Mets Retain Freddy Garcia
According to Ben Shpigel of the New York Times, the Mets reassigned starter Freddy Garcia to minor league camp today. Garcia softened his stance on the minors, as he'll work at extended Spring Training or else head to Triple A as a member of the Mets organization. The move solidifies Livan Hernandez as the Mets' fifth starter, at least for now.
Freddy Garcia Not In Mix For Fifth Starter Job
Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post suggests Freddy Garcia is no longer in the mix for the Mets' fifth starter job, which Livan Hernandez has all but locked up with the demotion of Jon Niese today. Hubbuch says general manager Omar Minaya didn't even mention Garcia when discussing the No. 5 starter job.
Garcia is on a non-roster deal, but Hubbuch told me he said on the first day of camp he's not willing to pitch in the minors. So the situation should come to a head soon.
Hubbuch adds that GM Omar Minaya "once again specifically ruled out signing Pedro Martinez."
Pedro Hopes For Return To Mets?
According to Newsday's Jim Baumbach a friend of Pedro Martinez's says the righty still hopes to sign a deal with the Mets, though the Dodgers also appeal to him. This afternoon Jon Heyman reported that the Mets have offered Pedro a deal worth $1-2MM, so it appears Pedro can return if he's willing to lower his asking price.
Baumbach adds that Pedro isn't selling the house he owns on the New York-Connecticut border in case he can work out a return to the Mets. Last Tuesday, his return seemed unlikely, but a lot changes in a week.
Heyman On Pedro, Pudge, Andruw
SI.com's Jon Heyman has a new column.
- Heyman believes the Mets offered Pedro Martinez a $1-2MM base salary, but he's still looking for $5MM. Not happenin'. ESPN's Jayson Stark suggests Pedro is asking for $6-8MM.
- Heyman takes Astros GM Ed Wade to task for seemingly lying to MLB.com beat writer Alyson Footer about the team's pursuit of Ivan Rodriguez. The Pudge deal will be official once his physical is complete.
- Andruw Jones must decide by Friday whether to stay with the Rangers (presumably he'd head to Triple A if he does not opt out). In talking to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, Andruw said he doesn't know yet and needs to talk to Scott Boras.
Mets To Dump Freddy Garcia?
6:24pm: According to Brian Costa of the Newark Star-Ledger, Mets manager Jerry Manuel stopped just short of naming Hernandez his fifth starter on Wednesday.
"I tell you what, he was pretty good today," Manuel said. "He has a good presence about him on the mound, in the dugout, teammates seem to really – it's like he brings a little bit different energy for us. So I would have to say that he's put himself in a real good position."
2:53pm: The New York Post's Bart Hubbuch writes that "it's probably safe to say Freddy Garcia won't be long for Mets' camp."
It's just speculation at this point without word from manager Jerry Manuel or GM Omar Minaya, but it's pretty clear that the Mets have better rotation options. Garcia gave up four runs on four hits in just one inning Wednesday against the Braves and is still, as Hubbuch writes, "throwing what amounts to batting practice with his surgically repaired right shoulder."
Livan Hernandez and Jon Niese are both enjoying decent spring campaigns, and Tim Redding's contract should eventually land him a spot on the squad. Dumping Garcia would save the Mets around $8.5MM in potential incenctives.
Odds & Ends: Suzuki, Zambrano, Nationals
Links for Tuesday…
- Remember Mac Suzuki? According to MLB.com’s Dick Kaegel, the Royals’ first Japanese pitcher worked out for Kansas City and Cleveland and will audition for the Dodgers as well. He’s spent the last three years in the Mexican League.
- Carlos Zambrano‘s second-favorite team is the White Sox, according to Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times. Big Z’s contract with the Cubs runs through 2012 or 2013.
- Nationals acting GM Mike Rizzo told Chico Harlan of the Washington Post he’s received a lot of phone calls about his outfield/first base logjam.
- RotoAuthority runs through all 30 closer situations. Print it out and bring it to your draft.
- Cole Hamels update: no structural damage to his elbow. ESPN’s Buster Olney says it’s inflammation.
- Hal McCoy heard from a scout that the Reds might be shopping pitcher Nick Masset, who is out of options.
