Carlos Gomez Denied Permission For Caribbean Series?
This Impacto Deportivo article is making the rounds tonight. Here it is in Google Translate. The article says that the Mets probably will not give to permission Carlos Gomez to play in the Caribbean Series. Gomez’s family does not seem to expect it, at least. I am not sure if this has trade implications or even counts as abnormal.
If any native Spanish speakers are able to glean additional details from the article, please let us know in the comments!
Johan Santana Rumors
UPDATE, 1-28-08 at 9:42am: LEN3 jumps on his blog to give a few more tidbits. He doesn’t see the Twins adding a player or any kind of three-team scenario unfolding, based on talks with Twins officials.
FROM 1-28-08 at 9:09am:
I imagine there will be a daily thread for Johan Santana rumors. Here’s the latest from LEN3.
- The Twins "may soon tell teams…to step up with their best offers." The Yankees, Red Sox, and Mets are all still in the mix.
- The officials Neal spoke to disputed Buster Olney’s suggestion that Jon Lester was off the table.
- The Twins still want a big ol’ package from the Mets that includes both Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez.
- Meanwhile, Sid Hartman at the same newspaper quotes the Twins’ assistant GM as saying their four-year, $80MM offer remains on the table. Santana doesn’t seem likely to relent that far, and a trade may be a phone call away.
Livan Hernandez Close To Deal With Mets?
UPDATE, 1-26-08 at 9:46am: According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick on Thursday: If the Mets fail to pull off a Santana trade, indications are that Kyle Lohse — not Livan Hernandez — is their top free agent fallback.
FROM 1-25-08 at 8:27am:
Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News writes:
Right-hander Livan Hernandez, who is a workhorse, is close to a deal with the Mets, where he will be reunited with brother Orlando Hernandez.
This would seem to have Johan Santana implications, if it is finalized. Livan and Kyle Lohse were kind of the Plan B if they couldn’t acquire an ace via trade. But, as some commenters mentioned, signing Hernandez would not preclude a Johan trade.
Johan Santana Rumors
UPDATE, 1-25-08 at 9:46pm: According to LEN3: I was told today that next week is a big week in terms of determining if and where Santana will be dealt. The end is in sight, then?
FROM 1-25-08 at 9:30am:
Time for your daily Johan Santana rumors post.
- LEN3 talked to a Twins official who said there had been no recent extension talks between Santana and the Twins. Meanwhile Sid Hartman at the same paper says the Mets and Yankees won’t go seven years, and he think the Twins’ 4/80 offer is fair.
- Neal says that while Santana won’t necessarily veto any trade reached after Spring Training starts, it’s in everyone’s best interest to avoid dragging it that far.
- The Mets are still reluctant to part with Fernando Martinez, seemingly the dealbreaker right now. Aaron Heilman could enter the mix though.
- Neal believes the Yankee/Red Sox offers from December are still on the table. This has been my hunch as well. Which is why I think Boston can still pull this off.
- If no deal can be reached soon the Twins might have to sign a stopgap CF like Corey Patterson or Kenny Lofton.
- Buster Olney on Johan’s warning signs: I talked with evaluators and scouts with three other teams since then, and they all saw the exact same thing in Santana: diminishment in velocity, relatively few sliders thrown, subpar (for Santana) performances. But two of the three believe the regression could be attributed to the Twins not being in the race, Minnesota not playing in a high-adrenalin situation, and Santana coping with a cracked nail. The third evaluator wonders, too, if Santana is OK. "If a deal is made, you could see there would be a complete physical, given the money involved," said the evaluator.
Church As Part Of A Santana Deal?
Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald has some info on a Johan Santana possibility, and it isn’t the usual rehashed stuff. He writes:
A package the Twins could receive will probably not include both of the Mets’ top outfield prospects, Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez. There are indications that Martinez would be in the deal, along with major league outfielder Ryan Church and at least two other prospects. Starter Mike Pelfrey could be part of the deal as well….
Would Martinez, Deolis Guerra, Kevin Mulvey, and Church get it done? Maybe not a fan-pleaser but you’d have guys who can contribute now and others that can develop into superstars. Would Michael Cuddyer still be a center field candidate if the Twins acquire Church?
Johan Santana Rumors
SI.com’s Jon Heyman and the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s La Velle E. Neal III recently weighed in on the Johan Santana situation.
- Neal says the Mets, Red Sox, and Yankees have all had recent discussions with the Twins about Santana. He says the Twins have "stepped up their efforts" to make a deal before Spring Training.
