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Quick Hits: Pujols, Crawford, Pavano, Rays, A’s, Mets

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Links for Wednesday, as the Cardinals hope for the best regarding Adam Wainwright's elbow…

  • In today's blog post (Insider req'd), ESPN's Buster Olney writes about the pressure both the Cardinals and Cubs will be under if Albert Pujols hits the open market. He likens Chicago's situation to what the Knicks and Cavaliers faced during last year's LeBron James madness.
  • Carl Crawford told WEEI.com's Dennis & Callahan that the Yankees never made him an offer this offseason, and that he "didn't want to be somebody's backup plan." New York met with Crawford during the winter meetings.
  • SI.com's Jon Heyman heard that the Pirates offered Carl Pavano two years and $13MM while the Yankees offered one-year and $9.75MM with incentives (Twitter link). Pavano eventually rejoined the Twins for two years and $16.5MM.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears "rumblings" that certain big market teams want to "drop" the Athletics and Rays, even though there's little chance it actually happens. Contraction doesn't appear to be on the horizon given revenue streams, and as Rosenthal notes, the player's union would consider the elimation of 50 jobs an "act of war."
  • In a separate article, Rosenthal explores the domino effect Wainwright's injury may have on the Cardinals.
  • Richard Sandomir and Ken Belson of The New York Times report that "a variety of proposals are surfacing that suggest that investors want more than the Mets are offering." The Wilpons are looking to sell about 25% of the team in the wake of the Madoff scandal, but not controlling interest. 
  • Over at RotoAuthority, Tim Dierkes ranks the top fantasy outfielders.

NL East Notes: Werth, K-Rod, Phillies, Nationals

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Some notes from the NL East as MLBPA leader Michael Weiner meets with the Mets in Florida…

  • Jayson Werth told Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he accepted the Nationals' seven-year, $126MM offer partly because he wanted to help his fellow players. "I think once you get to free agency, you're in a big pool of players and we all really play in one organization and that's MLB," Werth said. "I guess that's how you look at it, so in that respect I was trying to maximize things and also trying to get into a situation I wanted to be in and I think Philly was going in a different direction."
  • Weiner told ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin that he expects the Mets to honor Francisco Rodriguez's contract, which vests at $17.5MM for 2012 if he finishes 55 games in 2011.
  • Bobby Bonilla, who is still on the Mets' payroll is meeting with the team today as an MLBPA representative, according to Newsday's David Lennon (on Twitter).
  • Mike Puma of the New York Post explains that new manager Terry Collins is fiery and ready to get mad. "I give a [expletive] about how this team plays," Collins said.
  • Cliff Lee tells David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News that his side feels fine, though he felt some minor pain earlier.
  • Brookover points out that "guaranteed money does not mean guaranteed success or perfect health," though the Phillies' investment in Lee was understandable.
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com that he hopes first overall draft pick Bryce Harper finds out how Spring Training works and learns "what it takes to be a big leaguer" in Nationals camp this year.

New York Notes: Cano, Jeter, Castillo, Paulino

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We've already heard this morning about one New York club finalizing some minor league deals, while the other had a minor league offer turned down. Let's catch up on the rest of the latest updates on the Yankees and Mets….

  • On the heels of hiring agent Scott Boras, Robinson Cano says he doesn't intend to ask the Yankees for a contract extension before his current deal expires, writes Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger.
  • Derek Jeter spoke to media today at Spring Training, including Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). The longtime Yankee said that, when the time comes, he fully plans to exercise his 2014 player option.
  • Feinsand's Daily News colleague Bill Madden would like to see the Yankees open up the competition for the fourth and fifth rotation spots to some of their top prospects.
  • Luis Castillo arrived later than expected to Mets' camp, due in part to his brother's upcoming surgery, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork. Newsday's David Lennon adds (via Twitter) that Castillo cleared up the misunderstanding with manager Terry Collins and is ready to compete for the team's second base job.
  • Ronny Paulino's arrival to camp has also been delayed, in his case by visa issues, says Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. Paulino, who was suspended last year for violating baseball's drug policy, will miss the first eight games of this season as he finishes serving the suspension.

Mets Sign Three To Minor League Deals

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After reaching the majors for the first time last season at age 31, Jesus Feliciano was dropped from the Mets' 40-man roster shortly after the season. A few months later, however, Feliciano is returning to New York. The team re-signed the outfielder on a minor league deal, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork. The Mets also inked Chris Shelton and Kent Tsujimoto to minor league contracts.

