NL East Notes: Phillies, Wright, Mets, Blanton
This morning we learned that Mike Cameron has decided to retire after 17 seasons in the majors. The 39-year-old played for eight different teams during his career and won three Gold Gloves. Here's more on the Nats and other notes from around the National League East..
- Last week, the three-way trade the Phillies were looking to send Joe Blanton to the Angels for Bobby Abreu, then flip Abreu to the Yankees for A.J. Burnett, sources tell Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The Phillies' thinking was that two years of Burnett would have provided at least a bit of a safety net if they lost Cole Hamels to free agency, Olney tweets.
- Cameron's retirement will force the Nationals to get creative in center field and possibly look for another right-handed hitter at the position, writes Mark Zuckerman of Nats Insider. Alternatively, Washington could let either Rick Ankiel or Roger Bernadina take the job outright or move Jayson Werth to center field and put Bryce Harper in right.
- Bill Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter) spoke with Cameron who said Nationals GM Mike Rizzo tried to talk the veteran out of retiring. The center fielder said that he made up his mind last Wednesday.
- Third baseman David Wright's future with the Mets is likely independent of the club's performance, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post. The Mets hold a $16MM team option on the 29-year-old for next season, but Wright can void that option if he is traded.
- Phillies pitcher Joe Blanton isn't worried about hearing his name in trade rumors, writes Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Phillies have reportedly shopped Blanton in order to create payroll flexibility and explored a three-way trade to land A.J. Burnett before he was traded to the Pirates.
Alderson On Wright, Payroll, Farm System
After chronicling his drive from New York to Florida on Twitter, Mets GM Sandy Alderson met with the media at the team's Spring Training facility today. Let's round up the news, courtesy of ESPN New York's Adam Rubin and Andy Martino of The New York Daily News (on Twitter)…
- Alderson said any the decision to trade David Wright at the deadline will not be tied to the team's record, unlike Carlos Beltran last year. Wright's $16MM club option for 2013 – which he can void if traded – is a big reason why.
- When asked if the club could increase payroll if they're in contention, Alderson replied: "Yes, uh huh." When asked if he knew by how much, he said: "No, uh, uh."
- "The farm system is improving … We have players that are close to having an impact on the Major League club," said the GM in a quote passed along by the team (on Twitter), but he added that prospects like Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, and Jeurys Familia are not candidates to make the team, even as injury replacements.
- The Mets added Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch, and Ramon Ramirez this offseason, making the Opening Day status of Bobby Parnell and Pedro Beato murky. They do have minor league options remaining, however.
Quick Hits: Kazmir, McCann, Padres, Athletics
Here are some notes from around the majors as we head into Friday evening…
- ESPN's Jayson Stark looks back at the offseason, surveying 20 baseball personnel people about which teams made the best and worst moves of the winter. A sample: the Phillies' deal with Jonathan Papelbon was judged to be the offseason's worst free agent signing.
- About 10 scouts attended Scott Kazmir's workout session today, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter links). The southpaw threw between 86-89 mph, with his top pitch reportedly hitting 91 mph by one scout's measurements.
- The Mets aren't interested in Kazmir "at this time," a source tells Newsday's David Lennon. According to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, the Mets didn't send a scout to see Kazmir throw, though on Wednesday a "high ranking person" with the Mets said they would have someone in attendance (both Twitter links).
- The Braves haven't begun extension talks with catcher Brian McCann, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 2012 is McCann's last season under contract, though Atlanta holds a $12MM option on him for 2013 that looks like a strong bet to be exercised. O'Brien thinks the Braves could wait until next winter to begin negotiations.
- Padres owner Jeff Moorad and GM Josh Byrnes are both very pleased with the club's offseason, reports Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- The Athletics seem focused on acquiring young talent this offseason, but Casey Tefertiller of Baseball America notes that some of these prospects are being blocked by Oakland's veteran signings.
Marlins Links: Gaby, Anibal, Reyes, Cespedes, Pudge
Here's the latest from South Beach…
- Once Albert Pujols was off the market, the Marlins told Gaby Sanchez and his agent that rumors about Miami pursuing Prince Fielder were false and that the club wasn't looking for another first baseman, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Sanchez said he wasn't offended that the Marlins were pursuing Pujols: "He's proven what he can do for 10 straight years. I still have so much time to go."
- Anibal Sanchez told reporters (including MLB.com's David Villavicencio) says the Marlins haven't approached him about a contract extension but he'd be open to signing such a deal. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith recently examined Sanchez as an extension candidate.
- Sanchez also didn't mind his recent arbitration hearing with the Marlins, where he won his case and earned an $8MM salary for 2012. "I think everybody thought they were going to say a lot of things that were bad about me. But I didn't think they said anything bad or that I didn't know. It's part of the business," Sanchez said.
- Jose Reyes understands that the Mets didn't have the finances to re-sign him, but he wished his former team would've at least made some kind of offer, reports Dan Martin of the New York Post.
- The Marlins offered Yoenis Cespedes a six-year, $36MM contract, reports Frisaro. The team wanted a six-year deal since they felt Cespedes would need minor league seasoning and didn't want to pay him a large salary if he'd be spending time in the minors. Cespedes instead agreed to sign with the A's for $36MM over four years.
- With Cespedes gone, Frisaro says the Fish aren't expected to add any more players before Spring Training, though they could look for veteran starting pitching later in camp. The Marlins aren't interested in Ivan Rodriguez for the backup catching job.
