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New York Notes: Pitching, Manuel, Montero

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Whenever the trade deadline approaches, you can count on the two Big Apple teams to be right in the midst of any hot stove talks.  Here are a few news items concerning the Mets and Yankees…

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com sums up the Yankee trade deadline philosophy when he says (via Twitter) to "not rule out [the] Yankees on anything."  He notes that the Bronx Bombers have inquired about Dan Haren, Roy Oswalt and Jake Westbrook, but the club isn't interested in Ted Lilly.
  • Omar Minaya gave Jerry Manuel a (dreaded?) vote of confidence today, reports Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.  "There’s no discussion at all [of changing managers]," Minaya said.  "Jerry Manuel is our manager, will be our manager. I’m very happy with the job that he’s doing.” 
  • Benjamin Kabak of the River Ave Blues blog looks at Jesus Montero's recent hot streak and why the Yankees shouldn't rush him to the majors as a solution to their DH problem.
  • The Mets' over-slot deal with 24th-round amateur draft pick Erik Goeddel is not yet official, tweets Jim Callis of Baseball America.  Callis was told that Goeddel's contract would be finalized by July 20, but it has been put off for "a few more days" due to a request from Major League Baseball.
  • Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports (via Twitter) that the Yankees have one of their best pro scouts in Seattle for tonight's Red Sox/Mariners game.
  • Dave Cameron of Fangraphs counts down the top five players with the most "negative trade value" in baseball, and a certain Yankee star tops the list.

Stark On Lilly, Indians, Astros, Dodgers

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The starting pitching market may be ‘mediocre’ if you ask officials around the major leagues, as ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark did, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of rumors out there with just over a week before the deadline. Here they are:

  • Six teams or more are interested in Ted Lilly, who will almost certainly get traded. The Tigers, Mets and Dodgers have interest, but the Yankees probably won’t be involved. The Cubs are not willing to pick up any of Lilly’s salary and probably won’t have to.
  • The A’s, on the other hand, will pick up much of the $4MM or so remaining on Ben Sheets’ salary and are ready to deal him.
  • The Indians are willing to deal one of Jake Westbrook or Fausto Carmona for a “compelling” package, but not both.
  • They’re also growing more and more confident that they’ll be able to trade Kerry Wood. If they don't strike a deal before the deadline, they could do so after Wood clears waivers in August.
  • The Yankees are kicking tires on many starters, including Westbrook and Dan Haren.
  • The Astros would have to be “overwhelmed” to move Brett Myers (as FOX Sports reported) or Wandy Rodriguez. Myers has a mutual option, so there’s no guarantee he returns in 2011. I find it hard to believe that the Astros wouldn’t deal him for a good-but-not-great group.
  • The Marlins appear to have decided to focus on extending Dan Uggla, instead of trading him.
  • The Dodgers have told rival teams that they have $2-3MM to play with.

Mets Sign Chad Cordero

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The Mets completed their deal with free agent reliever Chad Cordero, who will likely pitch in Triple A Buffalo.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement and Andy Martino of the New York Daily News noted that the deal had become official (via Twitter).

Cordero had labrum surgery two years ago and battled his way back to the Majors with the Mariners in June.  Optioned back to Triple A on July 15th, Cordero elected free agency.  It appears that Cordero will be arbitration-eligible after the season, as he'll still be short of six years service time. 

Rosenthal points out that Mets GM Omar Minaya originally drafted Cordero 20th overall as Expos GM in 2003.  Cordero went on to save 128 games for the Expos/Nationals before his injury.

Cordero, 28, struggled in his short big league stint but posted a 4.12 ERA, 10.1 K/9, and 1.8 BB/9 in 19.6 Triple A innings this year.  The Mets scouted Kevin Gregg and Scott Downs over the weekend, but Cordero is a more affordable option.

