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Ben Sheets

Mets Interested In Sheets, Wang, Tracy

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The latest on the Mets' search for starting pitching:

  • Ben Sheets appears to be the team's top target, according to Ken Davidoff of Newsday.
  • The Mets have been in touch with Sheets since watching him throw Tuesday, according to Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News.
  • Alan Nero, one of Chien-Ming Wang's representatives, tells McCarron that the Mets are one of 15 teams interested in the former Yankee.
  • McCarron hears that the Mets have had discussions about Chad Tracy.
  • Remember, Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog tweeted this morning that the Mets are close to making a deal.

Dodgers Notes: Padilla, Garland, Sheets

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Let's check out a couple of Dodgers-related tidbits..

  • Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times tweets that even though the Dodgers signed Vicente Padilla at a bargain price, GM Ned Colletti says that the club probably could not afford another starting pitcher.  It sounds as though Jon Garland and Braden Looper just lost a suitor.
  • Unsurprisingly, Buster Olney of ESPN (via Twitter) hears that the Dodgers, as well as the Rangers, may not have the money needed to sign Ben Sheets.  Olney also tweets that the Mets and the A's might be in the best position to be aggressive, based on the agents' perception of which teams are still spending.

Olney On Lee, Pineiro, Orioles

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A look at the latest blog post from ESPN's Buster Olney…

  • Olney believes the Phillies could have and should have kept Cliff Lee.  He points out that they could've traded Joe Blanton and taken draft picks for Lee after the season, resulting in a similar prospect package to the one they received from the Mariners.  It's not the exact same, partly since Blanton could yet net draft picks for the Phils, but I agree with Olney's point.  The Phillies' decision to move Lee in tandem with the Roy Halladay trade just seems weird.
  • Consequences of the Angels' Joel Pineiro deal: the Mets could sign Jon Garland or Ben Sheets, and the Dodgers could bring Vicente Padilla back.  Newsday's Ken Davidoff gets the sense the Mets "have prioritized Sheets over Garland." 
  • Olney says the Orioles "are very comfortable letting the field of free-agent corner guys come to them, at their price."  On a related note, O's second baseman Brian Roberts said to MASN's Roch Kubatko that he'd love to have Miguel Tejada back in Baltimore.

Mets Rumors: Sheets, Pineiro, Molina, Torrealba

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Here's the latest on the Mets, who still have significant work to do…

  • MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone hears Ben Sheets will seek "at least $10 million, plus lots of incentives, and a second-year, player-controlled option."  He says that while the Mets' interest in Sheets is legitimate, they prefer Joel Pineiro.  The Mets made an offer – probably two years – to Pineiro.
  • Cerrone writes about Bengie Molina, saying the Mets "offered at least $1 million more than the Giants, and also offered a player-controlled option for 2011."  Cerrone believes Molina grew skeptical of playing in New York.
  • Ken Davidoff of Newsday writes of a "team-fan disconnect," in that a Mets official he spoke to expected the team to get hammered for not signing Molina, but most fans don't mind.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney writes of "signals being sent out on Tuesday night that the Mets are turning to Yorvit Torrealba."  David Waldstein of the New York Times suggests the Mets would have to pay extra for Torrealba to settle the catcher's two-year-old grievance as part of a new deal.   Rod Barajas is probably the only other starting-caliber free agent catcher remaining.

Sheets Impresses In Throwing Session

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WEDNESDAY, 7:52am: Sheets topped out at 92 mph on Tuesday, writes Tabby Soignier of The News-Star.  Mariners scout John Stearns' take:

"I was impressed.  Ben was free and easy, throwing the ball really well with not too much effort. He had good velocity. I was especially impressed with his curve ball. He's got a plus Major League curve ball with a lot of depth to it."

Soignier noted the presence of the Giants and Pirates, two clubs not on our list below (via Twitter, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette already says the Bucs won't be bidding).  Ed Price of AOL FanHouse adds the Phillies and Athletics, while adding more about Sheets' three throwing sessions.  Click here to see video from the session, as well as Sheets' interview with MLB Network's Trenni Kusnierek.

