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Brian Fuentes

Fuentes’ Price A Bit High For Mets?

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According to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News, Brian Fuentes’ agent told the Mets he’s looking for three years and $10-11MM per.  The article headline says this demand "rocks" Omar Minaya, but the body of the article just says Minaya finds it "a bit high."  It’s hard to imagine the Mets being surprised by Fuentes’ asking price, as most fans could’ve guessed it.  Earlier reports actually had Fuentes asking for more.

Rubin says the Mets will negotiate on parallel tracks for Fuentes and Francisco Rodriguez, content to sign either closer.

Other minor news: Minaya confirmed interest in Raul Ibanez, and will talk with Scott Boras at the winter meetings to determine Oliver Perez’s asking price.

Brown’s Latest: Fuentes, Hoffman, Wilson, Aurilia

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Here’s a look at the latest from Yahoo’s Tim Brown.

  • The Mets kicked around the idea internally of signing both Brian Fuentes and Trevor Hoffman.  The eighth inning would be a tough sell for either pitcher though.
  • Brown says that if the Angels fail to sign Mark Teixeira they will try to sign C.C. Sabathia as well as a closer like Fuentes.
  • The Dodgers want the Pirates to eat "a huge chunk" of the $7.85MM Jack Wilson has coming.
  • The Giants and Dodgers have shown interest in Rich Aurilia.

Mets Rumors: K-Rod, Dye, Vazquez

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6:22pm: According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, Minaya has reached out to K-Rod and Fuentes.  He says the Mets prefer free agency to trading. 

We also have a rumor from Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  He says the Mets offered Aaron Heilman to the Rockies for Street shortly after Colorado acquired him.  The Rox wanted the Mets to add Pedro Feliciano, and the Mets refused.  MetsBlog has more insight into the team’s plans.

1:33pm: Rounding up today’s Mets rumors…

  • On Friday, David Lennon of Newsday said the Mets had received Francisco Rodriguez’s medical records.  He also had Omar Minaya saying the club’s doctors were looking it over.  However, Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post writes today that the Mets did not receive the records until yesterday afternoon.  According to Hubbuch, the Mets told Paul Kinzer they’ll get back to him after Thanksgiving regarding K-Rod.
  • Hubbuch names five other Mets targets: Brian Fuentes, Kerry Wood, Trevor Hoffman, J.J. Putz, and Huston Street.
  • Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News talked to Minaya, who said the Mets have not made offers to any free agents yet.
  • In case you missed it, Ken Rosenthal had several Mets nuggets in today’s column.  He said the Mets balked at Chicago’s asking price for Jermaine Dye, and aren’t enamored with Javier Vazquez.  Rosenthal believes the Rays’ Andy Sonnanstine "represents a more desirable target" for the Mets.
  • SI.com’s Jon Heyman rattles off a list of the Mets’ free agent targets, which does not include Manny Ramirez.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Dye, Burrell, Young

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Here’s a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

  • Rosenthal says the Braves are interested in A.J. Burnett, but you already knew that.
  • Rosenthal believes Trevor Hoffman to the Dodgers "makes sense."
  • The Red Sox apparently have confidence they could trade Mike Lowell if need be, but rival execs believe he’d have to prove his health in spring first.  Lowell has two years and $24MM on his deal. 
  • The White Sox want a young starter and additional players for right fielder Jermaine Dye.  The Mets, Rays, and Phillies are "balking at such a price."  Rosenthal learned that most of the six teams on Dye’s no-trade list are in the northeast.  Interesting that the White Sox are still willing to trade Dye after moving Nick Swisher.
  • The Mets "aren’t enamored" with Javier Vazquez.
  • Rosenthal suggests the Rays will sit back and hope one of the free agent DH-types becomes a bargain for them.
  • SI.com’s Jon Heyman wrote on Friday that the "Braves, Dodgers, and Mets are believed to be among teams that have inquired about Rangers starting pitchers Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla."  However, Rosenthal says the Braves and Mets are not interested in either pitcher and the Rangers aren’t desperate to move them.
  • Rosenthal has Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, and Pat Burrell on the Angels’ radar if they fail to sign Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, or Manny Ramirez.
  • A rival GM tells Rosenthal Twins outfielder Delmon Young is "very, very much out there."

Mets Rumors: K-Rod, Fuentes, Vazquez, Garland

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The latest on the Mets.

  • Joel Sherman believes the Brewers could interfere with the Mets’ attempts to sign Brian Fuentes or Francisco Rodriguez.
  • Ben Shpigel of the New York Times wrote this weekend that the Mets don’t appear likely to dabble in the second-tier relief market for pitchers like Juan Cruz or Joe Beimel.
  • Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog passes along a John Harper article from the New York Daily News, adding his own commentary.
  • Harper believes the Mets may have to move on to Javier Vazquez, Jon Garland, and Edwin Jackson due to the high price tags on Boras clients Oliver Perez and Derek Lowe.

Other Suitors For Sabathia, Rodriguez, Fuentes

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post offers some potential spoilers for the Yankees and Mets in regards to C.C. Sabathia and closers Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes.