Mets Trying To Trade Jeff Francoeur

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The Mets are trying to trade Jeff Francoeur, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. The right fielder is playing less now that Carlos Beltran is healthy, and a friend told Puma that Francoeur would welcome a trade if he were given the chance to play every day. 

Francoeur has hit .277/.315/.437 with 18 homers since the Mets acquired him for Ryan Church about a year ago. Much of Francoeur's production came in 2009, however; this year his OPS sits at .673. 

Any team looking to add Francoeur will have to consider his $5MM salary (he'll earn about $2MM between now and the end of the season). If Francoeur finishes the season well, his team can retain him for 2011 through arbitration, but he is a non-tender candidate at this point.

Odds & Ends: Haren, Cordero, Phillies, Rangers

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Links for Wednesday, as Pedro Alvarez keeps clubbing homers…

Heyman On Werth, Fielder, Uggla, Mets

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The Phillies have asked the Rays about B.J. Upton and Wade Davis, but someone familiar with the trade talks tells Jon Heyman of SI.com that the Phils may attempt to obtain prospects from Tampa Bay and flip them to Houston to acquire Roy Oswalt. Here’s the latest on the Phillies, plus the rest of Heyman’s rumors:

  • The Phillies offered Jayson Werth a long-term deal, but he didn’t accept it right away.
  • The Blue Jays are looking for middle-infield help, according to Heyman. That’s surprising, since they can retain Aaron Hill through 2014 and Yunel Escobar through 2013. Perhaps the club seeks a versatile depth option.
  • Prince Fielder is not likely to be traded, according to Heyman.
  • One GM tells Heyman that Dan Uggla does not yet appear to be available.
  • The Mets seem to prefer Brett Myers to Ted Lilly. Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported earlier today that the Mets maintain interest in Lilly and have cooled on Myers. The reports are not necessarily contradictory, but let’s just say the Mets have some interest in both pitchers.

Mets Considering Dotel, Downs

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The Mets have discussed relievers Octavio Dotel and Scott Downs, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  John Harper of the New York Daily News reported yesterday that the Mets scouted Downs and Kevin Gregg over the weekend.  The Mets agreed to terms with free agent reliever Chad Cordero earlier today.

The FOX writers say the Mets are now more focused on relievers than starters.  While they maintain interest in Ted Lilly, they've cooled on Jake Westbrook, Ben Sheets, and Brett Myers.  Speaking of Myers, ESPN's Adam Rubin learned that the Mets and Astros have had very little conversation.

Dotel came up through the Mets' system more than a decade ago and was traded in December of '99 to the Astros with Kyle Kessel and Roger Cedeno for Derek Bell and Mike Hampton.  That deal was engineered by Steve Phillips and Gerry Hunsicker back when Dotel was a starter.  If Hunsicker had been able to give the Yankees a window to negotiate with Hampton before his walk year, imagine how New York baseball history would've been altered. 

This year as the Pirates' closer Dotel sports a 4.62 ERA, 10.9 K/9, and 4.1 BB/9 in 37 innings, with five home runs allowed and 20 saves in 25 attempts.  He has a 2.60 ERA since May 4th.  Still, as ESPN's Jerry Crasnick implies, Dotel's stats suggest he should be a righty specialist.  By the way, Dotel's 2011 club option becomes mutual if he's traded. 

Morosi noted on Twitter last night that the Pirates are also getting calls on Joel Hanrahan, "but the price remains very high."  Armed with a 95.6 mph fastball, Hanrahan has 56 strikeouts in 40.6 innings.  His 12.39 K/9 ranks behind only Carlos Marmol, Billy Wagner, and Brian Wilson in the National League.

The Jake Westbrook Market

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After undergoing Tommy John surgery in June of 2008, Indians righty Jake Westbrook is finally healthy again.  It'd be reasonable for the last-place Tribe to move the veteran, so let's take a closer look.

