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Mets Shopping Gary Matthews Jr.

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The Mets are shopping outfielder Gary Matthews Jr., reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Sherman suggests the Mets might not have much of a role for Matthews, and the Reds are a trade possibility.

Matthews has two years remaining on his contract, and when the Mets acquired him from the Angels in January the Halos agreed to include $21.5MM.  Even on a two-year, $2MM commitment, the Mets will likely find that Matthews has little trade value.  Who wants a 35-year-old malcontent who doesn't hit or play strong defense?  Free agent Alex Romero, for example, is much younger, won't be a distraction, and can be acquired for a smaller commitment.  The Reds, by the way, still have six outfielders in camp (seven if you count Juan Francisco) and no clear need for Matthews.

Odds & Ends: Twins, Fien, Podsednik

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Links for Tuesday…

Mets To Release Josh Fogg

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The Mets are expected to grant Josh Fogg's request to be released from his contract, writes Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News.  Fogg hurt a side muscle and never appeared in a Grapefruit League game with the club this spring.

The 33-year-old hurler signed a minor league deal with the Mets in January after spending 2009 with Colorado.  In nine big league seasons, the righty has an ERA of 5.03 with a lackluster 4.9 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.

 

Odds & Ends: Gonzalez, Scott, Phillies, Indians

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A wrap-up of some items as we head into the weekend…

  • Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle wonders if the Athletics erred in dealing promising outfielder Carlos Gonzalez to Colorado.
  • MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli says that the Orioles are holding off on any potential Luke Scott trades until they see if Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold are healthy and can handle regular roles.
  • Phillies assistant GM Scott Proefrock tells MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that the team isn't looking at free agent relievers to fill in for the injured Brad Lidge and J.C. Romero: "We're keeping our eyes open, but we're not actively pursuing. People are calling us more than we're calling them."
  • The Indians have no interest in the recently-released Elijah Dukes, reports The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes.
  • Speaking of the Tribe, they announced in a press release that seven players were optioned to their minor league camp, the most notable of these being top catching prospect Carlos Santana.  Indians GM Mark Shapiro told Hoynes that Santana was being sent down to work on his defense, but noted that Santana will "be on an accelerated program" due to his impressive bat.  The ESPN Insider Rumors page speculates that the club may have made the move to delay the start of Santana's major league service time.
  • In the wake of Cliff Lee's suspension, abdominal strain and possible DL stint, Dave Cameron of the U.S.S. Mariner blog notes (via Twitter) that signing Jarrod Washburn as a replacement wouldn't work since Washburn wouldn't be fit for the start of the season anyway.
  • MLB.com's Marty Noble covers several topics in a reader mailbag, including how Mets prospect Fernando Martinez "is less likely trade bait now" than he has been in the past two years.
  • Arn Tellem, Hideki Matsui's agent, was originally told by the outfielder that he wanted to play in the majors for 10 years, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Matsui is about to enter his eighth season, and though his current contract with the Angels is just for the 2010 campaign, I suspect the 2009 World Series MVP will last that full decade.

Latin Links: Ortiz, Tejada, Mora, Guzman

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Spring draws in baseball writers from around the globe to Arizona and Florida, including plenty of beat writers from players' home countries who are eager for a full-page interview. Links are, you guessed it, in Spanish.

  • David Ortiz comes close to acknowledging that his career may end outside of Boston in an interview with Dionisio Soldevila at the Dominican daily Hoy. He disputes recent reports that he is unhappy the team hasn't preemptively picked up his option for 2011, as they did for Pedro Martinez in 2003, and predicts that the outcome will depend on his performance this season. "Boston will know when they want to approach me to talk about the contract, if they want it," Ortiz says. "I only think about playing baseball, and if I have a good season, they'll make me an offer, but if it's not them it will be another (team)." Terry Francona recently told ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes that other teams' personnel have commented to him that Ortiz looks great this spring.
  • Get used to the idea of Miguel Tejada at third. Tejada tells Soldevila that he, rather than the Orioles, made the choice, and he predicts the change will extend beyond his single-season contract. "I think it was time for me to move," Tejada explains. "I decided to change because I'm not the same age and I don't want it said that I don't have the same range." Tejada has been working with both Cal Ripken and Brooks Robinson during spring training to learn the fine art of the five-hole.
  • At the other end of the position-hopping spectrum, Melvin Mora tells Carlos Valmore Rodriguez at Lider en Deportes that he relishes Rockies manager Jim Tracy's plan to use him all over the infield and outfield, as it gives the 38-year-old "nostalgia for the excitement I used to feel when I arrived in the majors and did everything." Mora says he was in discussion with the Red Sox, Mets, Rangers, Mariners and Blue Jays during the winter but chose the Rockies because he saw there his best opportunity to return to the playoffs.
  • Angel Guzman tells Manuel Lira at Lider that his upcoming shoulder surgery won't spell the end of his career, but not having it would have. "Dr. Andrews told me, this is the same problem we had last year," Guzman says. "I had to stop in September after having rehabilitated for four-and-a-half months, so it made no sense to return to rehabilitation, and the only way to return to baseball is by doing the surgery."

