Odds and Ends: Signing Johnny Cueto
Cincinnati’s top three prospects garnered so much attention this spring that Johnny Cueto‘s dominant debut on Thursday caught even some well-informed baseball watchers by surprise. The 22-year old Dominican, who began last year in Single A, seemed to explode upon the major leagues as Athena did from the head of Zeus: fully formed, and from a very unexpected place.
If you’re a GM, just how do you get your mitts on a talent like Cueto’s? Courtesy of Reds Insider, we have a peek at the story of the scouting and signing of the Reds rookie (is it still too soon to call him a "phenom"?). Cincinnati’s then-director of international operations, Johnny Almaraz, squeezed in an early-morning look at Cueto before his flight out of the Dominican Republic. Liking what he saw, he signed the 18-year old righty for $3.5K. (For contrast, the following year the Mets signed 16-year old Fernando Martinez for $1.4MM. That’s quite a differential.)
The full story, by John Fay, will appear in tomorrow’s Cincinnati Enquirer.
Sarah Green writes for the Boston Metro and UmpBump.com. She can be reached here.
Odds and Ends: Rauch, Fielder, Braun, Garcia
Some links for you to peruse…
- We suggested on Wednesday that Jon Rauch makes sense for Detroit. That same day, the Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga wrote that the Tigers "will watch Rauch very closely."
- You have to appreciate Matt Morris‘ candor regarding his salary.
- We learned on Saturday that the Brewers made offers to sluggers Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. Today the team’s owner said talks with both are ongoing. Other multiyear offers have been made, though the players are not known. Tom Haudricourt speculates on Corey Hart, Yovani Gallardo, J.J. Hardy, and Rickie Weeks.
- Ken Rosenthal sees Freddy Garcia landing with the Mets later this summer. I’ll stick with the opinion that he’s a nonfactor this year.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Pedro’s Injury
Earlier this week Pedro Martinez pulled a hamstring in his first start of ’08 and is expected to be out until mid-May. The loss of Martinez will likely only cost the Mets seven to eight starts, which might only be a difference in two to three wins over that span. Of course, two or three more wins in ’07 and the Mets would have spent October in the playoffs. With the importance of every single start magnified this year for the Mets, it would not be surprising for Omar Minaya to seek outside help as a contingency plan for Martinez (who at this point in his career cannot be counted on to stay healthy for any length of time). One long shot is Rich Harden, whom the A’s may be auditioning for possible suitors. Let’s take a look at what is being said in the Blogophere…
- The ‘Ropolitans don’t see the Mets trading any more players in the near future, especially for an injury-riddled player such as Harden.
- Mets Fever doesn’t think the Mets have the pieces to land Harden and would rather see the money go to Oliver Perez after the season.
- Mets Merized thinks that Claudio Vargas would provide the Mets with some stability but if he isn’t willing to accept a minor league deal they feel the Mets have plenty of in-house options…Mets Merized also feels that the loss of Martinez will not have an effect on the Mets’ championship hopes.
- MetsBlog comments on the Vargas rumors and says that a backup plan for Martinez should be Minaya’s number one priority…MetsBlog also notes that the Mets should stay away from Harden as he will certainly cost Fernando Martinez.
- Faith and Fear in Flushing is reminded of Mets injuries from years past and won’t be expecting any contribution from Martinez in the near future.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Vargas Unlikely To Sign With Mets
David Lennon of Newsday talked to Claudio Vargas‘ agent, Bean Stringfellow. Stringfellow indicated that the Mets are not the right situation for his client. That may be because the Mets want to send Vargas to Triple A, as Jayson Stark suggested yesterday.
The Mets are not completely out of the picture, but Stringfellow is looking for better opportunities and may get a contract for Vargas by the weekend. Apparently a deal with another team was close but fell through.
The Angels could work, as could the Mariners if they want to use Miguel Batista as their closer for a while. The Astros, Phillies, and Braves should probably consider Vargas as well. That’s all just my speculation, though.
Stark’s Latest: Bonds, Howard, Vargas
ESPN’s Jayson Stark has a new Rumblings and Grumblings up; let’s take a look.
- Stark surveyed execs from three teams about why Barry Bonds remains unemployed. They provided the answers you’d expect, and collusion isn’t one of them. One of the team officials believes a major injury to one of the 14 DHs could very well result in a Bonds signing. Related note: Gary Sheffield just tore a tendon in his finger. Meanwhile, Joel Sherman speculates that Bonds would be a nice match with the Blue Jays.
- There are signs that Ryan Howard wants an unprecedented contract – he won’t be using Miguel Cabrera as his model. A trade before he reaches free agency (after the 2010 season) seems likely.
- Stark says the Mets are eyeing Claudio Vargas but would want him to work at Triple A for a while first. They’re not showing interest in available guys like David Wells, Jeff Weaver, or Robinson Tejeda. David Lennon of Newsday counters by saying the Mets do have interest in Tejeda, though nothing is close.
