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Mets Sign Capuano And Buchholz, DFA Igarashi

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7:56pm: More from Rubin (via Twitter) as a Mets official says that these additions do not take the Mets out of the running for other free agent starters such as Chris Young and Jeff Francis.  Rubin also tweets that Igarashi, due to his salary, is expected to clear waivers and hook on with the Mets in major league camp as a non-roster invitee.

7:41pm: Capuano's deal has a base of $1.5MM plus incentives while Buchholz will earn a $600K base salary, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter links).  The Brewers all but closed the door on bringing back Capuano when they dealt for Zack Greinke and signed Shaun Marcum as Capuano wants to start.  Meanwhile, Buchholz says that the Mets will use him as a reliever.

6:08pm: The Mets have signed pitchers Chris Capuano and Taylor Buchholz to one-year deals, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post.  In order to make room for the two, the Mets have designated Ryota Igarashi for assignment, Puma tweets.

Capuano, 32, turned in a 3.95 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 66 innings of work last season for the Brewers.  The left-hander missed the 2008 and '09 major league seasons after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery in May of 2008.  In 2010 he made nine starts with 15 relief appearances. Capuano was never a flamethrower but his 87.4 mph fastball last season was consistent with his career average.

Buchholz, a 29-year-old right-hander, was originally selected in the sixth-round of the 2006 draft by the Phillies.  Since then, he has spent time with the Astros, Rockies, and had a cup of coffee with the Blue Jays to close out 2010.  In 285 career big league innings, Buchholz has a 4.39 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.  He started a combined 27 games in 2008 and 2009 but has not made a major league start since.

Meanwhile, Igarashi is owed $1.1MM for 2011.  The Japanese right-hander signed a two-year deal with the club in December 2009 but disappointed in 2010, registering a 7.12 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 in 34 appearances.

Cafardo On Blanton, Beltre, Indians, LaRoche

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe names ten teams who might reap the benefits of bargain shopping as the winter winds down. The Rays, Mets, Yankees, and Angels top the list of clubs Cafardo thinks could make discounted moves in the coming weeks. Here are the rest of his hot stove notes:

  • While the Mets will be hunting for affordable starting pitching options, don't expect the Phillies to trade Joe Blanton within the division.
  • The Angels are making sure they don't bid against themselves on Adrian Beltre, and could eventually land the third baseman for a lesser price than Scott Boras is seeking.
  • The Indians could make some more moves if they want to continue stockpiling prospects. Other teams would have interest in players like Chris Perez, Rafael Perez, Joe Smith, and Fausto Carmona, while Cleveland would "love to trade" Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner.
  • The Nationals "know it’s tough to get players to buy into the future of the team," writes Cafardo. As such, they may eventually commit to Adam LaRoche for the three years he's looking for.
  • Jim Masteralexis, Manny Delcarmen's agent, says several teams are interested in his client, and Cafardo warns not to bet against the Rays.
  • Carl Pavano may make a decision this week, and it appears that while he'd prefer to return to Minnesota, the Nationals will offer the better contract. Of course, we already saw one top free agent pitcher choose comfort over more guaranteed money, when Cliff Lee signed with the Phillies.

Several Teams Interested In Brian Fuentes

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SATURDAY: Having added Hideki Okajima, the Red Sox appear out of the running for Fuentes, tweets Heyman. However, the Rays, Yankees, and a handful of other teams are still showing interest.

THURSDAY: The Rays appear to be very interested in Fuentes and are pursuing him, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.

TUESDAY: SI's Jon Heyman pegs the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rays, Rockies, Mariners, Twins, Pirates, Phillies, Brewers, Yankees, and Mets as teams with some interest in free agent lefty reliever Brian Fuentes.

