Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Mets Rumors

Rosenthal On Cliff Lee, MacDougal, Dunn, Valentine

By | at

Cliff Lee starts tonight at Yankee stadium, and it figures to be one of his last outings in a Mariners uniform.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports leads his column with an examination of the market for Lee, noting that "the acquisition cost should be lower than the last two times he was traded."  Rosenthal sees no obvious favorite for the lefty at this time, though Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times believes "the buzz about a possible deal with the crosstown Mets is growing louder and louder."  Rosenthal's other rumorage:

  • The Nationals have until Thursday to decide whether to promote Mike MacDougal.  Otherwise, he can elect free agency.  The hard-throwing righty has a 4.71 ERA, 5.6 K/9, and 4.7 BB/9 in 21 minor league innings.
  • Rosenthal confirms other reports that the White Sox and Angels like Nationals slugger Adam Dunn.  He notes that Dunn "does not want to become a DH."
  • One executive feels that Jose Guillen will continue to hit well with the contract year carrot dangling.  Yesterday we learned from ESPN's Buster Olney that the Royals are pushing hard to move Guillen and will eat much of the $6.3MM remaining on his contract.  As for David DeJesus, an exec told Rosenthal the Royals "want to hit a home run" in any trade.
  • The Giants seek stability in their left-handed relief crew (currently Jeremy Affeldt and Dan Runzler), but the need could be addressed internally.
  • The Cardinals "likely will wait until at least the All-Star break to fully assess their needs."  The starting pitching situation will depend on the recoveries of Brad Penny and Kyle Lohse.
  • At another link, Rosenthal updates the Bobby Valentine-Marlins situation.

Odds & Ends: A-Rod, Beltre, Athletics, Rockies

By | at

Links for Tuesday, as Tigers reliever Casey Fien returns to the Majors after spending the offseason in waiver wire hell…

Could Mets Acquire Cliff Lee Without Mejia?

By | at

Will Jenrry Mejia's posterior cuff strain prevent the Mets from trading for Mariners ace Cliff Lee?  GM Omar Minaya obviously could not talk specifically about Lee when asked by Kevin Kernan of the New York Post "if the Mejia setback is a setback to trade possibilities."  But Minaya kept a brave face and replied, "I don’t think so because I think we have other very good possibilities."  At least one of Minaya's current players does think the team lost its chance to acquire Lee with Mejia's injury, according to Kernan.

Maybe there is a chance, given Ken Rosenthal's June 19th report for FOX Sports suggesting the Mariners want young hitters in return for Lee.  At that time Rosenthal didn't think the Mets would be willing to give up Ike Davis to rent Lee.  John Hickey of AOL FanHouse wrote yesterday about a consensus among Mariners insiders that the team should add talent around the Double A level in a Lee deal.  More specifically, outfielders and lefthanded starters would be a good fit.

In my opinion, the Mets probably couldn't swing a Lee trade with Fernando Martinez as the centerpiece. He's hitting .248/.299/.397 at Triple A currently.  Starter Brad Holt is struggling at Double A, though second baseman Reese Havens was raking before hitting the DL with an oblique injury.  We heard from Rosenthal on June 7th that the Mets are high on infielder Ruben Tejada, enough that they would be reluctant to include him in a Roy Oswalt trade.  In a June 23rd article, Mark Hale of the New York Post found the Mets unlikely to include Mejia, Davis, or Jonathon Niese in a Lee offer.  He opined that the Mets would have to build the deal around names like Tejada, Martinez, Wilmer Flores, Jeurys Familia, and Josh Thole.  From where I'm sitting, the Mets don't seem like the team that will ultimately make the best offer for Lee. 

Mets’ Targets Include Cliff Lee, Ted Lilly

By | at

The Mets will be in on Seattle ace Cliff Lee – that appears certain.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Omar Minaya has notified Jack Zduriencik of his interest, and the Mets are scouting Lee's starts.