Davidoff: Tejeda Makes Sense For Mets
Newsday’s Ken Davidoff has an idea for the Mets: 26 year-old recently DFA’d starter Robinson Tejeda of the Rangers. Davidoff notes that the Mets have had interest in him in the past, and now he could be had for very little via trade or even a waiver claim.
Tejeda’s main problem has been control. Back in ’05, Baseball America compared Tejeda to Carlos Silva "in build and repertoire." One big difference – Tejeda averages almost 95 mph with his heater.
I discussed some other Pedro replacement options in this post.
Odds and Ends: Putz, Byrdak, Graves
Today’s linkage.
- J.J. Putz is out for at least a few weeks; the fantasy baseball world reacts.
- The Astros inked Tim Byrdak, selling him on an easy path to the big leagues. The 34 year-old southpaw had a 3.20 ERA last year, albeit with poor control.
- The Twins added former closer Danny Graves to their Triple A club. He’s also 34. His peripherals weren’t too impressive last year for the Long Island Ducks despite 33 saves.
- I did a Q&A with Dexter Sports.
- Unfortunately Corey Koskie doesn’t seem anywhere close to coming back.
- Joe Sports Fan looks at baseball’s "bespectacled heroes."
- Correcting an SI.com report from yesterday, MetsBlog says there’s been no contact between the Mets and Edgardo Alfonzo.
Odds and Ends: Alfonzo, Hill, Kline, Reitsma
Time for a link roundup.
- SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Mets have talked with Edgardo Alfonzo. Alfonzo, 34, came up a Met and snagged MVP votes in 2000 with a .967 OPS.
- Seems like Aaron Hill‘s contract extension may wait until after the season, when his offensive value is more clearly established.
- No interest in Steve Kline yet…teams will probably wait the Giants out so they don’t have to pay his $1.75MM salary.
- If Chris Reitsma doesn’t make a decision soon about heading to Triple A, the Ms could place him on the restricted list.
- Dejan Kovacevic hasn’t heard anything about Adam LaRoche as a trade candidate, even though extension talks fizzled.
- Kevin Goldstein believes shortstop Tim Beckham is the "top talent in the draft."
Pedro Injury May Lead To Acquisition
Pedro Martinez will have an MRI on his strained hamstring today, so the team should get an idea of how long their #2 starter will be out. We were already talking about the Mets possibly adding a starter before the injury; now the need is pressing.
MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone suggests free agents Claudio Vargas or Woody Williams. Vargas is the most talented free agent pitcher; the group also includes Jeff Weaver and David Wells. Other random available starters I tossed out in my Kelvim Escobar post: Jason Marquis, Matt Morris, Matt Belisle, Byung-Hyun Kim, Horacio Ramirez, Anthony Reyes, and Cliff Lee. The Mets aren’t overflowing with trade chips, so signing Vargas makes the most sense.
Rosenthal’s Latest: DeWitt, Murton, Vargas, Hatteberg, Pena, Baek, Piazza
Ken Rosenthal has his latest column up at FoxSports.com. As usual he is not shy about stirring up rumors. Let’s take a look at what the rumor-guru has to say:
- Rosenthal notes that the Dodgers will go with Blake DeWitt at third base who has never played a game above AA. This comes after the Dodgers failed to acquire either the Astros’ Mark Loretta, who was unavailable and the Royals’ Esteban German, who was too expensive. The Royals were asking for the Dodgers’ third best prospect, shortstop Chin-Lung Hu.
- He indicates that the Padres and the Rays are pursuing Matt Murton but the Cubs are holding out for a top pitching prospect in return, knowing Murton will be a starter on another club. Rosenthal quotes one GM as saying that the price "is way too high as of now". As many as five teams have shown interest in Murton.
- The Mets are among a dozen teams that have inquired about Brewers pitcher Claudio Vargas, who will not be in the rotation to begin the season. [Update: Sorry about this one. I had forgotten that the Brewers released Vargas earlier this week]
- The Reds have put Ryan Freel on the market, but more teams appear to be interested in Scott Hatteberg. However, Rosenthal indicates that it is unlikely for the Red to trade Hatteberg even if Joey Votto is named the starter.
- The Tigers, Reds and Orioles all tried to acquire backup catcher Brayan Pena from the Braves, but the Braves do not appear interested in letting him go
- Rosenthal says that Pat Gillick’s history in Seattle may have played a part in the Phillies inability to land M’s reliever Cha Seung Baek, who is out of options but made the roster as a reliever.
- Finally, Rosenthal notes that Mike Piazza is still working out with hopes of landing a gig at some point in ’08. Rosenthal thinks that Piazza may have to come to the realization soon that his career may be over.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.