Carlos Delgado To Have Hip Surgery
An update from the Mets on Carlos Delgado: he'll have hip surgery tomorrow, and will probably be out until the All-Star break. We discussed possible replacements a few times here at MLBTR, but the Mets might be able to make it a few months with in-house candidates.
Odds & Ends: Mets, Cubs, Astros
Links for Monday…
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told Baseball America's Jim Callis that the team's #10 overall draft pick will not be influenced by signability. MLB.com's Bill Ladson's source believes negotiations between Rizzo and Scott Boras for Stephen Strasburg will go well, given their past history.
- Regarding Friday's call for MLBTR writers, I still have many applications to review. I will keep you updated here on the site.
- McCovey Chronicles discusses The Jonathan Sanchez Paradox.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post names Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff, and Mark DeRosa as the most probable trade targets for the Mets if Carlos Delgado is out for an extended period of time. Check out MLBTR's discussion of this topic from Saturday. SI.com's Jon Heyman also weighed in today.
- Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal has an update on progress made on the sale of the Cubs.
- On Sunday, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that Freddy Sanchez's current contract clause will likely cause the Pirates to avoid vesting options in the future.
- On June 1st, Alyson Footer will begin a new job working for the Astros. The new MLB.com beat writer will be Brian McTaggart, who covered the team for the Houston Chronicle.
Gammons On Ackley, Red Sox, Relievers
ESPN's Peter Gammons has a new blog post up. Let's take a look.
- Gammons writes in praise of North Carolina's Dustin Ackley, who is likely to be chosen by the Mariners at #2 in June. Ackley may wind up at center field or second base.
- The Red Sox don't appear willing to trade young pitchers like Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden, and Nick Hagadone. The Sox have looked at bats such as Colorado's Matt Murton and Ryan Spilborghs, but for now aren't desperate enough to trade pitching. Gammons wonders if, for the right bat, Boston would part with Manny Delcarmen. He believes Delcarmen could close in the NL.
- Gammons says the Mets think they could have Carlos Delgado back by August if he has hip surgery, allowing them to stay in-house for his replacements.
- The Dodgers, Indians, Yankees, and Twins are looking for relief help. Gammon names Jose Valverde, Huston Street, Danys Baez, Russ Springer, and John Grabow as future trade candidates.
Mets Considering Trading For A First Baseman
As Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post reports, Carlos Delgado's hip problems have put his career in jeopardy. For now he's on the DL, but there's no immediate timeline for his return. This leaves the Mets without a first baseman. Here are some of Minaya's options:
- Fernando Tatis could play first, perhaps with help from Daniel Murphy. Gary Sheffield's probably not an option anywhere but the outfield.
- The Mets could sign Richie Sexson, Jose Vidro or another free agent
- He could make a trade. Jerry Manuel said Minaya's looking at trade possibilities. Could a player like Aubrey Huff or Jorge Cantu be a fit?
Heyman On Lee, Martinez, Green
A look at the latest from SI.com's Jon Heyman…
- Heyman addresses the issue of whether the Indians will trade staff ace Cliff Lee. GM Mark Shapiro isn't thinking about it (not under consideration, according to Ken Rosenthal), and rival execs are divided. Heyman says neither side made a contract extension proposal during the offseason. The Indians will have Lee through 2010 once they exercise his option.
- The Mets mulled calling up Fernando Martinez, but they'll stick to their plan of keeping him in Triple A until at least June.
- The Orioles are "seriously considering" drafting USC shortstop Grant Green with their #5 pick. However, the Padres are said to be eyeing Green at #3.
Mets Sign Javier Valentin, Tom Martin
According to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News, the Mets signed Javier Valentin and Tom Martin to minor league deals.
Valentin, 33, signed with the Nationals in February but chose free agency in March when he didn't make the team. He can catch and play first base, and hit .256/.326/.411 in 144 plate appearances last year.
Martin, 38, was released by the Mets in March. Earlier that month he'd strained his calf and broken his wrist falling down the stairs. I guess the team had a change of heart. The lefty reliever pitched in the Atlantic League last year.
