Mets Rumors

Odds And Ends: Perez, Greinke, Matsui, Magglio

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 26, 2009 at 3:41pm CDT

More links as another Met hits the shelf…

Oliver Perez will have season-ending surgery and, as Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post points out, the Mets now have about $100MM sitting on the DL.
Zack Greinke makes $100k if he wins the Cy Young Award. Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star thinks Greinke deserves it, but doesn't expect him to win it, so he suggests the rest of the Royals chip in to make sure their ace gets rewarded for his big year.
Magglio Ordonez keeps picking up the plate appearances and he's now just 59 away from assuring himself an $18MM payday in 2010. His option should vest sometime next month.
Hideki Matsui tells Newsday's Ken Davidoff that he'd consider playing with Ichiro. Davidoff suggests the White Sox and A's are possible fits for Matsui when he becomes a free agent after the season.
Be sure to become a fan of MLBTR on Facebook, where we're discussing Billy Wagner's future. If you don't already follow us on Twitter, you can start by clicking here.

Crasnick On Sheffield, Smoltz, Giambi, Pedro

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 26, 2009 at 2:05pm CDT

ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick presents some of the players, managers and executives who can start earning next year's job by finishing the season strong:

Gary Sheffield is hitting well, but in the words of one NL official, "he has some explaining to do" if he wants a job next year after last week's drama.
Barring a September collapse, Jerry Manuel seems likely to return next year.
John Smoltz is "definitely interested" in pitching next year, according to his agent.
Jason Giambi can prolong his career if he plays well for the Rockies this month.
One NL exec believes Pedro Martinez can still contribute.
Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi says he knows some people want him out of Toronto. However, Crasnick believes the GM has a strong relationship with team president Paul Beeston. Once Beeston hands authority over to a new president, Ricciardi could lose his job.
Crasnick says managers Eric Wedge (Indians), Jim Riggleman (Nationals), Dave Trembley (Orioles) and Cecil Cooper (Astros) don't have much job security.

Odds And Ends: Santana, Sano, Zambrano

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 26, 2009 at 1:09pm CDT

More links, with less than a week remaining for contenders to add pieces…

Pete Abraham of the Journal News says the Brian Cashman and the Yankees were smart not to trade for Johan Santana, even though it seems likely that the Mets will get their ace back.
Matthew Carruth of FanGraphs argues that Santana won't likely be worth the $90MM-plus remaining on his extension.
Ryan Zimmerman's extension has worked out well for the Nationals, and Tyler Hissey of Around the Majors believes the team deserves some credit.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that talks between the Pirates and Miguel Angel Sano have stalled. The Pirates made a formal offer at the beginning of July, but pulled it back more than a month ago.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says Carlos Zambrano's next meaningful start will come on Opening Day 2010.
It looks like top Japanese amateur Yusei Kikuchi will play in Japan, as Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker shows.
Jerry Ford of PerfectGame.org says Bryce Harper has been overhyped. But has his ability been overrated? Not at all – Ford says he has tons of potential. Check out the entire piece for a wide-ranging discussion of the top prospect.

Odds And Ends: Ackley, Reds, Bradley

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 26, 2009 at 9:09am CDT

Some links for the morning…

Dustin Ackley will arrive in Seattle Monday to work out with the team, meet the media and officially sign his $7.5MM deal, according to MLB.com's Jim Street.
Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News says the Reds are desperate for starting pitching just a few months after it looked like their rotation was set.
This is not what the Cubs envisioned when they signed Milton Bradley to a multi-year deal last offseason. Bradley told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that he "never" feels comfortable at Wrigley Field because he gets booed. However, he insists that he'll be all right in spite of the hatred he faces "on a daily basis."
Joel Sherman of the New York Post says Mets GM Omar Minaya looks clueless at times, but the mess hardly stops with him.

Red Sox Acquire Billy Wagner

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 25, 2009 at 5:51pm CDT

5:51pm: According to Nick Cafardo at the Boston Globe, the Red Sox were given permission from MLB to talk to Wagner, and Theo Epstein claims he didn't know Wagner would even be shipped over until the final hours of the proceedings. In reaction to previous reports that Wagner would not join the Sox, Epstein said:

"You guys (media) had nothing to do during those 48-hour windows, so there have been a lot of stories come out. Basically he had a full no-trade clause, so it was up to him whether he wanted to stay with the Mets or go to the Red Sox. Ultimately, in the end he woke up and said he wanted to join a team that was in the middle of a pennant race, had a chance to pitch into October, and a chance to get a ring."

4:39pm: The Boston Herald reports that the Mets will acquire Triple A outfielder Chris Carter in the deal. The second player, whose identity remains unknown, is apparently "not of significance."