Contrary to a Kevin Burkhardt report last night, Sherman says the Mets "would not need a negotiating window to sign Lee long-term even if it includes top prospect Jenrry Mejia in a package."  However, between the injuries to potential trade chips Mejia and Angel Pagan and the ownership approval needed to pull the trigger, Minaya faces hurdles in acquiring Lee.

Sherman writes "the Mets have little interest" in Roy Oswalt and Fausto Carmona.  Instead, Cubs southpaw Ted Lilly might head up their list of Lee alternatives.  Lilly has been excellent since signing a four-year, $40MM deal with the Cubs in December of '06.  The contract has about $6.4MM remaining.  Though Lilly profiles as a Type A free agent after the season, an arbitration offer is in question.  I doubt Lilly's limited no-trade provision will be an obstacle, as he's probably eager to return to the playoffs.  The Cubs have about a month to decide whether to cash in their chips, and Lilly is their best one. 

Mets Won’t Deal Mejia Without Negotiating Window

By | at

The Mets aren't ready to deal Jenrry Mejia in a package for Cliff Lee unless Lee gives them a negotiating window, according to Kevin Burkhardt of SNY (via Twitter).  Recently, it was reported that the Mets would be unlikely to deal Mejia, Jonathon Niese, or Ike Davis for the 2008 Cy Young winner.

Burkhardt adds (also via Twitter) that the Mets could change their minds on the matter.  However, if Seattle is willing to deal Lee sooner rather than later, there may not be much time to have a change of heart.  The Twins and Dodgers are also said to be in the mix for Lee and could beat GM Omar Minaya to the punch.  Many feel that Minnesota is the front-runner in the Lee sweepstakes.

Mets Acquire Jorge Padilla for Clint Everts

By | at

JUNE 26: Rubin tweets that the Blue Jays will receive minor league reliever (and, like Padilla, former National) Clint Everts to complete the trade.

Everts, the fifth overall pick in the draft back in 2002, has appeared in 26 games for Double-A Binghamton this season and notched an unsightly 6.94 ERA through 35 innings. As usual, strikeouts aren't a problem for the right-hander (9.5 K/9 this season, 9.0 for his career), but he's walking 5.4 hitters and allowing 11.8 hits per nine innings.

Everts, the former pride of the then-Expos farm system, has struggled since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2004.

JUNE 19: The Mets have acquired outfielder Jorge Padilla from the Blue Jays, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). There's no word on what Toronto will receive on the deal at this time.

Padilla, 30, has a slash line of .330/.405/.459 with four homers for Toronto's Triple A affiliate this season. He came to the plate 26 times with the Nationals last year, picking up just three singles and walk. The Mets have assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, so he'll presumably serve as extra depth.

Mariners Willing To Trade Cliff Lee Immediately?

By | at

Mariners' GM Jack Zduriencik has maintained that he is not yet willing to throw in the towel and trade ace lefty Cliff Lee, but Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com heard from two executives that Seattle is willing to deal him "immediately for the right offer." One of those executives predicted that he could be moved in the next seven to ten days, similar to the timetable the Indians used when dealing CC Sabathia two years ago.

By moving Lee now as opposed to waiting until the deadline, the Mariners could maximize their return since the acquiring team will be getting an extra month of the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner. They'll also save a larger percentage of the approximately $4.94MM owed to Lee the remainder of the season, and of course reduce the risk of a trade value crippling injury.

Rosenthal's sources say that the Mets, Dodgers, and Rangers have all inquired about Lee, but many project the Twins as the front runner. The Mariners have scouted the Yankees' farm system, but the Yanks' scouting of Lee is just the team's routine coverage of a pitcher on their free agent wish list. They are happy with their five-man rotation at the moment.

Seattle is currently 14 games back in the AL West while Cleveland was 13.5 back when they dealt Sabathia. They received a four prospect package highlighted by Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley, and the Mariners can reasonably expect a similar return for Lee. The 31-year-old lefty has made 11 starts this year after missing time with an oblique injury, and has pitched to a 2.39 ERA in 86.2 innings. He's struck out 76 and walked just four. 

