Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Mets Rumors

Heyman’s Latest: Hawpe, Pavano, Fuentes, Lowe

By | at

Let’s dig into the latest columns from SI.com’s Jon Heyman, found here and here.

  • Brad Hawpe had choice words in response to team criticism from Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd.
  • Heyman says Carl Pavano tried to "weasel out of" paying his former agent $2MM in commission from his current contract, signed in December of ’04.  You get the impression Pavano is not well-liked among members of the media.
  • Heyman wonders if Rickie Weeks could be the odd man out in the Milwaukee infield next year.
  • The Mets are more likely to pursue Brian Fuentes than Francisco Rodriguez this winter.  K-Rod’s agent hinted that his client would be a good fit in L.A. or New York, but the Mets will have to make the rotation their priority.
  • Heyman says Derek Lowe prefers the East Coast.
  • Heyman figures A.J. Burnett will consider the $24MM remaining on his contract "pocket change," and will surely opt out.

Fuentes Unlikely To Re-Sign With Rockies

By | at

Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post takes a look at Brian Fuentes’ impending free agency.  The 33 year-old closer would prefer to return to the Rockies, but he hasn’t heard from the team and expects to explore the open market. 

Renck says Fuentes’ agent views Brad Lidge as a comparable.  Lidge signed a three-year, $37.5MM extension in July.  He’s a bit younger than Fuentes, but the comparision seems reasonable.  Fuentes is in a great position this winter as the best alternative to Francisco Rodriguez, who will receive a record-breaking deal for a reliever.

Fuentes intends to sign with a team that will allow him to close, and has a slight preference for the West Coast.  Both L.A. teams could consider him, though both have good internal options.  Fuentes also acknowledged that Billy Wagner’s injury could affect his situation.

Molony’s Latest: K-Rod, Helms, Valverde

By | at

Let’s dig into the latest blog post from MLB.com’s Jim Molony.

  • Molony believes the Mets, Cardinals, Rays, Tigers, Indians, and Cubs are considering signing Francisco Rodriguez this winter.  I think K-Rod’s demands could cause a nice ripple effect for Brian Fuentes, the second-best closer on the market.  Regarding Molony’s six teams, a strong case can be made against several of them signing Rodriguez.  The Rays and Indians will probably take a careful approach to free agency, while the Tigers may not have room in the budget.  The Cubs seem likely to bring Kerry Wood back.
  • Also on the topic of K-Rod, ESPN’s Andrew Marchand (via MetsBlog) quotes the pitcher’s agent naming the Cardinals, Tigers, Dodgers, Angels, and Mets as the five likely serious suitors.  They’re looking for 5/75.
  • Wes Helms would like to return to the Marlins next year.  Molony believes the Marlins may want to retain Helms or Luis Gonzalez but perhaps not both.
  • The Astros would prefer an extension for closer Jose Valverde rather than a likely eight figure arbitration reward.  Valverde, 29, could reasonably demand more than $50MM in a multiyear extension.

Odds and Ends: Pujols, Isringhausen, K-Rod

By | at

I am going to toss up some links as I come across them, so check back on this post.

  • ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick has an excellent piece on the Pedro Alvarez situation, including quotes from Scott Boras and Max Scherzer.  The grievance will be heard tomorrow, but the entire process could take months.
  • The big news of the day is not hot stove related.  Albert Pujols is considering offseason Tommy John surgery, which would require seven to nine months of recovery time.  It could cause him to miss April of ’09.  UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal’s sources say Pujols does not intend to have the surgery this offseason.
  • In the same article, reliever Jason Isringhausen says he hopes to be ready for spring training after elbow surgery.  He spoke of getting "an incentive-based deal with someone."
  • Joel Sherman doesn’t buy into the speculation that the Mets will be aggressive in pursuing Francisco Rodriguez due to Billy Wagner’s injury.  K-Rod has had 61 save opportunities this year, 14 more than anyone else.  No other pitcher has reached 60 opps this decade.  Rodriguez may pursue a five-year, $75MM deal.
  • SI.com’s Tom Verducci looks at the dumbing down of bullpen roles.
  • Andrew Baggarly offers a possible explanation for Conor Gillaspie’s call-up: a "predraft understanding."  Gillaspie signed for slot as the 37th overall pick.  Adding him to the 40-man roster now is less than ideal.
  • RotoWorld’s Matthew Pouliot predicts destinations and contracts for free agent pitchers.  His article also includes non-tender candidates.
  • Cork Gaines gives a rundown of the Rays’ 2009 commitments.
  • This week’s chat has been moved to Wednesday at 2pm CST.

Wagner Out For A Year; Mets Now Need A Closer For ’09

By | at

3:22pm: In a press conference clip aired on WFAN, Omar Minaya says it will indeed be Tommy John surgery.

3:05pm: The report originally said Wagner would have surgery on the tendon in his elbow. The report has now been changed to say the surgery will be on a ligament and will not require Tommy John surgery as originally reported.

Dan Graziano is reporting that Billy Wagner will need surgery on his elbow and will likely miss the entire ’09 season.

A Mets team official confirmed that Mets closer Billy Wagner will have elbow surgery this week and will miss the remainder of his season and possibly the entire 2009 season as well…Wagner is scheduled to make $10.5 million in 2009, the final year of his four-year, $43 million contract with the Mets.

