Mets, Ron Villone Agree To Terms
According to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post, the Mets have agreed to terms with left-handed reliever Ron Villone on a minor league contract. Apparently the Scott Boras Corp. can still get things done in the midst of the Manny negotiations.
Villone, 39, posted a 4.68 ERA over 50 innings last season with the Cardinals. He’s likely to join the Mets’ spring training camp once he passes a physical.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Yankees, Oil Can, Halladay, Mets
On this date 21 years ago, the Baltimore Orioles traded Ray Knight to the Tigers, only one year after signing the World Series hero as a free agent. The O’s received Mark Thurmond, who would go 1-8 in 1988 with an 85 ERA+. Knight would only play 105 games for the Tigers before retiring. With spring training now in full swing, several veteran free agents are still without contracts or guaranteed jobs and may be on the verge of retirement. Let’s take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- More Hardball puts together a 25-man roster of veteran players in camps on minor league deals.
- 6 Pound 8 Ounce Baby Joba spoke with Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch about a number of topics including what the will happen once the current contracts for Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter expire.
- Sully Baseball makes a case for a team, any team, signing Oil Can Boyd.
- The Phrontiersman takes a look at the possibility of the Phillies trading for Roy Halladay at some point during the season.
- Megamets argues for the Mets adding Dennys Reyes, over the other available lefty relievers.
- The Sports Banter puts together their own list of off-season winners.
- Midwest Sports Fans project the Twins opening day roster.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.
Lefties May Be Lowering Contract Expectations
FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the agents for left-handers Joe Beimel and Will Ohman are prepared to offer more flexibility in contract negotiations with clubs.
"I would suggest any team holding back on some last-minute interest step forward and express it," Beimel’s agent, Jeff Sroba said Wednesday. "Not that anything is imminent, but we are offering flexibility." Beimel, who turns 32 in April, has drawn interest primarily from the Dodgers this offseason. He went 5-1 with a 2.02 ERA for Los Angeles last season.
Ohman, 31, has deals on the table from the Pirates, Marlins and Padres, but is reportedly hoping the Phillies, Dodgers or Mets will come calling. He finished 4-1 with a 3.68 ERA last year for the Braves. "We’re offering flexibility, too," said Ohman’s agent, Page Odle. "We’re hoping one of the playoff teams will want that shutdown lefty."
Dennys Reyes is another left-handed reliever without a job. He went 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA for the Twins last season.
Duaner Sanchez On The Bubble
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.