12:53pm: Olney reports that the Red Sox won't send any top prospects to the Mets. Bart Hubbuch hears they're AA-level players. Olney says the Red Sox have agreed not to pick up Wagner's 2010 option, but they can still offer him arbitration (and collect compensation picks if he signs elsewhere).

The Red Sox will pay the rest of Wagner's salary, according to Heyman.

12:39pm: Heyman says the Red Sox acquired Wagner. Lennon says the Mets obtain two players to be named later.

12:26pm: Heyman reports via Twitter that Wagner is "on the verge" of accepting a deal to the Red Sox. He has four minutes to decide.

12:23pm: Olney reports that the Red Sox are expected to complete a deal for Wagner.

12:22pm: Via Twitter, Lennon says it looks like the deal will go through. An announcement is coming shortly.

12:12pm: Newsday's David Lennon hears that, while no deal is complete, the Mets and Red Sox could agree on one "soon."

12:00pm: Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe reports that Billy Wagner is now considering a deal to Boston. He is apparently drawn to the Red Sox because they're in the pennant race. Earlier today, we heard that Wagner blocked a deal because he didn't want to risk injuring himself down the stretch. ESPN.com reported today that Wagner's agent believes his client should only pitch once every three days.

With the deadline for a deal approaching, the Red Sox were talking to Wagner in an attempt to work out a deal, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Mets are "trying to talk sense" into Wagner. Heyman hears that the Red Sox still hope a deal will go through.

Odds And Ends: Selig, Hughes, Byrd, Santana

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 25, 2009 at 4:27pm CDT

More links for the afternoon, as the Red Sox just keeping adding players…

If you've ever wondered about the view from Bud Selig's office, what the commissioner eats for lunch or who his all-time favorite player is, check out Hal McCoy's piece in the Dayton Daily News.
As effective as Phil Hughes has been out of the Yankees' 'pen, the Yanks will have a tough call when it's time to determine his role next season, as Dave Allen of FanGraphs notes.
Jay Jaffe of Baseball Prospectus doubts that teams will overpay Marlon Byrd by much this offseason. Byrd's about to turn 32, but his versatility and pop should attract interest, even if he doesn't see massive offers.
ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says the Mets mishandled Johan Santana by continuing to trot him out there.

Odds And Ends: Wagner, Santana, Strasburg

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 25, 2009 at 1:54pm CDT

Olney On Rockies, Brewers, Harden, Santana

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 25, 2009 at 10:43am CDT

Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that team ownership has never prevented him from acquiring the players he needs. The team had to take on salary to acquire Joe Beimel and Rafael Betancourt, but the relievers have solidified the Rockies bullpen. Olney also suggests the Rockies might not have finished upgrading their pitching staff. Here are a few more rumors:

The Brewers haven't put their players on waivers and, even though they've fallen out of contention, they may decide to hold onto everybody and win as many games as possible before the end of the season.
Olney guesses that Rich Harden won't make more than $20MM as a free agent. Even after pitching well for nearly a full season last year, Ben Sheets wasn't seeing offers in the Oliver Perez range, so I wonder how many teams would offer Harden a multi-year deal given his injury history.
The Yankees and Red Sox wondered about Johan Santana's elbow when they considered dealing for him after the 2007 season. In a separate report, Olney says Santana won't likely need serious surgery, but Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post says the Mets haven't ruled surgery out.

Odds And Ends: Halladay, O’Day, Scott, Giambi

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 25, 2009 at 9:56am CDT

Some links for the morning…

Be here at 2pm CST for this week's chat.
Jamey Newberg compares Roy Halladay and Derek Holland since July 31st and shows that the Rangers are looking good even though they didn't deal for Doc.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post says designating Darren O'Day for assignment was an "under-the-radar mistake" by the Mets.
MLB.com's Spencer Fordin says the Orioles are trying to evaluate Luke Scott at first base to see if he can play there long-term. No one's hitting him anything, so the O's are having trouble reading his ability.
Jason Giambi tells Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he has no problem playing in the minors or coming off the bench for the Rockies.
Curt Schilling said on WEEI in Boston that he's not surprised to hear Billy Wagner is passing up the chance to enter a playoff race.

Wagner Blocked Deal Because Of Health Concern

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 25, 2009 at 9:28am CDT

Billy Wagner invoked his no-trade clause because he wanted to protect his arm for the final month of the season, according Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe. The Globe's sources say Wagner doesn't want to compromise his chances of landing a contract in the offseason and prefers to play in lower-leverage games for the Mets. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports passed along similar information in his FOX Sports report last night.

The Red Sox were interested in Wagner for this season and would likely have turned down the $8MM option for next year and chosen to offer him arbitration instead. Apparently, Wagner was more concerned about possible injuries than the possibility that the Red Sox might lower his value by offering arbitration.

Wagner could change his mind by 12:30pm CST, but one source said the talks are "probably dead."

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