Mets Notes: Wright, Pagan, Herrera
Jon Niese faces Barry Zito tonight as the Mets open a four-game series with the Giants at Citi Field. Here's the latest from the Amazin's…
- David Wright tells reporters (including Jon Heyman of CBS Sports) that there have been "zero" discussions with the Mets about a contract extension. Wright doesn't mind, since he considers contract talk to be a distraction from playing. We heard last week that the Mets were keen to offer Wright a new deal but first wanted to ensure that he could stay healthy.
- "Whether he realizes it or not, Wright, who has said consistently he doesn’t want to leave New York, is starting to put pressure on Mets ownership to get negotiations going to ensure that he does indeed stay," writes Bill Madden of the New York Daily News. Madden feels the Mets should do everything in their power to extend Wright, their franchise player.
- Angel Pagan talks to ESPN New York's Mike Mazzeo about being traded to the Giants in December, which Pagan said surprised him.
- Left-hander Danny Herrera will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ligament in his pitching elbow, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports.
MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post
Giants Avoid Arbitration With Angel Pagan
The Giants and Angel Pagan have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $4.85MM, reports The Associated Press (via ESPN). He can earn an additional $50K each for 550, 600, and 650 plate appearances. MLBTR's Matt Swartz projected the Legacy Sports Group client to earn $4.7MM next season.
Pagan, 30, was acquired from the Mets for Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez back in December. He hit .262/.322/.372 with seven homers and 32 steals while battling a rib fracture in 2011, and is a .279/.331/.418 career hitter. Pagan was arbitration-eligible for the fourth time as a Super Two and will become a free agent after this coming season. He made $3.5MM last season.
As our Arbitration Tracker shows, the Giants still have six unsigned arbitration-eligible players: Melky Cabrera, Santiago Casilla, Tim Lincecum, Sergio Romo, Pablo Sandoval, and Nate Schierholtz.
Giants Acquire Pagan From Mets For Torres, Ramirez
The Giants and Mets have agreed on a deal that will send Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez to New York and Angel Pagan to San Francisco, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Giants will also receive a player to be named later or cash, according to a team release. The deal was announced by both clubs today.
All three players are arbitration eligible, and Torres in particular was a candidate to be non-tendered next week. Both Torres and Pagan were valuable as regulars in 2010 but struggled in 2011, though the Mets were expected to tender Pagan a contract.
Prior to the Giants' acquisition of Pagan, their outfield was expected to feature Aubrey Huff in left, Melky Cabrera in center, and Nate Schierholtz in right field. Given the defensive inadequacies of Huff and Cabrera, Pagan might be a well-used fourth outfielder in San Francisco. Pagan will be surely be motivated to earn regular playing time, as he's entering his contract year. He projects to earn $4.7MM through arbitration for 2012.
The Mets can potentially control Torres for two years, and MLBTR estimates a salary of around $2.5MM in 2012. He makes for a nice upside play for GM Sandy Alderson. Alderson has also revamped his 2012 bullpen in the course of about an hour. Ramirez is a useful, affordable addition, and the Mets also signed veteran relievers Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco (together again!)
GMs Alderson and Brian Sabean last matched up in late July, when the Mets traded Carlos Beltran and cash to the Giants for pitching prospect Zack Wheeler.
Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.
Mets Close To Making Trade
8:46pm: The Giants and Mets are believed to be discussing a deal that would send Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez to New York for Angel Pagan, tweets Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. That would match up with the two-for-one rumors, and Torres and Pagan qualify as "change of scenery" players as well.
8:33pm: Hot on the heels of their agreement with Jon Rauch, the Mets have a multi-player trade in the works, tweets MLB Network's Jon Heyman. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter) describes the deal as a "change of scenery" trade both ways, and says the Mets are going to receive two players in exchange for one. Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link) hears that the move will net the Mets another reliever.
Giants “Far Down The Road” On Two Trades
8:45pm: One of the proposals is believed to be Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez for Angel Pagan, tweets Baggarly. That would match up with the two-for-one rumors we heard earlier about the Mets.
8:42pm: The Giants are "far down the road" on two trade proposals and GM Brian Sabean thinks the team may make a move tonight, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (on Twitter). The proposed moves don't involve Jed Lowrie, Carlos Quentin, or Martin Prado, three names that have surfaced in recent trade rumors, adds Baggarly.
With rumors swirling that the Mets are also close to making a deal for a reliever, and the Giants said to be entertaining offers for Ramon Ramirez, it's possible the Mets could be on the other end of one of San Francisco's two proposals. That's my own speculation, however.
Nationals Center Field Rumors
The latest Nationals news…
- The Yankees shot down the Nationals' attempts to trade for Brett Gardner, according to Pete Kerzel of MASNSports.com.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told reporters today he doesn't think anything has changed on the Upton front.
- The Angels have no interest in trading Peter Bourjos and the Mets plan to keep Angel Pagan, writes Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com.
- The Nationals and Rays discussed center fielder B.J. Upton recently, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Yesterday we heard the Rays would have to be overwhelmed to move Upton. The Nationals are "fixated" on leaving the Winter Meetings with a new center fielder, a team source told Pete Kerzel of MASNSports.com.
- Nationals manager Davey Johnson has talked to free agent Mark DeRosa about joining the team, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The Nats also have interest in bringing Willie Harris back.
- The Nationals are letting teams know Roger Bernadina is available in trade, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. The 27-year-old posted a .243/.301/.362 line in 337 plate appearances this year.