If Fuentes is still looking for Scott Downs money, as ESPN's Buster Olney suggested 12 days ago, many of those eleven teams will drop out.  I'm skeptical the Red Sox would sign Fuentes, as he'd be a luxury and they'd be hit with a 30% added tax.  The Blue Jays appear close with Octavio Dotel, the Rockies just added Matt Lindstrom, the Brewers signed Takashi Saito, the Yankees added Pedro Feliciano, the Twins have big commitments to Joe Nathan and Matt Capps, and the Phillies and Mets appear nearly tapped out on payroll.

The Blue Jays, Rays, Mariners, Twins, Pirates, Yankees, and Mets do seem destined to add relievers, though I can see a shift toward a buyer's market a few weeks from now.

Discussion: Lefty Relief Options For The Mets

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In December of 2010 (gosh, it seems like so long ago) the Mets lost two left-handed relievers to free agency when Hisanori Takahashi signed with the Angels and Pedro Feliciano hooked on with the Yankees.  Since then, as Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com notes, the Mets haven't signed any lefty bullpen help to offset those losses.  We've heard plenty about the club's plans to search through the bargain bin for a starting pitcher, but what southpaw relief options do the Mets have?

The Mets have been linked to Brian Fuentes who would certainly go a long way to help bolster their 'pen.  The tall left-hander turned in a 2.81 ERA last season with 8.8 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in his walk year.  However, unless the Mets plan on expanding their budget, they likely won't have room to sign Fuentes and the starter that they're after.

Veterans such as Joe Beimel, Will Ohman, and Ron Mahay could probably be had on the cheap.  We know that Dennys Reyes will come at a reasonable price after he almost inked a one-year, $1.1MM deal with the Phillies.  Rubin also floats the names of Tim Byrdak and Randy Flores as possibilities.  While none of these players would be a particularly flashy acquisition, all of the Mets' in-house options are surrounded with question marks.  Trying Oliver Perez in relief is one such option, but his recent play in the Mexican winter league has been less-than-impressive.  If you were in Sandy Alderson's position, what direction would you go in?

Mets Acquire Chin-lung Hu

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The Mets acquired infielder Chin-lung Hu from the Dodgers for left-hander Mike Antonini according to the Dodgers (on Twitter). 

Hu has appeared in 96 games over the course of four seasons with the Dodgers, but has not seen regular big league playing time since 2008. Before that season, Baseball America ranked the middle infielder 55th among big league prospects, but he has yet to produce much in the majors.

Hu, who turns 27 in February, posted a .317/.339/.438 line in 223 plate apperarances at Triple-A last year. It seems likely that he'll compete with the likes of Brad Emaus, Luis Hernandez and Ruben Tejada for a job this spring. 

Antonini, 25, started 25 games at the highest levels of the Mets organization last year, logging 168 1/3 innings and posting a 4.49 ERA. He limited walks (1.7 BB/9) and posted relatively strong strikeout numbers (7.0 K/9), as he has done throughout his four-year minor league career.

Unfinished Business: NL East

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The new year is typically when free agent bargains begin, for teams that set a few million bucks aside.  Let's examine the unfinished business for each of the NL East clubs today.

Jeff Francis Suitors

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The Mets, Nationals, Pirates, Rangers, and Yankees have varying degrees of interest in free agent lefty Jeff Francis, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  Crasnick named five interested clubs a month ago: the Pirates, Mariners, Brewers, Astros, and Rockies.  It appears that a few teams dropped out and others jumped in; this is the first we've seen of the Yankees' interest.  MLB.com's Thomas Harding learned from Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd today that the team will continue to monitor Francis.

Francis, 30 in January, posted a 5.00 ERA, 5.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9, and 47% groundball rate in 104 1/3 innings this year for the Rockies.  His peripheral stats suggest Francis' work was more deserving of an ERA around 4.00.  The southpaw missed all of last season after having shoulder surgery in February of '09, and had some lingering issues this year.  The Rockies declined his $7MM club option in November.  He figures to sign a one-year, incentive-laden deal.

