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Odds & Ends: Mets, Giants, Gregg, Pujols, Webb

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Links for tonight as we remember Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson, who passed away today at the age of 76.  MLB.com's Marty Noble penned a great article today looking back at the life and career of the universally beloved skipper.

Royals Claim Joaquin Arias

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The Royals claimed Joaquin Arias off of waivers from the Mets. New York acquired Arias from the Rangers in the Jeff Francoeur trade after the Rangers designated the infielder for assignment in August.

The Rangers acquired Arias in the 2004 Alfonso Soriano–Alex Rodriguez trade. He did have a solid 2008 campaign as a reserve for the Rangers, but this year he hit just .258/.280/.320 between the Rangers and Mets. The 26-year-old is not yet arbitration eligible.

The Mets’ Decision To Hire J.P. Ricciardi

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The Mets know J.P. Ricciardi signed Vernon Wells, B.J. Ryan and Frank Thomas to questionable deals, but they still wanted to hire him. So did the Red Sox for that matter. But their interest in Ricciardi probably had little to do with those multi-million dollar contracts. Theo Epstein likely wanted the former Blue Jays GM around because of his shrewd under-the-radar pickups and consistently productive drafts. It was a major reason why Mets GM Sandy Alderson hired Ricciardi.

“I know first hand he’s a superb talent evaluator," Alderson said when the Mets announced the hiring earlier this week. "He’ll be a tremendous resource in a variety of areas.”

Ricciardi, Toronto’s GM from 2001-09, added expensive free agents who didn’t perform as expected so, like former Mets GM Omar Minaya, he got fired. It would be unwise to try to analyze Ricciardi’s tenure in Toronto in a few hundred words, but certain deals will give us insight into what the executive brings to the Mets and why Sandy Alderson wanted to reunite with his former Oakland colleague.

Every one of Ricciardi’s drafts from 2002-07 produced at least one major league regular. Dave Bush (2002), Shaun Marcum (2003), Aaron Hill (2003), Casey Janssen (2004), Adam Lind (2004), Ricky Romero (2005), Travis Snider (2006), Brett Cecil (2007) and J.P. Arencibia (2007) are all Ricciardi draftees. It’s still early to be evaluating the 2008-09 draft classes, but Tyler Pastornicky (2008, no longer with Toronto), Eric Thames (2008), Jacob Marisnick (2009) and Chad Jenkins (2009) are promising. 

Jose Bautista deserves credit for turning his career around, but Ricciardi was the one who traded for him. Ricciardi also bought low on Marco Scutaro, Rod Barajas, Scott Downs, Scott Richmond, Josh Towers and others. They aren’t all MVP candidates like Bautista, but none of those players cost the Jays much and they all contributed. 

Ricciardi overspent on free agents and, at times, on his own players. He signed Frank Thomas and A.J. Burnett to contracts that didn’t work out particularly well. The Blue Jays owe Vernon Wells $86MM through 2014 because of a deal they offered under Ricciardi. And the Blue Jays spent $10MM on B.J. Ryan this year because Ricciardi overpaid for his services after the 2005 season.

But Alderson didn’t hire Ricciardi to overpay for closers or center fielders (the Amazins already have that covered). With decades of experience in big league front offices, Ricciardi has developed an eye for talent that should help the Mets.

Mets Notes: Reyes, Managers, Valentine, Ricciardi

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The big, if expected, news out of Citi Field today is the Mets exercising their 2011 option on Jose Reyes.  Let's look at some reaction to the move and a few more items concerning the Mets…

  • Though Sandy Alderson is open to the idea of holding onto Reyes and David Wright over the long term, he also "would prefer not to give out many 'second-generation' long-term contracts for six-year free agents," reports MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.  For the record, Wright's contract runs through 2012 and is worth $29MM, plus the Mets have a $16MM club option on the third baseman for 2013.
  • Andy Martino of the New York Daily News gets some thoughts on Reyes from an anonymous scout, executive and rival player.
  • Dave Jauss and Bob Melvin will interview for the manager's job on Thursday, reports Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.  Rubin adds that Wally Backman and Chip Hale are also expected to be interviewed in the near future.  (both Twitter links)
  • Bobby Valentine's chances of managing the Mets are "next to nil," says Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman.  With just the Mets and Pirates (who apparently have their finalists chosen) in the market for a new manager, it appears that Valentine's return to a major league dugout will have to wait until at least partway through the 2011 season.
  • Before becoming a special assistant to Alderson, J.P. Ricciardi was a Red Sox employee for a day, reports WEEI.com's Kirk Minihane.

Mets Exercise Jose Reyes’ 2011 Option

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The Mets exercised Jose Reyes' 2011 option and will pay the shortstop $11MM in salary instead of a $500K buyout. The 27-year-old has said he'd like to sign in New York long-term, and GM Sandy Alderson told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that he's open to working out an extension.

“A long-term deal is not out of the question,” Alderson said. “It is something we can certainly discuss at a future date.”