- Heyman believes the Mets have taken the lead. He thinks it would take five or more prospects, and submission by the Red Sox and Yankees.
- Heyman says the Twins may prefer Carlos Gomez over Fernando Martinez. That would be good for the Mets, who do not want to part with Martinez.
Odds and Ends: Cano, Colon, Lowry
Here are some links I’ve rounded up this morning.
- In theory, Robinson Cano would be open to a long-term deal. River Ave. Blues recently took a look at how historically good Cano has been so far, and suggest the Yankees lowballed him with their arbitration submission.
- Baseball Prospectus’ Derek Jacques saw Bartolo Colon pitch in the Dominican League Finals, and lends his evaluation. Colon was not impressive, but not terrible. It doesn’t seem like he will get the two-year deal he wants.
- The Brewers will bring Abraham Nunez to camp. Versatile, but a drain on offense.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune notes that the White Sox aren’t done yet. The Joe Crede situation should linger into spring. Gonzales also mentions that the Giants are "listening to offers for Noah Lowry."
- A factual look at whether Omar Minaya really stockpiles Latin American players.
- The Astros can’t settle their gaps with Mark Loretta or Jose Valverde, and Ed Wade expects the team to go to its first arbitration hearings in over a decade. Wade has set a deadline of this afternoon and will go to hearings otherwise. Loretta asking for $4.9MM seems particularly off.
- Matthew Cerrone takes an educated guess on the current Johan Santana situation.
- Some interesting quotes from XM Radio from Michael Cuddyer and Scott Boras, separately.
Odds and Ends: Howard, Aardsma, Odalis
Here we go, another random collection of links.
- The Red Sox inked a couple of former closers to minor league deals: Dan Kolb and Dan Miceli. No need to run out and pick them up for your fantasy team. I think Papelbon is secure.
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says the Red Sox are hunting for a lefty bench bat. Tony Clark emailed him to say he’d love a return to Boston, but Cafardo says he’s not on the top of the list. Clark hit .207/.265/.291 for the ’02 Sox.
- A few comments from Pat Gillick on the Ryan Howard situation. He says the Phillies are "open to anything." Gillick also claimed arbitration hearings really aren’t all that contentious. I guess that could be true, I’ve never been in the room for one.
- The official acquisition of Octavio Dotel meant the White Sox DFA’d David Aardsma. Aardsma, 26, has whiffed about a batter per inning over his last two seasons. He has to have a little bit of trade value.
- Impacto Deportivo says the Mets will meet with Odalis Perez. Two left-handed O. Perez’s might confuse opponents, giving the Mets an advantage. Really though it’s a good idea for Omar to stockpile some arms even if Odalis doesn’t have much left. One thing’s for sure, he won’t be earning $7.75MM again. (Hat tip to MetsBlog).
- Looking for an MLBTR reader forum? I offer you our Facebook discussion board.
Endy Chavez Signs For Two Years
The AP reports that the Mets signed fourth outfielder Endy Chavez to a two-year deal for $3.85MM. Chavez will be 30 in February; he’s spent time with the Royals, Nationals, and Phillies. He has a career line of .271/.311/.375; he missed most of ’07 with injuries.
The Mets have seven outfielders on the roster: Chavez, Moises Alou, Marlon Anderson, Carlos Beltran, Ryan Church, Carlos Gomez, and Angel Pagan. I’m not sure why Omar Minaya decided to sign Chavez for two years when he seems to have a cheaper version in Pagan. At any rate I wouldn’t say that locking in Chavez for two years instead of one makes Gomez or Fernando Martinez any more or less likely to be traded.
Johan Santana Rumors
I know some of you crave daily Johan Santana updates…today we’ve got a blurb from Charley Walters:
The Twins say they’re not panicking while holding out for the best deal for Johan Santana. But word within baseball circles is that offers by the New York Yankees (no more Phil Hughes) and Boston Red Sox are diminishing by the week. Best bet now for a trade of the two-time Cy Young Award winner appears to be with the New York Mets in a deal that would not include fast-rising hitter Fernando Martinez.
Yikes – from those solid Yankee/Red Sox offers to a Martinez-less Mets package? If that happens then I would say Bill Smith overplayed his hand. Kat O’Brien recently talked to Smith, but wasn’t able to get much out of him. She believes the Yanks, Red Sox, and Mets "all retain some interest."