Figgins, Papelbon
Links for Sunday, as Jeremy Hellickson aims for his third win in his third career start….
- Troy Glaus earned an additional $350K for making his 450th plate appearance last night, tweets Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Glaus will earn another $350K for his 500th plate appearance.
- Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun tells us that the Orioles are unlikely to sign a pair of pitchers: sixth and seventh round picks Dixon Anderson and Matthew Bywater. The club is still working toward a deal with #3 overall pick Manny Machado, but expect to get a deal done.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (Twitter link) hears that, although a deal is unlikely, the Braves will probably "kick the tires" on Chone Figgins. Baker reported on Friday that Atlanta had yet to ask the Mariners about Figgins.
- John Tomase of the Boston Herald argues that moving Jonathan Papelbon and making Daniel Bard the closer before 2012 would be a mistake for the Red Sox. In yesterday's MLBTR poll, only about 20% of you said the Sox should keep Papelbon past this season.
- The New York media is always tough on the Mets, but today's coverage seems especially harsh: Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News breaks down the ways in which the Mets have wasted the last four seasons, while the New York Post's Joel Sherman says the club's future doesn't look much better.
- Talking to the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan, Derrek Lee discusses his decision to veto a trade to the Angels.
- Jeremy Hermida tells Rob Bradford of WEEI that he was "kind of surprised" to be designated for assignment by the Red Sox.
- A couple updates on top draft picks: Reds' first-rounder Yasmani Grandal has already taken a physical, while the Pirates met with the agents for Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie for nearly seven hours yesterday. MLB.com's Mark Sheldon and Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette have the details.
Manager Rumors: Baker, Torre, La Russa
Looking ahead to the offseason, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports opines that as many as ten teams could be searching for new managers. Let's check out the latest updates on a few of the National League's current skippers….
- In his newest Full Count video, Rosenthal suggests that Dusty Baker will likely have a handful of suitors if the Reds decide they can't afford to give him a raise next year.
- Adding that Jerry Manuel is looking more and more like a "goner," Rosenthal says the Mets may be the only team Joe Torre would consider managing if the Dodgers' skipper doesn't return to Los Angeles.
- For his part, Torre tells MLB.com's Ken Gurnick that he won't announce his plans for next year while the Dodgers are still in contention for the playoffs. Having dropped their last three games, the team now sits 6.5 games back in the wild card hunt.
- Tony La Russa also won't discuss his plans for next season yet, but admits to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link) that he's been weighing his options.
Castillo Unhappy With Mets
Mets second baseman Luis Castillo is unhappy with his relegation to the bench in New York and believes that he will be elsewhere in 2011, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post.
"I can't be here anymore," the second baseman said prior to last night's game against the Phillies at Citi Field. "I know I'm not going to be here next year."
While GM Omar Minaya declined to comment on Castillo's desire to be moved, a team source said that he has not asked the club for a trade. However, the Mets are aware of his desire to play every day. The veteran was taken out of the starting lineup in favor of rookie infielder Ruben Tejada.
Castillo, 34, is set to earn $6MM in 2011, the final year of his contract. The three-time All-Star has struggled this season, hitting .241/.335/.281 in just 62 games.
Odds & Ends: Twins, Harvey, Ynoa, Westmoreland
On this day 100 years ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brooklyn Superbas (today the Dodgers) played what the Baseball Reference Bullpen describes as "the most evenly matched game ever." Both teams used two pitchers, scored eight runs, and recorded 13 hits, two errors, 38 at-bats, five strikeouts, three walks, 13 assists, 27 putouts, one hit batter and one passed ball. The game was perhaps fittingly called on account of darkness, thus preserving the total deadlock.
If two teams end up with matching scorecards tonight, we'll know there's some Friday the 13th spookiness at play. Until then, however, here are some news items…
- With Jose Mijares out for at least the next four weeks, the Twins may be in need of left-handed relief help, reports MLB.com's Kelly Thesier. The Twins were one of several teams interested in Scott Downs before the trade deadline, so it's possible Minnesota could revisit that pursuit.
- A Mets official tells Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that talks between the team and first-round pick Matt Harvey will "likely" last right up to Monday's deadline. Harvey, picked seventh overall by the Mets, is represented by Scott Boras. MLBTR's Mike Axisa profiled Harvey back in June.
- Michael Ynoa will undergo Tommy John surgery on August 24, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Oakland signed the 18-year-old in 2008 to a contract that featured a $4.25MM bonus, a record high for a non-Cuban international player. Ynoa made his professional debut this seaon for the Athletics' Arizona League rookie-ball team, posting a 5.00 ERA and 11.0 K/9 ratio in three starts.
- Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland is making " 'remarkable' progress" in his comeback from brain surgery, reports Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
- Writing for ESPNBoston.com, Mike Andrews looks at the "age advancement" of certain prospects in Boston's minor league system.
- Nationals president Stan Kasten criticized the draft pick signing process in a chat with MASN's Ben Goessling. "The charade, the Kabuki dance nature of all of this is just kind of silly," Kasten said. "We can do better as an industry, and I think both sides [players and owners] recognize that." Kasten didn't give any updates on Washington's negotiations with first overall pick Bryce Harper.
- Could Luis Rodriguez be "the next Andres Torres"? Fangraphs' Dave Cameron looks at the infielder's breakout season for the White Sox Triple-A affiliate.