Mets, Rockies Interested In Joe Beimel

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5:35pm: Foxsports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Mets continue to talk with Beimel, while other clubs remain in the mix.

9:25 am: The Rockies expressed interest in free agent lefty Joe Beimel, reports Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.  Southpaw Franklin Morales is slated to close while Huston Street is out with a shoulder injury, creating an opening in left-handed relief.

Beimel, 33 in April, posted a 3.58 ERA, 5.7 K/9, and 3.1 BB/9 in 55.3 innings for the Nationals and Rockies last year.  The excellent FanGraphs splits pages show us that Beimel still handles lefties quite well, but had home run problems against them last year.  He is not to be used against righties.

Today is the one-year anniversary of Beimel's one-year, $2MM deal with Washington, so he's not afraid to wait for the right situation.  At the trade deadline the Nats traded Beimel and cash to Colorado for Robinson Fabian and Ryan Mattheus.  The Rockies chose not to offer arbitration to Beimel on December 1st.  Last we heard Beimel received an offer from the Mets in recent weeks.

Odds & Ends: Guzman, Sonnanstine, Jukich

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Links for Wednesday…

Indians Claim Anderson Hernandez; Designate Bixler

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The Indians claimed infielder Anderson Hernandez off waivers from the Mets, tweets Brian Costa of the Newark Star-Ledger.  Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets that the Tribe designated Brian Bixler for assignment to make room for Hernandez.

Hernandez, 27, hit .251/.312/.339 in 404 plate appearances for the Nationals and Mets last year while playing second base and shortstop.  Regarding his defense, Baseball America had this to say before the '07 season: "He has soft hands, plus range, and an above-average arm but sometimes gets lazy and doesn't charge balls aggressively enough."

Bixler, 27, was acquired by the Indians from the Pirates on January 18th.  Heading into 2009 Baseball America labeled him an "average defensive shortstop," noting his ability to play second base and predicting a utility future.

Two New Teams Interested In Joe Beimel

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Two new teams expressed interest in Joe Beimel late last week, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Beimel's agent, Joe Sroba, doesn't reveal which two clubs spoke to him about his client, but Kilgore says that the Nationals are not one of them.

Last we heard, Beimel still had a contract offer on the table from the New York Mets, who were hoping to add a left-handed arm to their bullpen for $1MM or less. Beimel, on the other hand, was looking for a salary closer to the $2MM he earned in 2009. He may yet get there, given the possibility of two new potential suitors. Perhaps one of those suitors is the Phillies, who could use another lefty in their pen, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Paul Hagen.

With teams constantly searching for reliable left-handed throwers, it wouldn't be surprising to see Beimel sign a deal worth in excess of $1MM within the next week or two. Waiting out the market didn't necessarily hurt the 32-year-old last winter either, when he signed with the Nationals on March 18.

Odds & Ends: Mateo, Kelvim Escobar, Mariners

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Links to kick off the work week…

  • Dominican outfielder Wagner Mateo is scheduled to work out for the Diamondbacks today, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.  Mateo's reps don't share the Cardinals' concerns about Mateo's vision.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Rays came second in the Kelvim Escobar bidding, offering $600K.  Unlike the Mets, the Rays saw Escobar as a second half contributor. 
  • Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post thinks stat lovers themselves "may be the new inefficiency in the market," making Adam Dunn a bargain at three years and $40MM even if his defense doesn't improve.
  • FanGraphs' Dave Cameron explains why the Astros and Royals sit at the bottom of his organizational rankings.
  • SI's Jon Heyman names his "bests" for 2010, with the Angels getting the nod for the best rotation top to bottom.  Heyman also talks about Jarrod Washburn, considered a person of interest for Seattle.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Ms are "still pondering backup catching options from outside."  There aren't too many available backstops who can be considered clear improvements.
  • In his latest GM's Corner video for FOX Sports, Jim Bowden gathers all the GMs involved in the Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee deals.  Alex Anthopoulos mentioned that Ruben Amaro Jr. would not include Kyle Drabek or Domonic Brown when Halladay was discussed at the GM Meetings, but relented on Drabek a few weeks later.
  • Dustin Parkes of Drunk Jays Fans says "the team has put its money where its mouth is" by signing Adeiny Hechevarria.
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