NL East Notes: Kazmir, McCann, Hamels, Oswalt
The Mets took a chance on Jason Isringhausen exactly one year ago, signing him to a minor league deal. Isringhausen collected his 300th career save in 2011, and the Mets obtained 46 2/3 innings of 4.05 ERA baseball from the 39-year-old right-hander. We haven’t heard much about Isringhausen’s free agent prospects in recent weeks, but we do have some links from the NL East…
- Ten years ago the Mets made Scott Kazmir their first round pick. Much has changed in the last decade, but the Mets have some interest in bringing the left-hander back, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News tweets. The Mets were expected to have someone in attendance at Kazmir's audition in Houston today.
- Brian McCann said he's not concerned about signing an extension for 2014 and beyond, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. The Braves have a 2013 option for McCann on his current contract and they figure to exercise if after the season.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. joined Jim Duquette and Kevin Kennedy on MLB Network Radio and said he's still hoping to work out an extension with left-hander Cole Hamels. The sides haven't set a deadline for a long-term deal.
- Amaro suggested the Phillies don't have the payroll flexibility required to add Roy Oswalt. "I just don't know that it's a fit for us right now," he said.
- The Phillies and Marlins are among the teams eyeing Cuban outfield prospect Jorge Soler.
Alderson: Mets’ Roster “Pretty Much There”
Don’t expect the Mets to make substantial changes to their roster before Spring Training begins. GM Sandy Alderson told Dan Martin of the New York Post that he doesn’t intend to make major additions in the near future.
“We’re pretty much there,” Alderson said. “I don’t see what’s out there filling our specific needs.”
The Mets have postponed the search for a left-handed outfielder and are prepared to open the season with an outfield of Jason Bay, Andres Torres, Lucas Duda and Scott Hairston. Back in January, the Mets were linked to Jason Isringhausen and Alderson said Chris Young is “the kind of guy we might re-sign under the right circumstances." It’s not known whether the Mets are still considering bringing the pitchers back to New York.
Quick Hits: Mets, Phillips, Brewers
Here are some notes from around MLB to cap off a day that saw Billy Beane, Clayton Kershaw and Elvis Andrus agree to extensions with their respective clubs…
- The Mets have “pretty much stopped pursuing” left-handed hitting outfielders, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. The Mets had been linked to free agents such as Raul Ibanez, Kosuke Fukudome and Johnny Damon, but it now appears that they’ll take a wait-and-see approach.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com that the team isn’t any closer to an extension with Brandon Phillips. The GM said the sides haven’t had the chance to talk and hope to discuss a deal within a few weeks.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told ESPN.com’s Buster Olney that he is committed to giving Mat Gamel a shot at developing into a Major League regular in 2012.
- Assistant GM Thad Levine acknowledged the Rangers could go to a hearing with one or more of their arbitration eligible players, ESPNDallas’ Richard Durrett reports. Andrus recently agreed to terms on a three-year extension, but Mike Napoli and Nelson Cruz remain unsigned, as MLBTR’s Arbitration Tracker shows.
- Nationals media relations manager Bill Gluvna resigned and took a marketing and public relations job with the Boras Corporation, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs presented ten of the best offseason moves, and Hiroki Kuroda, Edwin Jackson and Carlos Beltran all made appearances on the list.
- Dodgers assistant GM Logan White discussed Zach Lee, Kershaw, Nathan Eovaldi and drafting young pitchers with David Laurila of FanGraphs.
Latest On Mets’ Search For Outfield Bat
The Mets remain interested in adding a left-handed hitting outfielder and appear to be hunting for the cash to sign one, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. It was reported last week that the Mets are monitoring the market for outfielders who hit from the left side, including Johnny Damon, Kosuke Fukudome, Rick Ankiel and Raul Ibanez.
I doubt that any of the outfielders above will cost more than $1-2MM in terms of guaranteed salary on a one-year deal. However, the Mets are working on a budget, even after cutting payroll by approximately $50MM this offseason. The Mets' projected outfield currently consists of the right-handed hitting Jason Bay and Scott Hairston, the left-handed hitting Lucas Duda and the switch-hitting Andres Torres.
Dodgers Ownership Links: Cohen, Claire
Frank McCourt's final offseason at the helm of the Dodgers has been a busy one. GM Ned Colletti & Co. have signed Aaron Harang, Jerry Hairston Jr., Chris Capuano, Adam Kennedy, Mike MacDougal, Mark Ellis and Juan Rivera and extended Matt Kemp long-term. Here are some links on potential buyers for the team…
- Steven Cohen is trying to buy the Dodgers, though he's about to become a minority owner of the Mets, Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports. The billionaire investor can pursue the Dodgers, even if his minority purchase of the Mets goes through, Shaikin writes. However, if he buys the Dodgers, he will have to sell his part of the Mets. MLB cleared Cohen as a possible minority owner.
- Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire and his partners can still get into the bidding for the club if they obtain more capital soon, Shaikin tweets.
Taylor Buchholz Plans To Sit Out 2012 Season
Reliever Taylor Buchholz currently plans to skip the 2012 season, agent Dave Pasti tells Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Buchholz has been battling depression and anxiety. Pasti noted, "If he signs with anyone, it would be with the Mets. They way they handled the situation with Taylor meant a lot to him. The Mets really cared about him. As of right now, Taylor is taking the year off. He's feeling great, but not ready to get back into baseball. He's taking it one day at a time."
Buchholz, 30, joined the Mets a year ago and was granted free agency in November.