Contract

Westbrook signed a three-year, $33MM extension in April of 2007, and he has $4.54MM in base salary remaining.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Westbrook also gets a $2MM lump sum and a pro-rated $1MM salary increase if traded.  If dealt today, Westbrook would be owed about $6.95MM.  This is clearly a major impediment to a deal.  As far as draft pick compensation, forget about it – Westbrook is nowhere close to Type B status.

Performance

Westbrook, 33 in September, has a 4.67 ERA, 5.3 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 in 113.6 innings this year.  His 52.2% groundball rate ranks sixth in the American League among those with 80 innings, according to FanGraphs.  Interestingly, Westbrook's teammates Justin Masterson and Fausto Carmona are among the five hurlers ranked ahead of him.  The Indians rank 25th in baseball in defensive efficiency according to Baseball Prospectus, so any potential trade partner will probably be good for Westbrook. 

Asking Price/Availability

The Indians "would trade Westbrook in a minute for a mid-level prospect if the Mets would pick up most of what's left on his contract this season," wrote John Harper of the New York Daily News.  Indians writers have presented a different view.  On July 4th, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote that the Indians "are sending out messages that they don't simply intend to dump Westbrook's salary," and will have to be compelled to move him.  In June, Pluto's colleague Paul Hoynes wrote that Westbrook is "one of the least likely to be moved" on the team.  Hoynes said the Indians have a good relationship with Westbrook and may try to re-sign him after the season.  The fact that Westbrook had significant trade incentives built into his contract shows his inclination to stay put. 

Interested Teams

  • Mets: Harper says Mets officials are divided on whether to acquire Westbrook.  Indeed, reports over the last month have conflicted over the team's level of interest.
  • Dodgers: They've inquired, reports Yahoo's Tim Brown.  You may recall the Casey Blake trade of two years ago, where the Indians paid the freight and were able to acquire Carlos Santana as a result.
  • Padres: They've discussed him, reports Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse.  The Padres are known to be prioritizing starting pitching.
  • Yankees: The idea of a reunion has been broached by beat writers in a more speculative sense.  However, GM Brian Cashman told Peter Botte of the New York Daily News yesterday that "Cliff Lee was a special case" and Sergio Mitre would be in most teams' rotations.
  • We haven't seen the Tigers, Twins, Angels, Phillies, Cardinals, or Rockies linked to Westbrook, but those contenders may be looking for pitching.

Teams Scouting John Buck?

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A slew of scouts attended last night's Blue Jays-Royals game in Kansas City, reports Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.  The Tigers, Red Sox, Yankees, Twins, and Phillies were represented.  The Reds and Mets scouted the Jays over the weekend. Clearly some of this scouting extends beyond normal coverage.  Toronto's roster is littered with trade candidates: Scott Downs, Kevin Gregg, Jason Frasor, Jose Bautista, and Lyle Overbay.  But several of the aforementioned teams need catching and may have been on hand to observe All-Star catcher John Buck.

Buck had a pair of doubles in the contest, bringing his line to .278/.309/.504 through 265 plate appearances.  He's flashed power before, but in this season he's slugged at least .462 in every month.  Buck recently turned 30 and will be a free agent after the season.  He just sneaks in as a Type B right now.  It's not difficult to imagine Buck receiving and turning down an arbitration offer, so his status boosts his trade value.  Asher Wojciechowski (Blue Jays) and Drew Vettleson (Rays) were compensation picks at #41 and #42 overall this year, so GM Alex Anthopoulos will presumably aim for a player or package he likes more than that level of draft pick.

Elliott feels that the Tigers, Red Sox, and Reds are teams that might have interest in Buck.

Odds & Ends: Guthrie, Ross, Ranaudo

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A year ago today, the Brewers acquired Felipe Lopez from the Diamondbacks for prospects Roque Mercedes and Cole Gillespie.  Lopez raked after the trade, but was not offered arbitration by the Brewers.  Gillespie and Mercedes ranked among Arizona's top 30 prospects heading into the season according to Baseball America, with the former now playing for the big league club.  On to today's links…

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