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Castillo, Matsui Possible Options For Colorado?

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that the Rockies are looking to upgrade from utilityman Melvin Mora as their best backup option at second base.  To that end, the Mets have contacted Colorado about a possible deal for Luis Castillo.  The veteran infielder has a .256/.341/.299 line heading into Thursday's action and has improved his defense (a 2.5 UZR/150) this season after his horrendous -12.7 UZR/150 in 2009.

As Rosenthal mentions, the Rockies wouldn't have to worry about the $12MM owed to Castillo for 2010 and 2011 given that the Mets would be picking up the large majority of that tab to clear the way for Daniel Murphy to get some reps at second base.

If the Rockies aren't interested in working out a deal with New York, another possible answer to their depth problem could be a former Rockie. MLB.com's Thomas Harding proposes that if Kazuo Matsui clears waivers on Monday and is officially released by Houston, Colorado might be a logical landing spot for the second baseman.  Matsui has just a .352 OPS in 78 plate appearances with the Astros this season, but Harding sees Matsui as a minor-league signing that would provide cover for regular second baseman Clint Barmes (who himself is struggling this season with just a .612 OPS heading into today's action).  

Matsui's greatest success in the majors came with the Rockies, where he hit .300/.353/.426 in 579 plate appearances from 2006-07.  Harding mentions that Matsui was popular in the clubhouse and apparently left no hard feelings with management when he left Colorado to sign a three-year, $16.5MM contract with Houston after the Rockies' pennant-winning 2007 campaign. 

Given that the Astros would still be paying the $5MM that Matsui is owed for 2010, this would be a low to no-risk signing for the Rockies to make.  The club would've liked to have been prospect Eric Young make a play for the second base job, but with Young looking at a lengthy stay on the DL with a leg injury, a veteran option like Matsui or Castillo could make sense.

Maya Unblocked, Yankees Interested

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May 20: The Phillies will also have a scout in attendance when Maya throws tomorrow, writes the Philadelphia Daily News' David Murphy, though he adds the team doesn't currently consider Maya a serious option for either the bullpen or rotation.

May 19:The latest model from Cuba is now officially on the showroom floor. Nine months after defecting, pitcher Yunesky Maya* has been cleared to sign as a free agent, reports Jorge Ebro at El Nuevo Herald (link in Spanish). Maya's agent, Bart Hernandez, tells Ebro that interest has been "tremendous" thus far in the 28-year-old longtime anchor of the Cuban National Team rotation. Count the Yankees at minimum among the interested, as the New York Post's Brian Costello and George A. King III reported this morning that senior vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman will be on hand to watch Maya at a workout this Friday in the Dominican Republic.

The obvious starting point for scouting Maya is through comparison with another former Cuban National Series standout who stepped from the 2009 World Baseball Classic to defection and the Major League auction block: Aroldis Chapman. Maya is at least six years older and right-handed, but on the other hand, boasts far more competitive experience and, by all accounts, a fuller arsenal of secondary pitches. Maya told Terreno de Pelota's Uziel Gomez last September he alternates between a 94-mile-an-hour heater, slider, change-up, curve, and sinker, a repertoire which scouts backed up after seeing Maya in action at a workout late last year.

In the 48th National Series that ended last year, Maya ended second to Chapman in strikeouts, 119 to 130, but outdistanced the younger pitcher in the league's equivalent of the Cy Young, thanks to Maya's superior overall stats: 13-4, seven complete games, and a 2.22 ERA in 145 IP. In six Cuban campaigns, Maya managed a 48-29 record with a 2.51 ERA and was also lights-out in both of his brief appearances at the WBC.

Among potential suitors Ebro mentions the Mets and White Sox, two teams that showed early interest in Chapman but didn't stick around to the final stages of the sweepstakes. The Red Sox have been known to be interested as well, though Rob Bradford at WEEI quoted a source in February indicating that Maya was more likely to choose a team where he had a better shot of immediately cracking the rotation. While it's true that Maya worked largely as a starter in Cuba, he told Gomez in September that he is open to relief work and willing to do "whatever the team that signs me needs." What is seemingly more important to the player and his agent, judging by their respective quotes to the Spanish-language press, is that teams approach Maya as a polished talent who is big-league ready right now.

* Maya has been dubbed Yuniesky, Yunieski, Yuneski, and Yunesky with almost equal frequency in published reports both stateside and in Cuba. Terreno de Pelota's Uziel Gomez gave some clarity to MLB Trade Rumors in an e-mail this morning, saying that Yunesky Maya Mendiluza is the name on the player's official documents.

