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Duaner Sanchez On The Bubble

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes today about Mets reliever Duaner Sanchez, who could be released before April 1st.  In that case the Mets would only have to pay a quarter of his ’09 salary – they’d owe about $422K.  They could also shop Sanchez around; Sherman suggests they ask for Marlon Byrd or Marcus Thames.

Sanchez, 29, posted a 4.32 ERA and 6.79 K/9 for the Mets in 58.3 innings last year.  He’d previously missed over a year with two shoulder surgeries in a span of nine months.  His average fastball velocity was below 90 mph last year; he’d been above 93 in 2005-06.

The Pudge Rodriguez Market

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Ivan Rodriguez is past his prime by about a decade, but still he caught over 100 games last year and put up an OPS of .713. Let’s take a look at the possible suitors for Pudge and the teams that have said they won’t pursue him:

  • Astros GM Ed Wade said earlier in the week that he doesn’t intend to sign Pudge, regardless of Toby Hall’s shoulder.
  • The Mets don’t appear to be interested either.
  • On Sunday, Pudge said he wants to sign with the Astros, Mets or Marlins. The first two teams don’t seem interested, so could the Marlins offer him a minor league deal? Currently their catchers are John Baker and Mike Rabelo.
  • DRaysBay suggests the Rays could use Rodriguez to back up Dioner Navarro.
  • This is pure speculation on my part, but the A’s, whose current backup is Rob Bowen, have been willing to give veterans second chances before. Mike Piazza, Frank Thomas (twice) and now Nomar Garciaparra have all attracted Billy Beane’s attention, so why not Rodriguez?

Lots of teams could use catching depth; which one’s the best fit for Pudge?

Mets Don’t Have A Spot For Valentin

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According to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News, the Mets don’t see a fit for Jose Valentin on the big league roster, and would rather him work as a player/unofficial coach for their Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo.

Valentin, of course, has a different idea.  "Right now I’m still a player and my goal is to make the team," said the 39-year-old middle infielder.  He signed a minor league deal with the Mets a little over a week ago.  If he still wants to play at the big league level, however, it’s probably not going to be in New York.  The Mets already have Luis Castillo, Alex Cora and Ramon Martinez in camp.

Valentin didn’t reach the majors last season after struggling through serious neck issues for much of the year.  He batted .182/.229/.333 in 33 at-bats for Triple-A New Orleans.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Griffey, Anderson, McLouth, Mets, Cubs

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On this date 46 years ago, Willie Mays signed a new contract for $100K, becoming the highest paid player in baseball. Mays hit .304-49-141 with a 165 OPS+ at the age of 31. He was also the runner-up for the NL MVP, his sixth top-5 finish. He would go on to finish in the top-5 three more times. Forty-six years later, Mays may have helped influence Ken Griffey Jr.’s decision to sign with his original franchise. With most players already in their respective camps, several big names are still looking for an empty locker. Let’s take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • MLBDepthCharts.com is a new site that projects the rosters and starting lineups of every team.
  • MLB Notebook compares Ken Griffey Jr. and Garret Anderson and suggests that the Braves should be happy that Griffey is back in Seattle with Anderson still available.
  • Pirate Revolution says the Pirates accomplished little with Nate McLouth’s extension noting that he likely won’t be worth the $9.4MM option in 2012, which was the one free agency season the Bucs bought out.
  • Jorge Says No! takes a look at what has been a strange market for left-handed relievers.
  • Hot Stove New York puts together a list of the top 20 free agent signings this off-season.
  • UmpBump breaks down the offseason of the Mets.
  • Goat Riders of the Apocalypse projects the opening day roster for the Cubs.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.

Orlando Hudson Rumors: Thursday

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Yesterday we learned from MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has ongoing talks for free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson.  Today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Dodgers appear to be the front-runner for Hudson.  Signing him wouldn’t affect their chances of locking up Manny Ramirez.  MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick says Colletti has also not ruled out relief help from guys like Joe Beimel, Dennys Reyes, or Jason Isringhausen.

Even as divisional rivals the D’Backs may be rooting for the Dodgers to sign Hudson, since they’d receive L.A.’s #17 pick in the June draft as part of the compensation.  Rosenthal says the Royals and other unknown clubs remain in the mix for him, with the White Sox, Cardinals, Yankees, and Mets seemingly not seriously involved.  Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star discusses the Royals angle in a column today.

Will Ohman Has Three Offers

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TUESDAY: MLB.com’s Corey Brock talked to a Padres source who considers an Ohman signing a long shot.  We learned earlier today that the same goes for the Phillies.

MONDAY: According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick:

Will Ohman, one of the top relievers left on baseball’s free agent market, has major league offers in hand from the Pirates, Marlins and Padres, but plans to continue discussions with three contending teams before making a decision on his destination for 2009, his agent said Monday.  The Phillies, Mets and Dodgers have all stayed in touch with Ohman, but their interest has yet to progress beyond the talking stage.

Crasnick doesn’t believe the Pirates, Marlins, or Padres would be willing to go past $1MM on a one-year deal.  Joe Beimel and Dennys Reyes also remain unsigned.

Rosenthal On Hudson, Pudge, Cabrera, Edmonds

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Here’s a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

  • Orlando Hudson would like to play for the Royals, but currently they cannot afford him even at a likely salary under $5MM.  They could free up most of the cash by releasing Mark Teahen, but Rosenthal’s source says the Royals are "unwilling to make such a move."  Rany Jazayerli discusses the Royals-Hudson idea in this blog post.  The Dodgers are the only other known suitor, though the fit there is questionable in my opinion.
  • The Mets aren’t serious about signing Ivan Rodriguez, though they have discussed it.  The Mets already have $7.4MM committed to their current catching tandem.  Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post goes further, saying the Mets "aren’t interested" in Rodriguez.
  • Currently the A’s are unwilling to meet Orlando Cabrera’s asking price.  They are willing to sacrifice their second-round pick for him if they get their price.
  • Jim Edmonds is "attracting virtually no interest."  Edmonds can still hit righties, so you’d think someone would make an offer.

Odds and Ends: Maddux, Beltre, Cordero

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Links for Monday…

Three Teams Targeting Pudge

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According to the Associated Press, via ESPN.com, Ivan Rodriguez said he plans to sign with either the Marlins, Astros or Mets.

  • The Astros denied having interest in the 37-year-old catcher on Saturday, but maybe that has changed. They’re not comfortable with handing the reigns to J.R. Towles after he hit .137/.250/.253 in 146 at-bats last year, and Humberto Quintero isn’t a guy you want starting every day.
  • The Marlins are only willing to offer Pudge the league minimum, which might not do enough to woo the free agent.  Jon Heyman suggested in late January that the Fish are the best fit, but their tight budget is obviously going to be an issue.
  • The Mets could be the darkhorse here.  They haven’t been vocal with their interest in Pudge this offseason, but he would work well in a platoon with Brian Schneider.  Of course, the Mets would probably then want to move Ramon Castro.

Rodriguez hit .276/.319/.394 with seven home runs and 35 RBI in 115 games last season for the Tigers and Yankees.  He also stole 10 bases.

Pedro Not Expected Back With Mets

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When the Mets agreed to terms with Livan Hernandez early Saturday morning, many experts and MLBTR readers suggested that it meant Pedro Martinez would not be back with the club in ’09. 

Mets GM Omar Minaya basically confirmed that theory Saturday evening.  The Associated Press, via The Newark Star-Ledger, gathered the quote:

"I think we are pretty much set and we’re going to go forward with the guys that we have," Minaya said.

So, MLBTR community, where does Pedro land next?

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