MONDAY, 7:14pm: Ben Sheets will have quite an audience when he throws for interested teams on Tuesday. It's no surprise that clubs are curious about the 31-year-old. He has a 3.72 ERA and nearly four times as many strikeouts as walks in his eight-year MLB career. He missed last year after undergoing surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon, so clubs want to see if Sheets is back in form before signing him. The right-hander told ESPN.com's Tim Kurkjian that he feels "refreshed" and "fantastic." Here's a list of teams that will be on hand this week to see for themselves.

D-Backs Out Of Sheets Derby, Payroll Stretched Thin

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The Diamondbacks were one of several teams who sent representatives to Ben Sheets' throwing session today, but according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic, the Snakes don't have any interest in the free-agent hurler.  Arizona GM Josh Byrnes tells Piecoro that the club is probably finished their winter shopping aside from maybe a bit more pitching that would have to come at a much lower cost than Sheets' estimated $7.5MM price tag.

Even if Arizona had taken a shine to Sheets, the club wouldn't have been able to afford him given Piecoro's news that the Adam LaRoche signing pushed the Snakes' budget to just under the $79MM mark for 2010.  Ergo, if the D-Backs struggle this season and don't contend for a playoff spot, the team is going to lose some money.  This isn't a major problem for Arizona Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick, who tells Piecoro, "we're willing to take that risk. We're not about making money. We're about winning and trying to avoid significant losses." 

LaRoche signed for a reasonable $4.5MM salary for 2010, but considering his notorious hot-and-cold stretches at the plate, D-Backs fans may not look too kindly on LaRoche slumping given his status as the "real difference-maker" (to quote Kendrick) of a player that the team broke the bank for.

Mets Looking To Add Two More Pitchers

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Metsblog's Matthew Cerrone reports that the Mets are interested in signing John Smoltz and one of either Joel Pineiro or Ben Sheets.  Cerrone notes that "all three have legit interest in pitching for the Mets on short-term deals," and that signing Pineiro or Sheets would indicate that Smoltz's role in New York would be as a reliever.

The Mets have been linked to this trio and several other starters this winter, but they have yet to make any significant additions to their starting rotation.  It's possible that pressure from fans and the New York media might be starting to take a toll on the club.  Cerrone cites a report from SI.com's Jon Heyman on The MLB Network in relation to Sheets, where Heyman said the Mets would like to make a "positive" signing in the wake of missing out on free agent catcher Bengie Molina. 

Cerrone passed on more info from Heyman and Tom Verducci's discussion of Sheets' throwing session today.  More than one scout told Heyman the pitcher looked like "the old Ben Sheets," and both Heyman and Verducci agreed that Sheets will sign a contract similar to Brad Penny's one-year, $7.5MM pact with the Cardinals.  Heyman named the Mets, Cubs and Rangers as interested suitors, while Verducci named St. Louis and Seattle as "a likely destination."

Odds & Ends: Arbitration Filings, Brewers, Blue Jays

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Got some more links for you on a hectic Tuesday…

  • Ed Price of AOL FanHouse has a list of salary figures exchanged by players and their teams at today's arbitration filing deadline.
  • MLB.com's Adam McCalvy breaks down the exchanged figures and the situations of the Brewers' remaining arbitration-eligible players.
  • Jordan Bastian of MLB.com says the Blue Jays' payroll "will probably be in the $60-63MM range" next season, down from a previously reported figure of $80MM.  Toronto's payroll, however, is "really a fluid number" according to Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos.
  • Colorado may sign veteran catcher Paul Lo Duca to a minor-league deal, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
  • In a text message to Tyler Kepner of The New York Times (via Twitter), Johnny Damon said he's "sure things will work out somewhere." Damon added that he hasn't ruled out a return the Yankees either.
  • The Phillies are discussing a multi-year deal with arbitration eligible center fielder Shane Victorino, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.
  • With Bengie Molina returning to San Francisco, the Mets primary catching target is now Yorvit Torrealba, according to ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter).
  • Morosi tweets that Joe Blanton filed for $10.25MM in arbitration today, but the Phillies countered with $7.5MM.
  • Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (via Twitter) spoke to a scout who saw Ben Sheets' throwing session today. "He threw very well. He threw easy," said the scout, who guessed that Mets, Cubs, and Rangers were the leaders for his services.
  • Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald tweets that the Marlins and Cody Ross are going to an arbitration hearing over a $250K difference.
  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tweets that the Astros and Wandy Rodriguez are $2MM apart in their arbitration case.
  • The Rays and B.J. Upton did not reach a deal today, and his agent indicated that the two sides will head to an arbitration hearing according to Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times (via Twitter). He later tweets that they may be just $300K apart.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com reports that the Cubs, Cardinals, and Dodgers are monitoring free agent lefty Mark Mulder. Late last week we learned that the Brewers were going to wait before deciding whether or not to offer Mulder a deal.
  • The Blue Jays have signed outfielder Jeremy Reed and righty Steven Register to minor league deals with invitations to Spring Training according to a team press release.
  • MLB.com's Ken Gurnick tweets that the Dodgers have signed catcher J.D. Closser to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. The former top Rockies' prospect last appeared in the big leagues back in 2006.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick penned a must-read on how Jack Zduriencik has transformed the Mariners in his short time at the helm.
  • SI.com's Tom Verducci took a look at the most efficient teams of the last decade. The Marlins, Athletics, and Rays highlight the best, while the Mets were among the least efficient.