Sherman suggests that Sabathia could wind up in an Angels uniform if Mark Teixeira isn’t re-signed. Owner Arte Moreno won’t wait around for Scott Boras’s games, and has stated that he’ll make an offer with a time limit. If Teixeira can’t be had, the Angels will likely shift their focus to Sabathia.

Sherman likens this situation to that of the 2004 Astros, who waited until mid-January for Boras and Carlos Beltran to decide on the Mets. That loss crippled the Astros’ offseason, as their #2 and #3 targets had by that point been signed. Sherman feels Moreno won’t make that mistake. Sabathia has pointed out a strong desire to pitch in the National League and/or on the West Coast:

He has placed a value on either the NL and/or West Coast, and could take less to fill at least one of those desires. How? Remember that Johan Santana’s current pitching record deal of six years at $137.5 million is loaded with deferrals that make the real present-day annual average not $22.92 million, but $20.66 million. So maybe a West Coast team only has to beat that lower annual total.

Sherman also feels the Brewers could swoop in and snatch up a top-tier closer away from the Mets. The Brewers have shown a willingness to pay for this position (offering Francisco Cordero a four-year, $40MM contract, and then signing Eric Gagne to a one-year, $10MM deal when Cordero went to the Reds). Sherman offers a scenario where the Ben Sheets accepts the Brewers’ arbitration offer to re-build his reputation on a one-year, $15MM deal, which could alleviate the need for starting pitching and lead to the Brewers signing a top-tier closer.

With the Angels freeing up a lot of money, and Salomon Torres telling the Brewers he’s hanging it up, both of these situations seem plausible, particularly the Brewers scenario if you ask this guy. What does everyone else think? Can the Angels really land Sabathia?

Rosenthal’s Latest: Teixeira, Lowe, Everett

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Time to discuss Ken Rosenthal’s latest…

  • Mark Teixeira is likely to sign before Manny Ramirez.  The Nationals and Orioles are in the mix, but the Angels and Red Sox are more likely destinations.
  • One GM predicted Raul Ibanez will receive a three-year deal worth $8-12MM per year.  Not exactly going out on a limb there.  ESPN’s Jayson Stark named a dozen teams that have expressed interest.
  • Rosenthal says the Mets are more likely to sign Brian Fuentes or Francisco Rodriguez than to acquire a closer via trade.  Doesn’t exactly fit with Stark’s statement that J.J. Putz would go to the top of the Mets’ list if available.
  • Scott Boras emphatically disputed the notion that he wants a Barry Zito-like contract for Derek Lowe.
  • Rosenthal wonders if Adam Everett would make sense for the Tigers.

Mets Targeting K-Rod, Fuentes

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Adam Rubin, David Lennon, and Jon Heyman each provide info on the Mets’ search for a closer today.  Let’s take a look.

  • Rubin talked to Francisco Rodriguez’s agent Paul Kinzer, who says that due to a paperwork mixup, he still doesn’t have K-Rod’s medical records from the Angels.  Once Kinzer gets those, the Mets and other teams will review K-Rod’s history.  Rubin says Brian Fuentes might do a tour before signing, but there are no plans for Rodriguez to visit New York.
  • Lennon says the Mets are also waiting for Fuentes’ medical records.  The Mets are fixated on Fuentes and Rodriguez, but want to interview both to aid their decision.  Lennon says the Mets will resolve their closer situation before moving on to other concerns.
  • According to Heyman, Mets people are leaning toward K-Rod over Fuentes.  The Mets may have to stretch to four years to get him.

Mets To Make Offers To Free Agent Targets

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According to David Lennon of Newsday, the Mets will make offers to Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes this week, and perhaps Derek Lowe and other starters.

Rather than attempt to scare other teams off with massive initial bids, the Mets will make small offers and work their way up.  It seems that the sticking point with K-Rod will be guaranteeing a fourth year.  That was what they had to do to get Billy Wagner three years ago.

Closer Roundup: K-Rod, Fuentes, Wood, Hoffman

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post takes a look at the sudden surplus of potentially available closers in major league baseball, a situation that certainly benefits the Mets considering their need to upgrade the bullpen this offseason.

Two free agent closers that seemed destined to retire with their 2008 teams, Trevor Hoffman and Kerry Wood, now appear to be more available than was expected in October. That pair, along with Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes, give the Mets and other teams several options in free agency.

Other relief pitchers with experience in the 9th inning have been recently mentioned in trade rumors. The list includes Huston Street, who may move again before the 2009 season begins, along with JJ Putz, Jose Valverde, and Bobby Jenks, mentions Sherman.

Sherman also provides a short list of teams, beyond the Mets, that may need a reliever with closing experience for 2009. The Texas Rangers, seemingly always short on pitching these days, may be a good fit for Kerry Wood; the Detroit Tigers, the St. Louis Cardinals, and most recently the Milwaukee Brewers, faced with the sudden retirement of Salomon Torres, are also in need of 9th inning help.

Sherman suggests Fuentes may be the favorite for the Mets’ closing job at this point.

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