Remembering the 1993 Trade Deadline

By | at

Baseball's 1993 season, with a potential strike looming, was an interesting year. And the trade deadline produced deals involving some of baseball's biggest names.

  • On June 24, the Marlins traded Andres Berumen, Jose Martinez and a young reliever named Trevor Hoffman to the Padres for Rich Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield. Sheffield was just 24, and the Marlins quickly realized that he was more at home in the outfield than at third base. Sheffield managed an OPS+ of 162 over his next four seasons, before being purged by the Marlins, who traded him in the 1998 Mike Piazza deal, then turned around and traded Piazza to the Mets for prospects. And Hoffman? 16 seasons in San Diego, 552 saves and an ERA+ of 146.
  • Less than a month later, the Atlanta Braves added a signature piece to their roster, trading Vince Moore, Donnie Elliott and Melvin Nieves to the Padres for Fred McGriff. The Braves got immediate payoff from the deal. McGriff, who had posted a .275/.361/.497 line in San Diego, went on a .310/.392/.612 tear with Atlanta. He hit 130 home runs over five seasons with the Braves. This is a classic trade deadline pickup.
  • Still more activity came from the Padres, who, it must be noted, finished just 61-101 in 1993. On July 26, San Diego traded Greg Harris and Bruce Hurst to the Colorado Rockies for Brad Ausmus, Doug Bochtler and a player to be named later. Harris reached his sell-by date the day he was traded, going from a 3.67 ERA with San Diego to a 1-8, 6.50 ERA finish in Colorado. Hurst pitched 8.2 innings of 5.19 ERA ball before going down due to injury. And worst of all? The player to be named later sent to San Diego turned out to be… Andy Ashby, who pitched eight seasons of 113 ERA+ baseball for the Padres. Not a good day one mile above sea level.
  • Under the radar a bit was a three-team deal that must be mentioned. The Royals got John Habyan. The Yankees got Paul Assenmacher, saving the clubhouse manager a ton of time by not having uniform names on their players' backs. And the Cubs got outfielder Tuffy Rhodes. While Habyan and Assenmacher continued to do what they tended to do for everyone else- put up decent ERAs out of the bullpen- Rhodes was a revelation, hitting .288/.413/.538 in 63 plate appearances. Then, on Opening Day 1994, he hit three home runs against the Mets! Surely, stardom would follow. Instead, he hit .234/.318/.387, and was playing in Japan by 1996. He starred there, of course, with seven seasons of 40 or more home runs, including a high of 55.
  • The final bit of trade deadline drama came with the best leadoff hitter of all time. The Oakland Athletics sent Rickey Henderson to the Toronto Blue Jays for elite pitching prospect Steve Karsay and outfield prospect Jose Herrera. Amazingly, Henderson was a total bust for Toronto. He hit .215/.356/.319 after the trade, .327/.469/.553 before the trade. But Karsay could never stay healthy for long, and Herrera didn't do much in two big league seasons.

Odds & Ends: Fukudome, Kemp, Lowell, Harang

By | at

Links for Friday, as the Rangers keep streaking…

Mets Focus On Pitching, Not Second Base

By | at

The Mets are focused on adding pitching and will not pursue a trade for a second baseman, a source tells Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Luis Castillo has missed almost the entire month with an injured left foot, so 20-year-old Ruben Tejada has filled in at second. The youngster has hit .260/.327/.320 and played well enough defensively for the Mets to feel comfortable focusing on other needs. 

Mets executives are engaging in preliminary talks with other teams about pitching help. Cliff Lee would fit in New York, but Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Mariners aren’t ready to “throw in the towel” yet (Twitter link). That said, Zduriencik is “not a fool” and will sell if the Mariners don’t go on a Texas-sized winning streak (Twitter link).  

Ty Wigginton said he would not mind playing for the Mets, but the O’s are reportedly asking for a young shortstop in return. Infielders such as Kelly Johnson, Akinori Iwamura, Craig Counsell, Willie Bloomquist and Adam Kennedy could become options if the Mets change course and pursue a replacement for Castillo.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top