Before making his major league debut last June, Feliciano had spent his last four seasons playing for the Mets' Triple-A affiliate. Though he doesn't hit for much power, slugging just 18 homers in more than 5,000 minor league plate appearances, the lefty has hit .317 in AAA for the Mets over the last four years.

Shelton, 30, has seen time in the majors with the Tigers, Rangers, and Mariners. The first baseman is perhaps best remembered for his torrid start in Detroit in 2006, when he homered nine times in his first 13 games. He hasn't played in the bigs since he earned 28 plate appearances for Seattle in 2009.

Tsujimoto, a 22-year-old Japanese right-hander, pitched for Na Koa Ikaika Maui of the Golden Baseball League in 2010, recording a 2.88 ERA and 12.6 K/9 in 32 relief appearances.

2012 Vesting Options

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Vesting options are always worth keeping track of during the season, especially since they can often have consequences that are less than desirable. Last year Magglio Ordonez ($15MM), Kerry Wood ($11MM), and Brian Fuentes ($9MM) all had big money options that did not vest, though Darren Oliver ($3.25MM) and Trever Miller ($2MM) had some smaller ones that did. 

Here is a list of 2012 vesting options to keep an eye on this summer…

  • Bobby Abreu, Angels: $9MM option vests with 433 plate appearances. Abreu hasn't come to the plate fewer than 589 times in a season since 1997, his rookie year.
  • Adam Wainwright, Cardinals: His $9MM option for 2012 and $12MM option for 2013 will lock in as long as he does not finish 2011 on the disabled list. His second place finish in the 2010 Cy Young voting was step one of the vesting process.
  • Aramis Ramirez, Cubs: $16MM option vests if he is named MVP of either the regular season or League Championship Series, or if he is traded at some point in 2011.
  • Rafael Furcal, Dodgers: $12MM option vests with 600 plate appearances. Furcal has come to the plate 600+ times just once in the last three seasons (2009) due to injuries.
  • Jon Garland, Dodgers: $8MM option vests with 190 innings pitched. Garland hasn't thrown fewer than 191 1/3 innings since becoming a full-time starter in 2002.
  • Francisco Rodriguez, Mets: $17.5MM option vests with 55 games finished and if doctors declare him healthy at the end of the season.
  • Koji Uehara, Orioles: $4MM option vests with either 55 appearances or 25 games finished. Uehara hasn't reached either milestone in his first two big league seasons, though he came close in 2010: 43 appearances and 22 games finished.
  • Arthur Rhodes, Rangers: $4MM option vests with 62 appearances and if he's not on the disabled list at the end of the season.
  • Joakim Soria, Royals: $6MM option vests with 55 appearances, which he's done in three of his four big league seasons. The chances of it coming into play are microscopic, but Soria has a $6.5MM option for 2012 that could vest with 334 1/3 innings pitched (400 IP in 2010 & 2011). That was obviously put into his contract in case the team ever moved him into the rotation.
  • Dan Wheeler, Red Sox: $3MM option vests with 65 games; increases to $3.25MM with 70 games.  Wheeler reached 64 games in 2010, but had at least 69 in each of the previous five seasons.

Mark Buehrle is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2011 season and although he doesn't have a traditional option in his contract, he gets an extra year at $15MM tacked onto his current deal if he's traded at some point this season. 

Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.

New York Notes: Wilpon, Sabathia, Torrealba

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There seems to be no shortage of on- and off-field baseball news coming out of the Big Apple these days. Here's some of the latest out of New York …

  • High-ranking baseball people are concerned about whether the Wilpons will be able to keep the Mets in the wake of the ongoing Madoff fallout, writes Jon Heyman of SI.com. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, a "friend and ally" of Wilpon's, according to Heyman, will give Wilpon a long leash in sorting through the mess, but some are doubting whether the Wilpons can withstand a loss worth half or even a quarter of the $1 billion that Madoff trustee Irving Picard is seeking.
  • The Yankees may actually benefit if CC Sabathia opts out of his contract after 2011, writes Joe Sheehan of SI.com. Typically, opt-out clauses are considered player-friendly, but because of Sabathia's injury risk due to his body type and age between 2012-15, the Yanks might do well to let Sabathia walk and spend the money elsewhere, according to Sheehan, especially with some promising pitching prospects on the way up. One interesting hypothetical posed by Sheehan: Let Sabathia walk, move Mark Teixeira to full-time DH duties and sign potential free agent Albert Pujols.
  • The Mets won their grievance case with catcher Yorvit Torrealba, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. An arbitrator ruled that the Mets were within their rights to call off a three-year, $14.4MM agreement they had reached with Torrealba following the 2007 season upon conducting a physical which caused them "concerns" about the condition of Torrealba's throwing shoulder.