- Baseball America’s Jim Callis says about 42-44% of first-round draft picks have significant big league careers.
- "Only a physical and minor details" remain on Ivan Rodriguez‘s one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Astros, according to Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle.
- Free agent outfielder Luis Gonzalez still hopes to play in 2009. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says the D’Backs’ interest only lies in post-retirement employment.
- According to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News, the Mets have begun the process of returning Rule 5 pick Rocky Cherry to the Orioles. UPDATE: Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post says the O’s rejected Cherry and the Mets released him.
- This week’s chat has been moved to Thursday at 2pm CST.
Mets Sign Junior Spivey
According to Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog, the Mets signed infielder Junior Spivey to a minor league deal. Spivey, 34, hasn’t played in the Majors since 2005.
Astros Agree To Terms With Ivan Rodriguez
1:08pm: ESPN’s Steve Phillips says the Astros reached an agreement with Rodriguez on a one-year, $1.5MM deal with another $1.5MM in performance bonuses. Scott Boras’ offseason is over, aside from Byung-Hyun Kim and Eric Gagne.
12:54pm: A deal with the Astros appears close, according to Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle. GM Ed Wade admitted he’s re-engaged with Scott Boras on Pudge.
11:28am: According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, Pudge is in serious talks with the Astros.
10:05am: Free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez may sign soon. A look at his rumored suitors:
- Marlins: Owner Jeffrey Loria talked about his fondness for Pudge, but added that there are a lot of variables to consider. The issue seems to be Rodriguez’s desire to catch the majority of games.
- Giants: Henry Schulman’s source says they’ve explored signing Rodriguez "as a utility catcher and infielder." MLB.com’s Chris Haft doesn’t think it makes sense.
- Astros: Richard Justice thinks the team should try to sign Pudge and Pedro Martinez for less than $5MM total. MLB.com’s Alyson Footer on Friday: "After checking with Ed Wade yet again today, I can assure you the Astros are not pursuing him. And judging from the irritated look on his face, I can also assure you I won’t be asking him about Pudge again anytime soon." SI.com’s Jon Heyman mentioned Houston in his Friday Pudge column.
- Twins: Heyman mentioned the Twins after talking to an NL team involved in the Pudge bidding. La Velle E. Neal III hadn’t heard anything as of Saturday.
- Mets: MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone doesn’t see any evidence that Rodriguez is an option.
Heyman On Pedro, Manny, Crede
The latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman…
- Heyman sees the Pedro Martinez sweepstakes as between the Dodgers and Mets, but he might have to come down to the $2.5MM range. The Mets don’t seem thrilled with Tim Redding, who "came to camp with a sore shoulder and 20 pounds overweight."
- If Manny Ramirez opts out after the ’09 season, he’ll seek a three-year deal. Heyman suggests Manny may be better off staying in L.A. than signing with a New York team.
- Heyman spoke to one White Sox person who questioned Joe Crede‘s ability to play on the Minnesota turf.
Several Teams Interested In Pedro
SUNDAY, 1:50pm: Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com writes that the Pirates won’t be signing Pedro unless his asking price comes down. They’ve shown interest, contacting his agent, but are unwilling to meet the $5MM-$8MM asking price.
Pittsburgh’s $51MM payroll gives them a bit of flexibility, and signing a veteran starter was one of their offseason priorities. However, Langosch writes that they’re very pleased with the depth of their starting pitching this Spring. Seems like they don’t consider adding Pedro a necessity.
SATURDAY, 8:07pm: The Chicago Tribune’s Phil Rogers writes that Pedro "insists he could have signed a contract long ago but wasn’t ready to commit." He cites a commitment to the World Baseball Classic as the reason he has waited to sign. (Scroll down to Miller’s first note after the main story.)
Pedro added the following: "The major leagues have, unfortunately, become more of a business than something to be proud of."
1:15pm:SI.com’s Jon Heyman reports that several teams have interest in free agent Pedro Martinez.
The Dodgers have already made it known that they’re "curious," and now the Indians, Pirates and Mets have joined the fun. Pedro is still seeking between $5MM and $8MM on a one-year deal, but will probably have to settle for an incentive-laden package with a low base salary. According to his agent, Fern Cuza, Martinez "feels better than his first year with the Mets."