Mets Notes: Qualls, Pelfrey, Pagan, Wright
The latest on the Mets, as they prepare for the post-Jose Reyes era…
- Chad Qualls is one of many relievers the Mets have inquired on, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- GM Sandy Alderson told reporters, including ESPN New York's Adam Rubin, that he expects the team's 2012 payroll to be about $100MM. If the team tenders contracts to Mike Pelfrey and Angel Pagan, that would leave about $10-15MM to spend.
- Alderson on Pelfrey and Pagan: "I've said over the last few weeks they may be very good investments for us given the other options and the fact they're players with upside going into the season and players who would probably be on one-year contracts."
- David Wright's status was never linked to Reyes' status, according to the GM, meaning that even though Reyes is signing elsewhere, the team doesn't intend to trade Wright and launch an all-out rebuild.
Mets Will Tender Contracts To Pagan, Pelfrey
Their names showed up on our list of non-tender candidates yesterday, but Angel Pagan and Mike Pelfrey will be tendered contracts by the Mets, reports Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). The pair of Mets could earn more than $10MM between them in 2012, according to our projected arbitration salaries. Here are some other notes from the NL East:
- The Phillies are indicating Cole Hamels would cost "three small countries and two oceans" in a trade, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link). Considering what sort of package it would take to land Hamels, the southpaw likely isn't going anywhere.
- The Mets have a similarly high asking price for David Wright. GM Sandy Alderson says he'll only considering moving Wright "if someone blows us away," tweets Heyman. Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote earlier today that the Mets would definitely listen on Wright, but probably won't get an offer they like.
- Mark Buehrle's representatives and the Marlins are meeting today at the GM meetings in Milwaukee, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
- Yoenis Cespedes isn't the only Cuban outfielder to grab the Nationals' attention – Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post writes of the club's interest in 19-year-old Jorge Soler.
- Speaking of Cespedes, the Phillies worked out the 26-year-old in the Dominican Republic, with Pat Gillick in attendance, tweets Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.
- Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com takes a look at which players the Nationals may protect in this year's Rule 5 draft.
Mets Rumors: Reyes, Closer, Murphy, Duda
The Mets were far from the favorite for Jose Reyes entering the offseason. But if the Marlins offered Reyes six years and $90MM as a starting bid, Mets fans can forget about him coming back in the opinion of ESPN New York's Adam Rubin. For months now, the impression has been that the Mets don't want to exceed four years for the shortstop. They'll have to hope for a couple of decent draft picks, depending on what happens with the new collective bargaining agreement.
- Two executives tell Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the Mets have been assured of Type A draft pick compensation for Reyes this offseason, even if the new CBA eliminates it going forward. GM Sandy Alderson presumes as much, tweets Rubin. Sherman says the expectation is that Type B compensation will be eliminated, and maybe a few non-star Type As will have that status removed. This is the first I've heard of eliminating Type B compensation. All links go to Twitter.
- Alderson described his talks with Reyes' agent Peter Greenberg to Ken Davidoff of Newsday: "I wouldn't classify them as substantive. More than phone tag."
- Mets officials refer to Mike Pelfrey and Angel Pagan as "bridge pieces," reports Sherman, in that they feel no long-term allegiance to either player. Pelfrey and Pagan are arbitration eligible this winter.
- Mets executives tell Sherman closer is the only position at which the team is willing to exceed a one-year contract, and Sherman feels they may top out at two years with an option. The Mets consider themselves two years away from contention, writes Sherman, so Alderson intends to avoid big multiyear commitments. Sherman guesses the Mets will spend $8-10MM for two relievers with late inning experience, letting them battle for the ninth inning.
- The Mets won't trade Ike Davis, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but maybe Daniel Murphy or Lucas Duda.
Heyman On Pagan, Braves, Pujols, Madson
Terry Ryan is officially the interim general manager of the Twins, but Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the longtime GM is recharged and may stay a while (Twitter link). Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors from SI.com:
- The Mets have discussed Angel Pagan as a non-tender candidate, but they intend to offer him arbitration, according to Heyman (on Twitter). MLBTR projects a $4.7MM salary for the center fielder in 2012.
- Meanwhile, Chris Capuano is looking for a two-year deal, but the Mets prefer one-year bargains (Twitter link).
- The Braves are looking for a Zack Greinke-like return in a deal for Jair Jurrjens, according to Heyman (on Twitter). The Royals obtained Jake Odorizzi, Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Jeremy Jeffress for Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt last offseason.
- Twins executive Mike Radcliff and Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer weren’t that interested in the Orioles’ GM job, according to Heyman. The Orioles requested permission to interview them both, but the Twins denied the request and the Orioles hired Dan Duquette before setting anything up with Oppenheimer.
- It's believed that Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava got a raise to stay in Toronto, according to Heyman.
- It’s hard to tell Boston’s list of managerial candidates apart from the one the Cubs have, as Heyman explains.
- It doesn’t appear that the Cardinals will be able to boost their nine-year, $200MM offer to Albert Pujols by much.
- Ryan Madson is drawing lots of interest and the Red Sox, Phillies, Nationals, Rangers and Marlins are believed to be interested.
- C.J. Wilson, Edwin Jackson, Mark Buehrle and Roy Oswalt are drawing lots of interest, as expected.
- Heyman hears that Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen is pushing for Prince Fielder or Pujols. The Marlins have also expressed early interest in Jose Reyes.