Assorted updates: Alou, Hudson, Garland, Okajima
Earlier today, we found a report that Moises Alou was about to sign with the Mets. Now Rosenthal is saying that it could be a two-year deal. With Carlos Gomez right behind Lastings Milledge, putting two established vets in the outfield through 2008 would seem to make Milledge expendable.
Yesterday, Phil Rogers speculated that Mark Buehrle could be headed to Texas. Rosenthal says it’s Jon Garland, and hints (as Rogers did) that John Danks and Brian Anderson could be part of the package, especially if the deal gets bigger.
And, Buster Olney is reporting chatter about Tim Hudson heading to the Orioles. If, as Olney speculates, the return could include Adam Loewen or Hayden Penn, it would seem to be ideal for Atlanta: free up payroll for Tom Glavine, and get another (cheap) potentially decent starter in the deal as well.
And here’s something out of nowhere: Hideki Okajima, a lefty reliever, may be coming to the states. Okajima, a longtime Yomiuri Giant and recently a Nippon Ham Fighter, had a great 2006 but a mediocre ’05. Sounds like your typical middle-bullpen fodder.
By Jeff Sackmann
Moises Alou to the Mets?
It’s in Spanish, but this article seems to suggest the Mets and Moises Alou are close to deal that includes an $8 million salary for 2007. I can’t tell whether it’s a one-year deal or it’s a multi-year deal that isn’t fully reported.
By Jeff Sackmann
Kei Igawa Has Been Posted
Rotoworld lists the potential suitors for Kei Igawa as the "Padres, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Yankees, Braves, Mets, Cubs and Indians." They rule out the Red Sox and Mariners, though this Tacoma News-Tribune article says the M’s are "likely" to bid. That same article predicts that the posting fee will be about "two-thirds less" than Daisuke Matsuzaka‘s $51.1M: $17M.
That seems high for a guy who David Wright isn’t convinced has MLB-quality stuff. Personally, I wouldn’t want my team spending more than $10M for his rights, but with all those teams involved, $17M seems plausible.
UPDATE: An alert e-mailer points out this article on the Braves official site. According to club officials, Atlanta won’t be involved in this one.
By Jeff Sackmann
Starting Pitching in NYC
Here’s the latest on the Tom Glavine front: the man says he’s 50-50 between the Mets and the Braves. The Braves would have a hard time matching the Mets probable $24M/2y offer unless they dropped some salary in a trade (like some of these possibilities), so it may come down to how much of a hometown discount Glavine is willing to give Atlanta.
Across town, there’s the possibility that Scott Proctor will enter camp as a starter. Proctor was great in his first full year out of the pen, but the Yankees starting corps still has plenty of holes. No one–including Brian Cashman–could possibly think that the Yankees won’t make every effort to add at least one more starter, but as Cashman points out, the move is mostly insurance: it’s easier to prepare to start and end up relieving than to go the other way around. If nothing else, if might make Cashman seem a little less desperate in trade talks.
And back to the Mets for a second: if you’re interested in the next wave of Mets players, like Anderson Hernandez, Carlos Gomez, and Fernando Martinez, you may enjoy this article of mine over at MetsGeek.com, which takes a statistically-minded look at their defense. If Gomez ends up as part of a trade, whoever gets him could do very, very well.
By Jeff Sackmann
Kenny Williams, Dealmaker
Either Ken Williams is keeping busy at the GM meetings, or the reporters covering the Sox have very fertile imaginations. I’m sure the truth is somewhere in between. In addition to the Andruw Jones deal I mentioned in the previous post, here’s a roundup of possible White Sox moves:
Chris De Luca reports on a possible Freddy Garcia / Ervin Santana swap. Oddly enough, his sources say that the "package" would be built around Santana. Garcia might be a better pitcher right now, but just barely: last year, Garcia was worth 15 win shares, while Santana was worth 13. Santana’s younger, and is under the Angels control for four more years. Bill Stoneman couldn’t covet Garcia that much, could he? South Side Sox chimes in on the improbability of that deal.