Mets Notes: Wilpon, Castillo, Perez

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Mets owner Fred Wilpon told reporters in Florida that he and his family will be "vindicated" in the $1 billion lawsuit against them, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Here's the latest on the Mets, both on and off the field:

  • Jeff Wilpon said yesterday that interest in buying a minority share in the Mets is high, according to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. 
  • When asked about selling the team outright, Fred repeated what Jeff said yesterday: "selling this team is not even being discussed." (Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reporting on Twitter). 
  • Word is that Oliver Perez will get more time to prove himself this spring than Luis Castillo, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Both players are in danger of being released if they don't perform.

Mets Rumors: Reyes, Wilpon, Hampson

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Here's the latest from Flushing…

  • SI.com's Jon Heyman hears that Bud Selig will give the Wilpons time to work through their Madoff-related issues, but there is real concern that they will not be able to keep the team in the end (Twitter links).
  • Jose Reyes told ESPN New York's Adam Rubin that he prefers to wait until after the season to talk about a contract extension. "You know, this is my first time I'm going to be a free agent," said Reyes. "So I don't know what's going to happen, to be honest with you."
  • Reyes later joked with MLB.com's Anthony DiComo about having a hard deadline for contract talks, saying "I'm not Albert Pujols, man." (Twitter link) Yesterday we heard that the two sides were unlikely to talk about a contract before Opening Day.
  • Team owner Jeff Wilpon reiterated today that they are not going to sell controlling interest in the team, reports Andy Martino of The New York Daily News. "It's not on the table," said Wilpon.
  • Rays owner Stuart Sternberg is not interested in buying the Mets, tweets Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. Sternberg has New York roots and has been speculated as a potential buyer.
  • Baseball America's Matt Eddy reports that the Mets have signed lefty reliever Justin Hampson (on Twitter). The 29-year-old last appeared in the big league with the Padres in 2008. He spent last season with the independent Long Island Ducks.

Michael Young Rumors: Tuesday

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We heard yesterday that the Rangers are talking to at least two teams about Michael Young and could still deal him. The Rockies aren't one of the two clubs, but their expansion cousins are interested. The Marlins inquired on Young, though they would likely need Texas to take on most of his contract. Here's the latest on Young with the most recent updates up top:

  • Ozzie Guillen once called Young his favorite non-White Sox player in baseball, but the Chicago manager doesn't think his team will make a move to acquire the infielder, reports MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  Guillen is happy with his current third base options and doesn't believe the Sox have enough payroll space to afford Young.
  • A D'Backs source tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that the Snakes and Rangers did discuss a Young trade at one point, but "we haven’t spoken to them for a while.”
  • The Diamondbacks are interested in Young, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The D'Backs believe Young is a potential upgrade over third baseman Melvin Mora, but talks haven't developed much yet and they may not pick up. Arizona would need Texas to pick up a considerable chunk of Young's $48MM contract to make a deal work, but the Rangers are saying they don't want to include much money in a trade. Like the Marlins, the D'Backs would need Young's approval for any deal to go through.
  • The Marlins appear to view Young as a $6-7MM player, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). They could want more than $30MM in salary relief in possible trades with Texas.
  • The Mets never called the Rangers about Young, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The front office is concerned about the $48MM remaining on Young’s contract and his ability to play second base. The Mets, who are not on Young’s list of accepted destinations, want to evaluate their in-house second base candidates and having Young around would prevent them from doing so.

Mets Sign Jason Isringhausen

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The Mets have signed right-hander Jason Isringhausen to a minor league contract that includes an invite to their Major League Spring Training camp, reports Newsday's David Lennon. (Twitter link)

Isringhausen, 38, last pitched in the majors in 2009 with the Rays before undergoing Tommy John surgery.  He signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati last summer and threw just 5 2/3 innings for the Reds' Triple-A affiliate.  Isringhausen threw a bullpen session for the Reds last month and another for the Mets today, so obviously the Mets brass liked what they saw from the 14-year veteran.

Isringhausen was originally drafted by the Mets in the 44th round of the 1991 draft, and he pitched for the club from 1995-99 before being traded to Oakland in July 1999.  It was after leaving the Mets that "Izzy" blossomed into a top closer, accumulating 272 saves and a 2.81 ERA between 2000 and 2008 with the A's and Cardinals.

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