How Reasonable Are Jeff Francoeur’s Demands?
In a move that has amused those who follow the New York Mets closely, Jeff Francoeur has gone public with his demands to be traded following New York's decision to platoon him with young outfielder Fernando Martinez.
Despite a season line of .241/.294/.385, Francoeur apparently believes a major league team would play him regularly at a position, right field, that averages production of .271/.344/.447. Indeed, Francoeur's line is well below the MLB average at second base (.266/.331/.393).
But we have yet to see how Francoeur's demand for a trade stands up to history. It isn't easy to find comparable performance among right fielders in recent years, and it's even harder to find any who were traded after performing as poorly as Francoeur.
Since 2000, just 31 of the 165 right fielders to amass at least 300 plate appearances posted an OPS+ below 100. Of those 31, only four checked in lower than Francoeur's 2010 OPS+ mark of 82: Richard Hidalgo's 2005 (81), Jeromy Burnitz's 2002 (80), Austin Kearns' 2008 (67) and Jeff Francoeur's own 2008 (72).
Kearns followed his 2008 with a similarly poor 2009 before the Nationals let him walk after last season. Burnitz followed 2002 with a half-season of a 139 OPS+ for the 2003 Mets, earning a trade to Los Angeles for Kole Strayhorn, Jose Diaz and Victor Diaz. Hidalgo never played in the majors again, and Francoeur followed his 2008 with a half-season of 68 OPS+ hitting in 2009, earning a trade to the Mets for Ryan Church.
In other words Jeff Francoeur is the only one from that group to be traded for anything at all. Incidentally, four of the 31 player seasons in right field below 100 OPS+ are from Francoeur. Only three others are on the list more than once: Juan Encarnacion (three times), Alex Rios (twice), Hidalgo (twice) and Burnitz (twice).
Encarnacion is an instructive comparison. His career OPS+ of 97 is better than, but similar to, Francoeur's 91. Encarnacion had additional value because he lacked a platoon split (amazingly, his OPS against both lefties and righties was .758) and had the ability to play center field.
In the middle of an 84 OPS+ season in 2004 at age 28, a year after he posted a 97 OPS+, the Marlins acquired Encarnacion as part of a six-player deal from the Dodgers. He went on to start 46 of Florida's remaining 58 games. His salary ($3.6MM) was roughly equivalent to the $5MM Francoeur earns in 2010.
So there is precedent. It happened one other time.
Among those under 100 OPS+ in right field, Alex Rios had a 96 OPS+ last year when the White Sox took him from the Blue Jays and agreed to pay his entire salary (at $61MM, many times as much as remains on Francoeur's deal). But Rios had three seasons of 120, 122 and 112 OPS+ in 2006-2008 under his belt, success Francoeur hasn't seen since his half-season debut in 2005.
Overwhelmingly, the players performing as poorly as Francoeur, or even demonstrably better, are simply let go, often never to surface again. Trot Nixon's 96 OPS+ in 2006 represented his last season as a regular player. So did Danny Bautista's 85 in 2004 and Derek Bell's 98 in 2000. Jose Guillen's 89 in 2000 got him sent back to the minor leagues by Tampa Bay, then released.
There's also that pesky question: who would Francoeur replace in another team's regular lineup? Of the 20 right fielders in MLB who have played more than half their games in right field this year, Francoeur ranks dead last in OPS+ with 82. The four closest to him? Jay Bruce (96), Ben Zobrist (98), Hunter Pence (102) and Ichiro Suzuki (107). It is safe to say Francoeur won't be replacing any of those players. He'd make a decent platoon partner with Bruce, but… right. Platooning led Francoeur to demand a trade in the first place.
In short, the answer to the title of this piece is: not reasonable at all. Not reasonable in light of his 2010 performance, not reasonable in terms of other right fielders, not reasonable comparatively through recent history.
Odds & Ends: Draft Signings, K-Rod
Links for Wednesday, as newly acquired catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia joins the Red Sox…
- The Rays signed ninth-round draft pick Jake DePew for $460K, reported Norm Sanders of the Belleville News-Democrat yesterday. DePew, a catcher, was drafted out of Granite City High School.
- The Yankees inked 12th-rounder Daniel Burawa for $300K, reports Aaron Fitt of Baseball America. The righty came out of St. John's as a draft-eligible sophomore.
- A healthy, somewhat effective 2011 season by Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez could trigger a $17.5MM option for 2012, explains Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- SI's Tim Marchman outlines the limitations of advanced defensive stats.
Francoeur Open To Trade
TUESDAY: Francoeur's agent Molly Fletcher explained to Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger:
"We want to play every day. We prefer to play in New York. But if we’re not going to play every day in New York, we absolutely welcome the opportunity to play every day somewhere else."
It's difficult to picture a team playing Francoeur every day this year, even if the Mets pick up the tab.
SATURDAY: Mets outfielder Jeff Francoeur is expected to meet with GM Omar Minaya to discuss trade options, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Francoeur is ostensibly less-than-thrilled about the club's plan to platoon him alongside Fernando Martinez.
Rubin notes that there may be minimal trade options for the 26-year-old. Last week, Tim wrote that the Mets won't find much of a market for Francoeur as he won't provide much for a contender and other clubs may not be interested in acquiring a guy who is certain to be a non-tender.
In 104 games this season, Frenchy has hit just .241/.295/.378 with 10 home runs.