Odds & Ends: Lincecum, Reds, Red Sox, Uggla, Molina

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Some Tuesday links…

  • After talking to someone familiar with the process, FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi guesses (via Twitter) that Tim Lincecum will file for somewhere between $12-13MM in arbitration.
  • John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer has the Reds' 2010 payroll at just about $70MM at the moment.
  • In a mailbag, Amalie Benjamin of The Boston Globe says that the Red Sox aren't likely to go out and spend on a high-risk, high-reward pitcher like Ben Sheets after signing John Lackey. 
  • Joe Frisaro of MLB.com doesn't think the Marlins will look to trade Dan Uggla, even after he agreed to a deal yesterday that makes him the team's highest paid player in 2010.
  • Meanwhile, Frisaro says that Cody Ross is likely headed to an arbitration hearing after negotiations hit an impasse.
  • Tony Massarotti of The Boston Globe wonders if the Red Sox are doing the right thing by going year-to-year with Jonathan Papelbon through his arbitration years.
  • After turning down the Mets' latest offer, ESPN's Buster Olney thinks (via Twitter) that the Mariners might be a good fit for Bengie Molina.
  • MLB.com's Adam McCalvy tweets that the Brewers will continue negotiating with their six remaining arbitration eligible players today, though GM Doug Melvin said that no multi-year deals are in the mix.
  • John Lowe of The Detroit Free Press says it wouldn't be a shock if Justin Verlander sought at least $6MM through arbitration this year after seeking $4.15MM last year. Joe Blanton received just under $5.5MM in his second year of arbitration, so I wouldn't be surprised if Verlander submitted a figure closer to $8-9MM.
  • Meanwhile, Lynn Henning of The Detroit News spoke to some scouts who think Austin Jackson might not be ready for the big leagues, at least at the plate. Jackson is slated to start the year as the Tigers' everyday center fielder.
  • MLB.com's Jason Beck tweets that the Jose Valverde deal is official.
  • The Rays aren't close to deals with any of their four arbitration eligible players, reports Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times. Tampa has a self-imposed deadline of noon ET today to get deals done, which is when the two sides must submit their salary figures.
  • In a chat with readers, Tom Boswell of The Washington Post said he heard the Nationals were close to a "trade for a major-league ready pitcher of Jordan Zimmermann quality but it fell through when the other team backed out." He thinks Josh Willingham may have been involved.
  • The Giants haven't confirmed if they're still interested in Miguel Tejada according to Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com, however he spoke to someone who says Tejada remains on the Twins' radar.

Molina Rejects Mets’ Most Recent Offer

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Free agent catcher Bengie Molina has rejected the latest offer from the Mets, according to a tweet by ESPN's Buster Olney. The team is now beginning to focus it's attention on Joel Pineiro.

We heard that the Mets were close to landing Molina earlier in the week, but apparently he had a change of heart. The two sides have been haggling over the length of a potential deal seemingly all offseason. The Mets are one of several teams interested in Pineiro, and they'll also be on hand to watch Ben Sheets throw today.

Earlier today we learned that GM Omar Minaya was never given a budget this offseason, and instead must seek approve from COO Jeff Wilpon on a case-by-case basis.

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