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Joel Pineiro

Mets Intrigued By Pineiro

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According to a team insider, the Mets are "particularly intrigued" by free agent righty Joel Pineiro, says Adam Rubin of The NY Daily News. The Mets are rumored to be looking to add an innings eater to their rotation, and Pineiro would fit that bill.

The 31-year-old led the big leagues with a 1.14 BB/9 this year, the lowest in four years by a pitcher who threw at least 200 innings according to Rubin. Pineiro's 60.5% ground ball rate also led the majors. He just finished up a two-year extension with St. Louis that paid him $7.5MM in 2009, though FanGraphs valued his performance at $21.5MM.

Mets Notes: Adrian Gonzalez, Marquis, DeRosa

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The incomparable Marty Noble answers many of the fan inquiries with his usual mixture of information and wit. Among other ideas, he considers:

  • Just what would it take, hypothetically, to bring Adrian Gonzalez to Queens? Noble believes a package of John Maine, Fernando Martinez and Ike Davis "and perhaps more would be one to consider seriously."
  • Noble likes Joel Pineiro more than Jason Marquis, adding that "I know the Mets are interested in [Bengie] Molina."
  • He says that while Mark DeRosa wouldn't be a top priority, "If they can't bring back Alex Cora, DeRosa would an even better fit."
  • He counters a fan's proposal to trade "Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez and Omir Santos to the Angels for Erick Aybar, Gary Matthews Jr., Ervin Santana and Jeff Mathis" with one of his own: "How about Perez for the rights to Albie Pearson?" Pearson was the 1958 AL Rookie of the Year, of course.

As usual, Noble is must-reading.

Diamondbacks Will Consider Multi-Year Pitching Options

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The Arizona Diamondbacks will consider making multi-year offers when they look at this year's pitching free agent class, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

Although Piecoro notes that GM Josh Byrnes has previously been reluctant to pursue free agent pitching, he writes that Byrnes could go that route this year. The free agent market looks particularly appealing given the Diamondbacks' relative lack of trade chips. Chris Snyder, who they've already discussed in at least one potential trade, has health questions and an unfavorable contract.

As for who the Diamondbacks might pursue, John Lackey is likely out of the question. Piecoro, however, suggests that a pitcher like Randy Wolf, Joel Pineiro, Jason Marquis, or perhaps a strong bullpen arm could be a possibility.

"Just looking at our payroll, we do have some flexibility going into 2011 and 2012," says Byrnes. "I don't think we'd do it just to do it, but if we felt like it was the right guy, we'd do a multiyear."

Heyman On Figgins, Pineiro, Braves

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SI's Jon Heyman reports from Chicago, where the GM Meetings are wrapping up…

  • The Phillies are "intent on pursuing Chone Figgins hard," while the Mets are also fans of the Seth Levinson client.  The Angels still hope to re-sign Figgins.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post has more on the Mets' interest, explaining that moving Luis Castillo would make signing Figgins easier.  Sherman thought another reasonable addition for the Mets might be Carlos Lee, but his idea was shot down by Ed Wade and a Mets official.
  • Heyman senses mixed signals with the Mets and Matt Holliday – Omar Minaya loves the player, but the money required will be huge and the Mets might be better-served spreading it around.
  • The Mets are interested in Joel Pineiro, and Minaya met with his agent Arn Tellem.
  • On Page 2 of the article, Heyman quotes a couple new Scott Boras gems.
  • Braves GM Frank Wren admitted he'll field offers on his starting pitching excess.  It appears inevitable that the Braves will trade one starter, Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
  • My Billy Wagner-Cubs idea should probably be put to bed, as Jim Hendry said he wouldn't spend a lot of money on a closer given Carlos Marmol's talent.  Marmol himself is due a large arbitration raise.

Mets Meet With Boras

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Mets GM Omar Minaya met with agent Scott Boras last night at the GM Meetings for 45 minutes, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Sherman says Matt Holliday, Alex Cora, Jarrod Washburn, and Rick Ankiel were discussed.

Of course, the Mets' plans extend beyond Boras clients, and Sherman says Bengie Molina sits atop their list of catching targets.  The Mets made a play for Molina four years ago.  Another target might be Chone Figgins, as suggested by SI's Jon Heyman.

Sherman sums up the Mets' offseason situation:

The Mets' priority list in order is a slugging left fielder, a high-end starting pitcher and a regular catcher. But a Mets executive said that if the club cannot land a significant left fielder they could spend more on a starter such as free agent John Lackey. For now, the Mets more are contemplating a mid-rotation type starter such as Randy Wolf, Joel Pineiro, Jason Marquis and Washburn.

In our recent Top 50 Free Agents list, we predicted the Mets will sign Holliday, Wolf, and Brad Penny.  All speculation at the time, and there hasn't been any actual connection to Penny so far.

Mets Notes: Holliday, Barajas, Pineiro

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Lots of newsbits swirling about the Big Apple's non-World Series winners…

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Mets will meet with Scott Boras tonight to at least get an idea of what it will take to sign Matt Holliday.
  • As reported earlier today, the Mets weren't interested in Jason Varitek but were considering Bengie Molina at catcher.  Sherman (also via Twitter) added Rod Barajas and Chris Snyder to the New York catching "wish list."
  • SI's Jon Heyman (via Twitter) reports the Mets are interested in Joel Pineiro, but not at his reported demand of a three-year/$30MM contract.
  • MLB.com's Barry Bloom figures that Gary Sheffield and Carlos Delgado are both done in New York after Mets GM Omar Minaya was very non-committal about the possibility of re-signing either of the two veteran sluggers.
  • The Toronto Sun's Bob Elliott, however, thinks the Mets will at least "keep an eye" on Delgado's progress in winter ball (via Twitter).