De Luca also repeats the thinking that Williams could bring Aaron Rowand back, especially if the Phillies land Alfonso Soriano.
Phil Rogers has a flurry of rumors, some of the recycled variety. He keeps stoking the flames of Javier Vazquez-to-the-Mets, and suggests there’s the makings of a "monster deal" between the Sox and Rangers with Vazquez or Mark Buerhle headed to Texas. Rogers is clearly speculating, but if his source is correct that John Danks is in play, there’s certainly the possibility of something getting done.
By Jeff Sackmann
Mets Acquire Ben Johnson
The Mets and Padres made an interesting trade today, with the Pads sending outfielder Ben Johnson and reliever Jon Adkins to New York for relievers Heath Bell and Royce Ring.
Johnson, 25, is a possible platoon candidate in the outfield for the Mets in 2007. He can play all three outfield positions and is a good athlete, featuring power and speed. While he mashed during his first stint in Triple A in '05, he didn't impress at the same level this year. Back in 2002, Johnson was the Padres' second choice for a prospect in the Carlos Hernandez trade after Albert Pujols.
Adkins was the return to the White Sox for Ray Durham back in July of '02. He's got a 4.63 ERA in 134 big league innings of relief.
The Mets acquired Ring, a 26 year-old southpaw, for Roberto Alomar back in 2003. Historically, Ring has always been difficult to hit. He posted a 2.77 ERA in 52 innings between Triple A and the Majors this year.
Bell is a 29 year-old righty. He's been dominant in Triple A but has struggled with the Mets for the past two seasons. Even so, he showed very good command as a Met.
Mets Re-Sign El Duque
The Mets inked Orlando Hernandez for two years and $6MM. For that price, who can complain?
So far the only locks for the 2007 rotation in my mind are Hernandez and John Maine. Of course, there are plenty of remaining options. Keep in mind that El Duque hasn’t topped 161 innings for a while now, so the team will have to use its sixth or seventh starters.
Here’s a look at the current state of the starting pitching free agent market.
UPDATE: The deal would be a lot less desirable at double the price, which is what Ken Rosenthal is reporting.
Mets Retain Jose Valentin
According to the New York Post, the Mets have re-signed second baseman Jose Valentin for 2007 and a vesting option for 2008. Valentin will make at least $3MM next year.
Valentin had always had great power, slugging 30 HR for the White Sox as recently as 2004. There’s always a chance of a complete collapse of his batting average and subsequently his OBP. Valentin is, after all, a career .243 hitter. Still, you can’t really complain about the signing. Minaya is now free to focus his efforts on adding a starting pitcher.
The second base free agent market now consists of Mark Loretta, Ray Durham, Ronnie Belliard, Adam Kennedy, Alfonso Soriano, and Todd Walker.
Kei Igawa: Plan B To Matsuzaka?
It appears that both the Mets and Yankees were scouting 27 year-old lefty Kei Igawa Tuesday night against the MLB All-Stars. He’ll be an option for teams looking overseas for pitching that are reluctant to break the bank. However, David Wright was not impressed:
"Asked if Igawa’s pitches were major-league quality, Wright hedged a bit.
‘I just don’t know,’ Wright said. ‘I’d have to see him when he’s in midseason form. You send a guy up there after a month layoff and you can’t get a handle on a guy. But as far as a lefty goes, he has a sneaky fastball. I thought he threw, for a lefty, an average to above-average fastball, an above-average changeup, and his slider was a little flat. But with a month off, who knows? Could be any number of reasons.’
Mets Interested In Edwin Jackson
Renewing an interest they’ve had for a while now, a source tells me the Mets hope to acquire Edwin Jackson from the Devil Rays for bullpen help. They feel that they can fix some mechanical flaws in the 23 year-old righty.
Not sure if the Mets would hope to acquire Jackson as part of a trade of Aaron Heilman. As you may have read in the papers, Tampa Bay has interest in Heilman as a starter.