Odds & Ends: Strasburg, Lester, Pudge
Links for Monday…
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel talked to Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who said the Yankees have yet to contact him regarding their possible third base need.
- ESPN’s Rob Neyer says the Mets don’t need Pedro Martinez.
- The scouts Buster Olney talked to absolutely adore Stephen Strasburg. One of them said, "Right now, he’s better than A.J. Burnett." There’s no way the Nationals can pass on a talent like this.
- WEEI’s Alex Speier compares Jon Lester‘s record-breaking contract to others given to young pitchers.
- Jim Baumbach of Newsday talked to Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado, who promoted Ivan Rodriguez and noted that assistant GM Tony Bernazard observed the catcher’s four-hit, two home run performance in Puerto Rico Saturday.
- ESPN’s Peter Gammons notes the affordability of Boston’s pitching staff.
Reliever Matt Wise Retires
More retirement news. According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, Matt Wise, who pitched last season for the Mets, has also decided to end his baseball career.
The 33-year-old threw for several clubs this winter, but none offered a contract. He played in the majors for eight seasons and will finish with a 4.23 career ERA.
Ivan Rodriguez Rumors: Thursday
10:54am: WEEI’s Alex Speier spoke to Rodriguez, who said:
"My agent and I, the conversation we had is (regarding) Houston and Florida. There have been rumors about the Mets, also. But as of right now, there’s nothing firm. Nothing has happened. We’re still waiting."
Pudge spoke highly of the Mets and didn’t rule out the idea of being a backup on a one-year deal.
9:23am: In a column last night, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports weighed in on free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez.
Rosenthal says the Marlins and Mets remain interested in Rodriguez, but in either case he’d have to earn his playing time. Pudge wants to enter a situation where he’ll get to play five days a week. The Marlins and Mets aren’t ready to push aside John Baker or Brian Schneider to guarantee that. Also, the Mets would have to move backup Ramon Castro to be able to sign Rodriguez. Rodriguez seems more concerned with playing time than money. He’ll attempt to raise his stock in the WBC.
Rosenthal says the Astros will pass over "concern that Rodriguez would be a poor teammate."
Pedro Martinez Discusses Future
TUESDAY: Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News has more info after talking with Pedro. According to Rubin, Martinez "prefers retiring to his fishing boat if the alternative is accepting a Tom Glavine-like contract."
MONDAY: New York Mets beat writer David Lennon of Newsday sat down with free agent right-hander Pedro Martinez to discuss the starting pitcher’s plans.
In addition to saying he’d like to pitch this season in the Major Leagues, Martinez said he’d like to stay in the National League, given he already has a World Series ring with an AL squad.
He also said he doesn’t think the door is closed on a reunion with the Mets.
"I don’t know really," Martinez said. "The season hasn’t started. I’m not really worried about what they do. I’m just getting ready. For sure I’ll be ready. If I’m healthy, anybody would have a bargain – if I’m healthy. If I’m not, well, I’ll go home fishing. My boat is waiting for me."
Martinez, 37, went 5-6 with a 5.61 ERA in 20 starts for the Mets in 2008.
Mets Interested In Ivan Rodriguez?
According to David Lennon of Newsday, the Mets "remain very interested" in free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez. The Mets are unsure about Ramon Castro as a complement to Brian Schneider. MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone notes Bart Hubbuch’s report from February 16th, indicating the Mets are not interested in Pudge.
Lennon says a strong showing by Rodriguez in the WBC could cause their pursuit to "heat up quickly." Many believe the Marlins are still a strong possibility for him.
No Elbow Tests For Santana
3:06pm: Marty Noble of MLB.com reports that Santana won’t have his elbow tested. He felt fine after a bullpen session and told the Mets there is no need for tests.
1:44pm: Lennon reports that Santana’s elbow tests have been delayed because winter storms are expected in New York.
10:29am: An encouraging update from Lennon at Newsday. Johan Santana completed a bullpen session this morning without pause, and did not report any elbow discomfort. Santana will still go to New York for tests.
10:01am: Marty Noble of MLB.com confirms that the exam of Johan Santana‘s elbow will take place, but says that Minaya did not specify that an MRI would be part of the procedure.
Noble also puts the potential injury into perspective: "Though the tightness is not considered serious, it has delayed Santana’s conditioning and made it unlikely he will be the Mets’ Opening day starter April 6."
9:42am: We don’t always report every injury here at MLBTR, but sometimes the news is so big that it can’t really be ignored.
According to David Lennon of Newsday.com, Johan Santana is expected to be sent to New York for some precautionary tests, including an MRI, and an examination by team physician David Altchek.
Lennon quotes Mets GM Omar Minaya himself as referring to these tests as "precautionary." But this is certainly something to keep an eye on.
Mets, Ron Villone Agree To Terms
According to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post, the Mets have agreed to terms with left-handed reliever Ron Villone on a minor league contract. Apparently the Scott Boras Corp. can still get things done in the midst of the Manny negotiations.
Villone, 39, posted a 4.68 ERA over 50 innings last season with the Cardinals. He’s likely to join the Mets’ spring training camp once he passes a physical.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Yankees, Oil Can, Halladay, Mets
On this date 21 years ago, the Baltimore Orioles traded Ray Knight to the Tigers, only one year after signing the World Series hero as a free agent. The O’s received Mark Thurmond, who would go 1-8 in 1988 with an 85 ERA+. Knight would only play 105 games for the Tigers before retiring. With spring training now in full swing, several veteran free agents are still without contracts or guaranteed jobs and may be on the verge of retirement. Let’s take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- More Hardball puts together a 25-man roster of veteran players in camps on minor league deals.
- 6 Pound 8 Ounce Baby Joba spoke with Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch about a number of topics including what the will happen once the current contracts for Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter expire.
- Sully Baseball makes a case for a team, any team, signing Oil Can Boyd.
- The Phrontiersman takes a look at the possibility of the Phillies trading for Roy Halladay at some point during the season.
- Megamets argues for the Mets adding Dennys Reyes, over the other available lefty relievers.
- The Sports Banter puts together their own list of off-season winners.
- Midwest Sports Fans project the Twins opening day roster.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.
Lefties May Be Lowering Contract Expectations
FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the agents for left-handers Joe Beimel and Will Ohman are prepared to offer more flexibility in contract negotiations with clubs.
"I would suggest any team holding back on some last-minute interest step forward and express it," Beimel’s agent, Jeff Sroba said Wednesday. "Not that anything is imminent, but we are offering flexibility." Beimel, who turns 32 in April, has drawn interest primarily from the Dodgers this offseason. He went 5-1 with a 2.02 ERA for Los Angeles last season.
Ohman, 31, has deals on the table from the Pirates, Marlins and Padres, but is reportedly hoping the Phillies, Dodgers or Mets will come calling. He finished 4-1 with a 3.68 ERA last year for the Braves. "We’re offering flexibility, too," said Ohman’s agent, Page Odle. "We’re hoping one of the playoff teams will want that shutdown lefty."
Dennys Reyes is another left-handed reliever without a job. He went 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA for the Twins last season.
Duaner Sanchez On The Bubble
Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes today about Mets reliever Duaner Sanchez, who could be released before April 1st. In that case the Mets would only have to pay a quarter of his ’09 salary – they’d owe about $422K. They could also shop Sanchez around; Sherman suggests they ask for Marlon Byrd or Marcus Thames.
Sanchez, 29, posted a 4.32 ERA and 6.79 K/9 for the Mets in 58.3 innings last year. He’d previously missed over a year with two shoulder surgeries in a span of nine months. His average fastball velocity was below 90 mph last year; he’d been above 93 in 2005-06.