Heyman On Bradley, Gonzalez, Halladay

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Jon Heyman has the latest on Milton Bradley, Roy Halladay, Adrian Gonzalez, and plenty of other big names in his new column. Let's check out some of the highlights….

  • Although Texas and Tampa Bay seem like the most likely destinations for Bradley, one GM says the outfielder needs to play in a small market like Kansas City or San Diego.
  • If the Rangers were to acquire Bradley, they would probably want the Cubs to pick up about $16MM of the remaining $21MM on his contract.
  • People around baseball figure that Halladay is more likely than Gonzalez to be traded this winter. But a rival GM wouldn't be surprised to see both players get traded, since "sometimes new GMs like to put their stamp on a team."
  • If the Boston Red Sox are in the Halladay hunt again, don't expect them to give up as much as they would have this summer. One executive believes they offered too much.
  • Should the New York Yankees offer John Lackey a deal similar to the one they gave A.J. Burnett last winter, a competing GM thinks it would be enough to land Lackey, given teams' increasing reluctance to hand out long-term contracts.
  • The New York Mets are a little wary of Lackey's "alleged arm issues" but could be interested in second-tier free agent starters like Joel Pineiro and Randy Wolf.
  • Chone Figgins is a top priority for the Angels early in the offseason. They could attempt to re-sign Vladimir Guerrero later in the winter, but he's not a priority for now.
  • The Philadelphia Phillies would like to lock up Cliff Lee to a long-term extension that costs them less than $100MM.

Cardinals Not Expecting Much At GM Meetings

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Cardinals GM John Mozeliak is lowering expectations for this week even though his team has plenty of issues to address this offseason, according to Joe Strauss The St. Louis Post Dispatch.

"I'd say the chances of us making anything happen there is very small," said Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak, a central mover during last November's weeklong meeting at Dana Point, Calif. "My expectation is that this will be much more about MLB business." 

Mozeliak also said he believes that rookie David Freese should get first crack at the third base job next year, although the team publicly remains interested in Mark DeRosa. He also indicated the team plans to promote a young pitcher to fill one of the rotation spots vacated by John Smoltz and Joel Pineiro, while seeking a "short-term veteran" for the other.

Strauss mentions that if the team believes it can retain Matt Holliday for $17MM annually, they're likely to be disappointed because Scott Boras "is believed committed to finding a far more lucrative deal for Holliday than the eight-year, $136 million deal left fielder Alfonso Soriano accepted to sign with the Chicago Cubs in November 2006."

Odds & Ends: Cards, Red Sox, Jenks

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After a great ending to the NLDS in Colorado, we'll be without baseball for a couple days. But not to worry, the links are still coming. Here's another set….

  • In their ESPN wrap-up of the St. Louis Cardinals' season, the Baseball Prospectus staff speculates that if Dave Duncan leaves town, his reclamation projects like Joel Pineiro might follow to wherever he lands.
  • The BP staff also takes a look at the Boston Red Sox for ESPN, pointing out that it'll be difficult to upgrade the offense in 2010, with the contracts of Mike Lowell and David Ortiz still on the books. Olney suggests that Miguel Tejada could provide solid production for the Sox if Theo Epstein could convince the infielder to sign at a discount for a chance to "win now."
  • MLB.com's Scott Merkin writes that, while Bobby Jenks wants to stay in Chicago for 2010 and beyond, the closer isn't happy about the team's comments about his conditioning.
  • Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News expects Bruce Bochy and Brian Sabean to sign new contracts that will keep them in San Francisco — "probably within the next couple days."
  • The most important "free agents" for the New York Mets to target aren't actually players, according to Ben Shpigel of The New York Times. He wants the team to pursue managerial and front office options like Tony LaRussa and Kevin Towers, but is worried that none will still be available by the time the Mets give up on Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya.
  • Seeing Wilson Betemit mentioned as a minor league free agent prompted Tyler Hissey of Around the Majors to revisit last November's Nick Swisher deal that sent Betemit to Chicago.
  • U.S.S. Mariner's Dave Cameron provides an interesting read about putting together a major-league roster.

Discussion: Joel Pineiro

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Poised to start Game 3 of the NLDS for the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday, attempting to stave off elimination, Joel Pineiro will have his performance under a little extra scrutiny. Pineiro benefits from being part of a weak free agent class for starting pitchers, and is coming off his best season in a Cardinals uniform. A strong playoff showing this weekend could make him even more desirable for potential suitors.

The 31-year-old Pineiro set a career high in innings pitched (214 IP), starting 32 games for the NL Central champs. His 3.49 ERA and 1.14 WHIP were significantly lower than his career ratios of 4.39 and 1.34. Plus, he displayed outstanding control (1.1 BB/9), along with an ability to keep the ball in the park (0.5 HR/9).

Pineiro has said he wants to stay in St. Louis, but the Cardinals have a handful of potential free agents to worry about. Matt Holliday and Mark DeRosa have expiring contracts, and the Cards also hope to lock up Albert Pujols to a long-term deal. Pineiro's current two-year contract earned him $13MM, and SI.com's Jon Heyman expects the righty to sign for more money this time. Will St. Louis make re-signing their third starter a major priority this winter? Will another club make him a more lucrative offer? If you're a GM, do you trust Pineiro's performance in 2009, a contract year? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments section.

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