Odds & Ends: Garcia, Yankees, Red Sox, Konerko

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Links for Tuesday evening, exactly one year after the Mets signed R.A. Dickey to one of the most successful minor league deals of the 2009-10 offseason. One year later, the Amazins are still looking for arms…

  • The Mets aren't engaging Freddy Garcia in serious discussions, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (Twitter links). We heard earlier today that the Mets are waiting for starters' asking prices to drop, but pitching is the team's priority.
  • Across town, Leonel Vinas signed a minor league deal with the Yankees, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. The 19-year-old right-hander played on a local team sponsored by Hank Steinbrenner called "Hank's Yanks." 
  • The Bronx Bombers also make their share of major deals and, as Ronald Blum of the AP notes (via the Miami Herald) the Yankees were hit with an $18MM luxury tax for their 2010 spending. The Red Sox were the only other team hit with a tax; they owe $1.5MM.
  • As Alex Speier of WEEI.com points out, "the cost of player acquisition for the [Red] Sox is more than meets the eye," because the team pays them salary and pays a luxury tax premium.
  • Boston signed Bobby Jenks, but Red Sox GM Theo Epstein says Jonathan Papelbon is still the team's closer, according to  Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter).
  • White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that the team was prepared to pursue other first basemen "aggressively" midway through their negotiations with Paul Konerko. However, the White Sox made one final push for their captain and brought him back on a three-year deal.
  • The Brewers have taken lots of criticism for their failure to put together better pitching in recent years, but Dave Cameron of FanGraphs likes what GM Doug Melvin is doing. Because the free agent market has been player-friendly, Cameron would also "abandon the free-agent market, keep [his] potential free agents, and trade prospects for guys headed towards free agency" were he a GM.

Mets Waiting For Pitching Prices To Drop

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The Mets are waiting for the asking prices of low-risk, high-reward starting pitchers to drop, reports Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.  They've got about $4MM to work with, though the Mets say that number is flexible.

Martino expects the Mets to choose between Freddy Garcia, Chris Young, Jeff Francis, "and any other established or semi-established starter."  There are plenty of other similar free agents, including Jeremy Bonderman, Doug Davis, Justin Duchscherer, Rodrigo Lopez, Kevin Millwood, and Brad Penny.  However, Mike Puma of the New York Post wrote on Friday that Young "appears to be the only free agent starting pitcher the Mets are seriously considering."  Puma wrote of a "growing sense" the Mets will turn to a trade, with Tom Gorzelanny and Matt Garza on the radar.  John Maine is unlikely to return, according to new Mets GM Sandy Alderson at the Winter Meetings.

Martino says that while the Mets are not seriously pursuing Brandon Webb, they may be forced to wait for him to sign and set the market for pitchers with injury concerns.  Last offseason Ben Sheets signed on January 26th, after guys like Rich Harden, Brett Myers, and Penny.  So the Mets don't necessarily have to assume Webb and Young are tied to one another.  Regardless, Webb is expected to sign soon. 

It's been a quiet first offseason for Alderson, who has committed $3.8MM to Ronny Paulino and D.J. Carrasco and otherwise stuck to minor league deals and a couple of Rule 5 selections.

Yankees, Mets, Others Considering Freddy Garcia

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The Yankees, Mets, and others have asked for medicals on free agent starter Freddy Garcia, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News was first to report the Yankees' request.  The White Sox have also checked in, tweets Feinsand's colleague Andy Martino.  Heyman opines that Garcia is the best free agent starter left after Carl Pavano.

Garcia, 35, posted a 4.64 ERA, 5.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 1.3 HR/9, and 40.7% groundball rate for the White Sox in 157 innings this year.  It was his highest innings total since 2006, though he did miss time with back pain.  He's not close to signing and is believed to be seeking less than Jon Garland's $5MM guarantee, tweets Martino.

As for Heyman's contention?  Garcia's competition includes injury bounceback candidates like Brandon Webb, Jeff Francis, Chris Young, and Brad Penny, as well as innings guys like Kevin Millwood, Rodrigo Lopez, and Dave Bush.

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