The Mets do have an $8MM option on Wagner for ’10, with a $1M buyout. However, with the surgery, the Mets are unlikely to pick up the option.

Of a more immediate concern is the closer position for the Mets in ’09. It would seem likely that the Mets would now be one of the front-runners to land Francisco Rodriguez or Brian Fuentes, both of whom are eligible for free agency following the season. It was reported that the Mets were interested in Fuentes prior to the trade deadline.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Mets, Brewers, Astros

By | at

Ken Rosenthal has a lot to offer in his latest Full Count video:

  • The Mets will prefer to pickup Carlos Delgado’s $12MM option rather than buy him out for $4MM. That’s a guarantee for a guy who should finish the year around 35-100 despite not contributing for the first two months.
  • According to sources, Manny Ramirez is unlikely to go the Mets. They will more likely focus their spending on pitching. John Maine has a bone spur in his right shoulder. Pedro Martinez and Oliver Perez are free agents. The Mets will need to go after starting pitching.
  • If the Mets go after Francisco Rodriguez, would they dangle Billy Wagner on the trade market in his contract year?
  • If the Astros sign Ben Sheets and Randy Wolf, they’d become immediate contenders, if not division favorites.
  • To recoup the loss of Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia, the Brewers might want to trade J.J. Hardy or even Prince Fielder for a pitcher to join Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, and Dave Bush. I can’t see them trading Fielder and a lot will be determined by how they fare in the playoffs.
  • Casey Blake will be in high demand this offseason. As a third baseman, his only real competition is the fragile Joe Crede. Blake can play 1B, 3B, RF and LF. He’s a good fit for the Dodgers to re-sign but, according to Rosenthal, he may want to go closer to his Iowa home.

Heyman’s Latest: Padres, Lowe, Manny, Minaya

By | at

Let’s take a look at what SI.com’s Jon Heyman has for us today.

  • The Padres might be looking to slash their already-low payroll. With Kevin Towers, Paul DePodesta, and Sandy Alderson on staff, they might be able to do it. The question is of how competitive they’ll be in ’09.  For more on the topic, check out our Padres Offseason Outlook.
  • Towers thinks that when it comes to free agents, no one does it better than Pat Gillick.
  • Will the Dodgers retain Manny Ramirez? Tough to say. Owner Frank McCourt might not want to spend the dough. Then again, with Manny’s jersey going for over $300 at Dodger Stadium — no, that’s not a typo — he might keep him on as an attraction. If only they weren’t so committed to Juan Pierre.
  • It doesn’t appear likely Derek Lowe will don Dodger blue next season. He’s had a few rough starts this season, but is still pitching to a 3.69 ERA, and his walks are low. He’ll get a nice contract somewhere, and won’t cost a draft pick.
  • The Mets want to extend Omar Minaya’s contract, which expires after the 2009 season.

A Tale Of Two Second Basemen: Hudson, Castillo

By | at

Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News, via MetsBlog, notes that the Mets are looking to shop Luis Castillo this off-season. This comes just one year after the team signed him to a four-year, $25MM deal. His aching knees have limited him to just over 300 plate appearances this year. It’s not clear who would want Castillo, nor how much salary the Mets would need to eat.

One speculated target is Orlando Hudson, who sits atop an uninspiring class of free agent second basemen. He’ll be in high demand, of course. The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro talks about Hudson’s fate. He doesn’t seem optimistic that Hudson will return to the Diamondbacks next season. He talks about the team’s options, including moving Mark Reynolds to second and signing a third baseman, or acquiring a second baseman in a trade, possibly Mark Ellis or Robinson Cano.

In my own speculation, I can see the D’backs going for a one-year stopgap like Mark Grudzielanek or Ray Durham, rather than trading away even more of their farm for a longer-term solution. The Yankees would likely ask the moon for Cano, despite his disappointing season. Ellis does sound intriguing, though. Billy Beane and Josh Byrnes hooked up successfully this past off-season in the Dan Haren trade.

Odds and Ends: Soto, Joba, Colletti, Tazawa

By | at

Let’s dig in with today’s links!

Stark’s Latest: Teixeira, Lamb, Ibanez, Blake

By | at

Hot stove highlights from Jayson Stark’s latest…

  • Stark sees the Mets picking up Carlos Delgado’s $12MM option for ’09, taking them out of the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes.  He sees the Yankees in the mix for Tex.  Will Teixeira top the $140MM the Rangers offered him?
  • The Yanks will also pursue a top flight starting pitcher, with C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets as Plans A and B.
  • Stark does not see the Braves diving into megadeals for Sabathia, Sheets, or A.J. Burnett.  They’ll have payroll room, but could pursue trades or mid-tier free agents.
  • Stark says friends of Tom Glavine and John Smoltz indicate they both want another go at it in ’09.  They’re hoping the Braves will offer low-base incentivized deals.  If the Braves spurn Glavine, I wonder if he’ll sign with the Nationals.
  • Mike Lamb and the Phillies have mutual interest.  A trade might make more sense than awaiting his release, so that he’d be eligible for the postseason roster.
  • A friend of Raul Ibanez says the Mariners are unlikely to convince him to re-sign.  They’ll snag a couple of draft picks if they offer arbitration and he signs elsewhere.  The prospect of losing a draft pick makes Ibanez less attractive to other teams though.
  • The Dodgers are considering re-signing Casey Blake and moving Blake DeWitt to second base.
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