Heyman On Mets, Brewers, Werth

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The Marlins should extend manager Fredi Gonzalez to keep him around as long as Hanley Ramirez is under contract, writes Jon Heyman of SI.com. There's no indication that the Marlins are going to extend their skipper in the near future, but Heyman has the latest on some moves that could happen sooner:

  • The Mets will "almost assuredly" hire Bob Melvin if they fire Jerry Manuel, but there's no evidence that GM Omar Minaya is under the same scrutiny as Manuel.
  • The Brewers would presumably ask bench coach Willie Randolph to manage if they fire manager Ken Macha.
  • Executives estimate that Jayson Werth will sign a deal worth more than Jason Bay's $66MM deal, but less than Matt Holliday's $120MM deal. One executive doesn't think Werth will be able to secure a deal like Holliday's because he doesn't have the same track record. Werth hadn't played more than 102 games before 2008, but he has hit .278/.375/.521 since then.

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Yankees, Storen, Mets

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Links for Sunday night..

  • The Pirates have promoted Bryan Morris to Double-A after a sensational start to the season, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.  The 23-year-old starter, who has a 0.60 ERA, could earn another promotion by August according to GM Neal Huntington.  Morris was one of the main pieces the Pirates received in the Jason Bay trade in July of '08. 
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter) points out that three former Yankees set-up men have been released in the last 24 hours: Chad Gaudin, Edwar Ramirez, and Brian Bruney.
  • Nats pitching coach Steve McCatty says that the club has not yet determined Drew Storen's role and that they will "ease him in", tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
  • Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com writes that Mets GM Omar Minaya will accompany the team on their trip to Atlanta, though a team official insists that he will be there just to lend support.

Mets Have Payroll For Pitching, Not For Pedro

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The Mets have the payroll flexibility to add another starter if they remain in contention, sources tell Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.  However, a person with direct knowledge of the Mets' thinking says that the team has no interest in bringing Pedro Martinez back to Queens.

Mets officials recognize that the rotation is the area most in need of out-of-house reinforcement.  Though the club's offense has been less than stellar, the front office believes that things will pick up upon Carlos Beltran's return. 

Martino writes that the Mets have been in contact with several teams about pitching, though he classified those conversations as "preliminary".  He notes that trade talks do not usually heat up until June and therefore it is too early to gauge the Amazins' chances of landing a big-name pitcher such as Roy Oswalt.  Earlier this week, it was reported that the $33MM that remains on Oswalt's contract might prevent the Mets from dealing for him.

When GMs do begin calling each other more frequently, the Mets may find that they do not have the trade chips to land the type of hurler they desire.  Top prospects Ike Davis and Jenrry Mejia are now major leaguers and Fernando Martinez is on the Triple-A disabled list.

Mets Release Kiko Calero

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The Mets have released Kiko Calero, tweets Newsday's David Lennon. The club had signed Calero to a minor league deal in March, after the right-hander received a somewhat unexpected lack of interest for most of the offseason.

Calero posted a 1.95 ERA in 67 relief appearances for the Marlins in 2009, but health was a concern for the 35-year-old heading into this year. He failed to crack the Mets' big league roster and has spent the season pitching for Triple-A Buffalo. In ten appearances for the Bisons, Calero pitched 17 innings and recorded a 10.59 ERA.

Odds & Ends: Scherzer, Lamb, LaRoche

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Saturday night linkage..

Money Might Keep Mets From Pursuing Oswalt

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Every team in baseball would like to add Roy Oswalt to its rotation, but some of them simply won't be able to afford the $33MM left on his contract. The Mets might be one of those clubs according to Mike Puma of The New York Post, who says the team is reluctant to eat even the $1.8MM they owe to Gary Matthews Jr.

The Astros' ace said that he would be willing to waive his no trade clause if the helped the team rebuild. The caveat is that he also wants to go to a "true contender," and it's up to him to decide if the Mets fit the bill. They came into the night 18-17, three games behind the Phillies in the NL East. 

Oswalt, 32, has a 2.63 ERA and an 8.4 K/9 in seven starts this year, numbers like what he put up in his mid-to-late 20's. Mets' starters have a 4.25 ERA, basically middle of the back, but Oliver Perez is struggling and Mike Pelfrey recently dealt with some shoulder fatigue. We looked at their top trade chips last month.

Odds & Ends: Anderson, Penny, Mariners, Zito

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Links for Tuesday, as J.J. Hardy hits the disabled list…

Mets Designate Frank Catalanotto For Assignment

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The Mets designated Frank Catalanotto for assignment, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). The Mets have called Chris Carter up to replace the 36-year-old utility man. Catalanotto hit .167/.200/.208 for the Mets in 25 plate appearances this year, almost exclusively off the bench. Catalanotto will have his career .296/.360/.456 line against righties to point to if the Mets release him.

Carter has just 26 big league plate appearances to his name, but he is hitting well at Triple A Buffalo. His .339/.395/.615 line was enough to impress the Mets front office. The 27-year-old's 132 minor league homers suggest he could provide the Mets with some power.

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