Mets Rumors: Bay, Holliday, Cameron, Delgado
A team insider suggests to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News that Jason Bay and Matt Holliday may be too expensive for the Mets to consider. Rubin hears that the Mets expect to trade for a left fielder or spend on a second-tier free agent, since the top outfielders on the free agent market may be too pricey.
A source close to Mike Cameron tells Rubin that the one-time Met wouldn't likely consider returning, since he wants to play center field (the Mets, of course, have Carlos Beltran in center). Gary Sheffield will not return to the Mets, according to Rubin.
The club intends to use Daniel Murphy at first base in 2010, but they have not ruled out bringing free agent first baseman Carlos Delgado back. The slugger would have to be willing to accept a low-cost, one-year deal, but Delgado won't likely see multi-year offers this winter.
The Mets are interested in signing Bengie Molina, but they may look elsewhere if he demands more years than they're willing to commit to.
Bradley Being Discussed In Three-Way Deal
9:01pm: The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan is reporting that Toronto "wants no part of Milton Bradley." Meanwhile, Cubs GM Jim Hendry said that Chicago hasn't given up on Bradley, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin. Of course, Hendry has to say that until the moment Bradley is traded.
5:55pm: A very interesting idea is being reported by Ken Rosenthal: a three-way deal, with Milton Bradley going to the Blue Jays, Luis Castillo to the Cubs, and Lyle Overbay to the Mets. Rosenthal said "The teams indeed have discussed the framework of such a deal, though not in direct fashion, according to major-league sources."
Breaking it down, the trade makes the most sense for the Mets, who would clear second base for long-coveted Orlando Hudson, a free agent. Overbay has also mashed righties for his entire career – .847 OPS career, .905 in 2009 – and could be paired with Daniel Murphy or Nick Evans for a high-reward platoon.
Castillo does block the movement of Ryan Theriot to second base when Starlin Castro arrives, but adding Castillo's on-base percentage would be a boon to the top of Chicago's lineup.
As for the Blue Jays, the deal would open up first base for Adam Lind, with Bradley slotting in as designated hitter. The question is: Overbay slugged .466 in 2009, while Bradley slugged just .397 – so is this an upgrade?
Mets Notes: Murphy, Ticket Prices, Payroll
Some notes on the year's most disappointing team…
- Newsday's David Lennon says Daniel Murphy will not be the Mets' starting first baseman next year. "Period. End of story."
- The Mets will cut their ticket prices next season, according to this press release (via Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post)
- Hubbuch notes that the Mets plan on making trades and signings to improve their club going forward. The team should continue to have one of the game's highest payrolls. They started the year with a payroll of $149MM, according to Cot's. Check out Tim's suggestions for the $35-40MM the club will have to spend this winter.
Odds And Ends: Mets, Padilla, Cardinals
Derek Jeter could become the all-time Yankees hit leader today, but in the meantime, here are some links:
- Jim Bastian of The Journal reports that the Dodgers re-signed Jamie Hoffman just two days after designating him for assignment in a procedural move.
- As Ben Shpigel of the New York Times notes, Daniel Murphy could start at first base for the Mets next year. This could allow the team to spend on an outfielder, perhaps even Jason Bay or Matt Holliday.
- MLB.com's David Ely says Vicente Padilla has been more than serviceable since the Dodgers picked him up to bolster their rotation in late August.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan says the Cardinals are the champions of the trade deadline. Matt Holliday, Mark DeRosa, Julio Lugo and John Smoltz have turned the Cards into a force.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer expects Jose Tabata to spend the next six years making the Yankees look foolish. The Pirates acquired Tabata in the Xavier Nady trade last summer.
- Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post gives Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd credit for the team's strong play.