Mets Rumor Roundup
I owe you some rumors, yeah? Let’s get cracking by looking at the Mets. Can’t beat Matthew Cerrone’s MetsBlog for the latest. A rundown follows
The New York Post reports that the Mets would not even go to four years, $32MM on Julio Lugo. After all, it’s just second base.
Does the Ambiorix Burgos acquisition free up Aaron Heilman for a deal, perhaps with Oakland? Not automatically, given that Burgos is very raw.
The big fish is of course Barry Zito. The Mets don’t view him as a #1 starter and hesitate to top Roy Oswalt‘s 5/73 deal. It will be hard to beat Tom Hicks, if he has his mind set on it. As Doc Brown told us, "if you set your mind to it, you can accomplish anything." Sounds like the Mets have not yet made an offer but have met twice with Scott Boras. Word is that they will go five years at most.
The Mets talked to various teams about trading for starters like Javier Vazquez, Freddy Garcia, Rodrigo Lopez, Jake Westbrook, or Cliff Lee according to John Delcos.
The Mets met with Mark Mulder‘s agent Gregg Clifton yesterday.
Bob Nightengale threw out a juicy rumor yesterday: Lastings Milledge and another prospect for Rich Harden. Seems rare to see a guy dealt with that kind of injury uncertainty, but you never know. Many sources have reported a more reasonable Milledge for Joe Blanton possibility. Any such deal with Oakland could involve Heilman as well. The A’s assistant GM said yesterday night that specific players had not been discussed.
MetsBlog reports that the team seems high on lefty Dave Williams, or at least proud of themselves for getting him for nothing.
The Mets talked to the Rangers about closer Akinori Otsuka yesterday, a player they almost acquired from the Padres for Xavier Nady last year.
Lastly, the Tribe has been connected to Milledge in addition to the A’s and Nationals. If talent like that is available, teams are going to call.
Bannister for Burgos: done
ESPN is reporting that the Mets are sending Brian Bannister to Kansas City for Ambiorix Burgos. Neither pitcher is a difference-maker, but I’m a bit surprised the Mets are giving up a solid rotation option (albeit a back-of-the-rotation option) for a short reliever.
Burgos has upside, but this says to me that Omar Minaya is very confident of landing at least one more starter this offseason. The Mets rotation could be spectacular once everyone is healthy, but there are a heck of a lot of question marks for Minaya to be trading away his insurance. On the flip side, this seems like a solid deal for the Royals: they need somebody to eat a bunch of innings, and Bannister comes a whole lot cheaper than the Mark Redmans, Tomo Ohkas, and Miguel Batistas of the world.
By Jeff Sackmann, Brew Crew Ball
Buehrle For Milledge?
Here’s a new one, courtesy of Scott Merkin of MLB.com.
The White Sox could send Mark Buehrle to the Mets for Lastings Milledge. An interesting idea, kind of the opposite of Kenny Williams’s Chris Young for Javier Vazquez deal last winter.
However, Merkin quotes Williams as desiring young pitching as the return for one of his veteran starters. Would the Mets entertain Mike Pelfrey for Buehrle? Just throwing it out there.
Kenny Williams has made a couple of deals with Omar Minaya in the past. In January of 2003, the Sox sent Rocky Biddle, Orlando Hernandez, Jeff Liefer, and cash to Montreal for Bartolo Colon and Jorge Nunoz. And in July of 2004, Williams acquired Carl Everett for Jon Rauch and Gary Majewski.
Glavine Chooses Mets
Murray Chass’s New York Times article as well as Buster Olney’s blog indicate that Tom Glavine will make a decision today on whether to pitch for the Mets or Braves.
I’m not sure Glavine even has two options, as no one is reporting that the Braves have made him an offer. Perhaps Schuerholz is waiting on a deal of Tim Hudson or Marcus Giles to free up payroll before doing so.
UPDATE: As many have emailed to me, Glavine has re-signed with the Mets for one year and $10.5MM.
Brian Bannister Available?