2010 Options: New York Mets
Let's take a look at the 2010 options facing the Mets.
- Billy Wagner – $8MM club option with a $1MM buyout. Wagner had Tommy John surgery in September of last year. According to former teammate Scott Schoeneweis via Adam Rubin, the Mets told Wagner that month the option won't be picked up. Wagner reportedly wants to close in 2010 anyway. He may get a few innings in September '09 for the Mets as an audition for his next team.
- J.J. Putz – $8.6MM club option with a $1MM buyout. Based on the contract details at Cot's, it seems that it might be an $8.9MM option for '10 because Putz finished 65 games in 2007. For Putz to be worth $7.6MM+ net next year, he'd have to be one of the game's top setup men. That has not been the case so far, as his K/9 is down to 5.7 and his BB/9 still high at 4.7. His average fastball velocity is down a full 2 mph from last year.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Bay, Holliday, Hudson, Cameron, Mets, Yankees, Rays
On this date 27 years ago, Adrian Gonzalez was born. The former first overall pick by the Marlins has been traded twice. He was originally dealt to the Rangers in a deal that sent Ugueth Urbina to the Marlins. Later he was dealt to the Padres along with Chris Young for Adam Eaton and Akinori Otsuka. As we enter the second month of the season, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- Around the Majors looks at Jason Bay and Matt Holliday in an effort to find the best value in the free agents-to-be.
- Feeling Dodger Blue declares Orlando Hudson the best free agent signing of 2009…so far.
- The Eddie Kranepool Society thinks it might be time to break up the core of the Mets by shopping Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado.
- The Fowl Balls makes a case for the Yankees signing Paul LoDuca.
- River Ave. Blues argues that the Yankees have gotten lazy with the roster and have missed opportunities to improve the bench.
- Brew Crew Ball writes that Mike Cameron has been a great signing for the Brewers and wonders what the team should do with him as he nears free agency.
- Over at my home base, Rays Index, we are playing a game with other Rays bloggers (and Tim Dierkes) called "The Tampa Bay Rays Trade Pool," based loosely on "The Dead Pool."
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.
Rosenthal On Mariners, A’s, Putz
The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…
- The Mariners and A's are not thinking about selling off veterans at the trade deadline. Both clubs plan to go for it.
- Tough decision for the Mets after the season: do they exercise J.J. Putz's $9.1MM option for 2010? Cot's Baseball Contracts says it's an $8.6MM club option with a $1MM buyout.
- Rosenthal says one GM views the recent DL trips for Dontrelle Willis, Chien-Ming Wang, and Daisuke Matsuzaka as possible abuse of the system.
- Will Barry Zito continue to be decent this year? His control and groundball rate have been much improved and his average fastball velocity is up by 1.6 mph. The .250 BABIP doesn't figure to last though. Zito is owed $87.5MM for 2009-13, plus he has an $18MM option for 2014 that may vest.
Rosenthal On Mets & Phillies
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports spoke with two NL East GMs about the state of their teams a month into the season. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. addressed his team's pitching:
- Amaro expects pitchers Brett Myers, Joe Blanton and Chan Ho Park to improve. If not, Amaro says "we'll be open to other options."
- Rosenthal expects the Phillies to look internally for rotation help before making any deal. J.A. Happ, Carlos Carrasco, Rodrigo Lopez or Kyle Kendrick could could be asked to start.
- Rosenthal adds that the Phillies' greatest need will be a reliever if Brad Lidge remains sidelined.
Mets GM Omar Minaya took stock of his team, which is now 9-12.
- Asked if the Mets are pursuing Pedro Martinez, Minaya said "not right now."
- Minaya suggested the Mets will dabble in any big name that surfaces on the trade market.
- Payroll could become an issue for the Mets, who have already committed $149MM to the team.
- Rosenthal writes that the Mets "look like they blew it" when they decided to sign Oliver Perez instead of offering Derek Lowe a fourth year.
- Minaya said Gary Sheffield and Alex Cora bring an "edge" to the team that Jose Reyes and David Wright lack.