Reyes hit .282/.321/.428 with 30 steals and 50 extra base hits in 2010. 

Heyman On Werth, Jeter, Mets

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Conventional wisdom says Jayson Werth won’t be playing for the Phillies in 2011, but someone familiar with the team’s thinking tells Jon Heyman of SI.com that he expects the Phillies to try hard to re-sign the outfielder. Here’s the latest on Werth, plus other updates from around the league:

  • Heyman hears that the Phillies suggested a Jason Bay-like contract to Werth this summer (four years, $66MM) and he rejected the idea.
  • Some baseball people say they would not be surprised to see Derek Jeter seek a six-year deal this offseason. Heyman hears hints that the Yankees are thinking about offering a three-year contract. Hal Steinbrenner said yesterday that negotiations could get messy with Jeter.
  • The Mets will have one of baseball’s most expensive front offices. Omar Minaya earns over $2MM, Sandy Alderson makes an estimated $2-3MM and J.P. Ricciardi won’t be cheap either.

Puerto Rican Links: Beltran, Delgado, Listach

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'Tis the season for Puerto Rican players to head back to the island for winter ball and home cooking. Links are in Spanish…

  • At the opening of a baseball academy yesterday, Carlos Beltran told Fernando Ribas Reyes of El Nuevo Dia that the Mets have invited the center fielder to meet with new GM Sandy Alderson. Beltran was non-committal about his approach, saying, "It doesn't matter what I think. The organization is going to do what they think is best for them. The way I can control it is to have a good year. If I do, I know there will be teams interested in me. For my part, I'd like to play in New York a few years more."
  • In a separate piece, Carlos Delgado told Reyes he hasn't been approached by any major league teams so far this offseason. Delgado insisted he has no preferences about where he plays, and admited that he has had a few doubts about his ability to return to the majors.
  • Pat Listach, former Nationals third base coach and recent candidate for the Brewers managerial opening, told Junior Lugo Marrero at Periodico La Perla that making the jump from base coach to manager remains one of his goals. At the moment, Listach is managing the Ponce Lions in Puerto Rico, and he described his style as that of "an aggressive manager who likes the hit and run and moving players around the bases." In the shorter term, Listach will be joining the Cubs as bench coach, reported Rhett Bollinger at MLB.com two days ago.

Mets Hire J.P. Ricciardi

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The Mets hired J.P. Ricciardi as a special assistant to new GM Sandy Alderson, according to a team press release. The former Blue Jays GM (2001-09) had been working as an analyst for ESPN. 

Alderson, who worked with Ricciardi for more than a decade in Oakland, says the 51-year-old is “a superb talent evaluator” who will assist in all aspects of baseball operations.

Odds & Ends: Mets, Blue Jays, Wood, Jenks

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Congratulations to the 2010 World Champion San Francisco Giants! Here are your links as the celebration begins…

Odds & Ends: K-Rod, Gibbons, Ricciardi, Uehara

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Links for Halloween Sunday, as we prepare to take in our last October baseball game of 2010….

  • SI.com's Jon Heyman says (via Twitter) the early feeling is that Francisco Rodriguez will be back with the Mets this year. There has been speculation that they would try to trade the closer following his late-season arrest, but that would have proven difficult with his contract. 
  • John Gibbons has informed the Mets that he's not a candidate for their managerial opening, tweets Bob Klapisch of The Bergen Record. The former Blue Jays' manager is happy with his role as Kansas City's bench coach.
  • The Mets are still trying to lure J.P. Ricciardi to their new front office, reports ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin.
  • Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com notes that it doesn't appear as if the Orioles have made much of an attempt to keep Koji Uehara. Uehara finished 2010 as the team's closer, but he is scheduled to be a free agent in the not-too-distant future.
  • Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun recaps the Orioles' coaching situation, and tells us that if Don Wakamatsu doesn't land a managerial job, he'll likely be Buck Showalter's bench coach. Showalter would like the coaching staff to be finalized by mid-week.
  • Dave Eiland, who was fired as the Yankees' pitching coach last week, told Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger that a reported falling out between he and Joe Girardi was "totally, absolutely false," and "ridiculous."
  • How potential free agents have been performing, and continue to perform, in the postseason will have an impact on the Giants' offseason decisions, Brian Sabean tells Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. Aubrey Huff, Juan Uribe, and Pat Burrell are a few Giants who are facing possible free agency.
  • Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer reminds Phillies fans that if Jayson Werth signs elsewhere, it wouldn't be the first time the club has lost a star outfielder to free agency. As Brookover notes, things turned out pretty well for the Phils in 2007, when Aaron Rowand signed with the Giants after having a career year in Philadelphia.
  • In a piece for the Detroit Free Press, Josh Huebner explains why signing Carl Crawford should be the Tigers' number one priority this winter.
  • Derek Jeter will likely still be playing shortstop in New York in 2011, but as Bill Madden of the New York Daily News writes, the Yankees view Eduardo Nunez as Jeter's eventual successor.
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