Word from my Mets source is that the team is in a holding pattern until Tom Glavine makes his decision. He feels that the club will end up with either Glavine or Barry Zito and fill the other spots internally.
There is a chance Brian Bannister is traded for a solid reliever to replace Chad Bradford. Interested parties include the Rockies and Mariners. He mentioned the D’Backs as well, but their interest may have waned now that Doug Davis has been acquired.
Gotham on Zito, Glavine, and More
Check out Mark Healey’s latest Rumor Mill over at Gotham Baseball. Some highlights:
Currently Healey’s sources don’t have any indications that Barry Zito will end up in New York. San Diego remains a possibility.
Healey mentions a Bill Shanks report for Scout.com that indicated Tom Glavine is close to returning to Atlanta for $7-8MM with an option.
Gotham Baseball: Bowden Calling Big Apple for Help
Washington Nationals GM Jim Bowden got the guy he "really wanted" in Manny Acta, and now he’s hoping that the former third base coach for the Mets can help figure a way to convince his former employers to send Lastings Milledge to RFK for 2007. The only problem with that scenario is that Bowden has very little to give New York.
"Bowden is trying to sell the Mets on a John Patterson for Lastings Milledge deal, which the Mets have flatly refused."
New York does have interest in Patterson, Jon Rauch and New Jersey’s Jason Bergmann, but certainly not for Milledge, whose value may have lowered, but “not that low”.
Gotham Baseball Magazine’s D.C.-based source says that may not be the case for the Yankees, who have expressed interest in making a deal for the Nats’ (and former Yankee) Nick Johnson.
“The Yankees have been asking about Nick Johnson and Brian Schneider, but as he usually does, (Bowden) is asking for the moon. The difference now is, Bowden can’t afford to haggle, because the pitching staff is a shambles."
Comments are now open, sorry ’bout that – mh
Juan Pierre: $45M/5
Insanity. $9M for Pierre is a stretch: he’s not a great defender, he hasn’t posted an OBP above .330 in two years, and he isn’t even a particularly high-percentage basestealer. As I mentioned earlier, Kenny Lofton had a better 2006. But, in this market, $9M a year for a leadoff hitter isn’t too crazy–Pierre might well be better than, say, Gary Matthews Jr.
But…five years? It would certainly appear that Matthews is going to get the money he’s after. Dave Roberts‘s agent probably just upped his demands, too. Even Lofton ought to get either a two-year deal or a rich one-year contract.
In other news this evening:
The Marlins swapped Chris Resop to the Angels for Kevin Gregg.
The Mets officially declined Tom Glavine‘s option.
Mets and Marlins trade minor league arms
The Mets traded Henry Owens and Matt Lindstrom, both RHPs, to Florida for Jason Vargas and Adam Bostick, both LHPs. Here’s a link; apparently the announcement is coming at 6pm EST. Vargas is the most MLB-ready of the bunch: he had a nifty half-season in 2005, but wasn’t able to repeat in ’06. He’ll provide rotation insurance for New York of the Oliver Perez variety.
Owens is probably the guy with the biggest potential impact: in 40 Double-A innings, he struck out seventy-four. He’s got some control problems, too, but adjusting for park and translating his stats to MLB numbers, that gives him an OPS against of .456. OPS! He could be a good one. Lindstrom and Bostick are in there to even out the deal; Lindstrom is mostly roster filler at this point–he had a good year between A+ and AA, but he’s 26. Bostick is 23, but still has only pitched a few innings above Double-A.
Also just in: the Moises Alou deal is one year, $7.5 million with a club option for 2008.
By Jeff Sackmann
Gotham Baseball: Rockies Want Milledge?
One oif the more interesting things I heard in this week’s follow up calls after the GM Meetings was the Colorado Rockies’ interest in Lastings Milledge.
Though I keep hearing from those inside and outside of the team’s inner circle that Milledge is still a player they expect to blossom in New York, I can’t help but think that the Mets are focused on moving forward…without Lastings.
Another very interesting tidbit was a rumor of the Tigers and Reds talking Adam Dunn