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Jose Reyes

Quick Hits: Indians, Iannetta, Mariners

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The Tigers extended their winning streak to ten games tonight with a 14-4 victory over the White Sox. Here's the latest from around MLB…

  • Deadline deals played a significant role in this year's AL Central race, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. The Tigers and Indians were both aggressive on the trade market in July and August, as our Transaction Tracker shows.
  • Chris Iannetta told Thomas Harding of MLB.com that he hopes to remain with the Rockies, though he has lost playing time to rookie backstop Wilin Rosario in recent weeks.
  • The Mariners announced that they promoted Roger Hansen, who is now a special assistant to GM Jack Zduriencik. The 50-year-old Hansen spent 18 years working for the Mariners in player development, most recently as the organization's minor league catching coordinator.
  • As Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal shows, Jose Reyes of the Mets has raised his on-base percentage to .375 with a counter-intuitive method.

Rosenthal On Wright, Showalter, Sizemore

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Let's take a look at the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • There are conflicting signals over the Mets' willingness to deal David Wright.  They've turned away suitors and the subject has hardly come up in internal discussions.  However, others in baseball think the club will look to deal Wright if they re-sign Jose Reyes.  Wright's club option for 2013 becomes void if he's dealt, making him a free agent after next season.
  • Orioles owner Peter Angelos is willing to give Buck Showalter virtually anything that he wants.  Sources tell Rosenthal that Angelos has told the skipper that he can stay on as manager while assuming the role of General Manager.  The club will have to work out Andy MacPhail's siutation before making any moves.
  • The chances of a new labor agreement being struck by the World Series seem to be diminishing.  Things are tough to handicap as things can pick up at anytime, but the two sides are very far apart on the draft.  The owners want hard slotting and a worldwide draft which would be a difficult undertaking.  Of course, free agent compensation, the luxury tax, and revenue sharing are also among the chief topics of discussion.
  • Grady Sizemore's future with the Indians might hinge on how he performs in the final weeks of the season.  The Tribe holds a 8.5MM option on Sizemore for 2012 but they'll be reluctant to exercise it on a player who hasn't played much recently.  One potential solution would be a contract extension with a lower base salary but the outfielder might prefer to test the open market.

New York Notes: Cano, Johan, Reyes

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The Yankees are waiting for the playoffs, while the Mets are jockeying for .500.  The latest on New York's teams…

Mets Notes: Reyes, Einhorn, DePodesta

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A few items of note regarding the Amazin's as they take on the Marlins at Citi Field:

  • In the wake of the announcement that the Mets' partial sale to David Einhorn fell through, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com wonders whether the Mets will be able to re-sign impending-free-agent shortstop Jose Reyes. The Mets' payroll is expected to be somewhere around $110MM in 2012, with $55MM already tied up in the combined salaries of Johan Santana, Jason Bay and David Wright.
  • The Wilpons, the Mets' majority owners, interpreted Einhorn's interest in seeking pre-approval to become controlling partner five years from now as a sign of his true intent, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. The deal was never a good one for the Mets, opines Heyman, who adds that a partnership is bound to fail when one side of it is banking on the failure of the other (Twitter links). I think Jon's on the mark with that.
  • Mets vice president of player development and amateur scouting Paul DePodesta has come a long way from his portrayal in the book Moneyball as a number-crunching sabermetrician, writes Tom Krasovic of Inside the Padres. I strongly recommend this piece, as Krasovic does a nice job depicting DePodesta's balancing act between evaluating numbers and old-school scouting.

Jose Reyes’ Final Month

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Jose Reyes, take note. All of the players to sign free agent contracts worth more than $100MM since the 2007-08 offseason capped their respective walk years with healthy, productive final months. If Reyes, who returned from a three-week stint on the disabled list tonight, hopes to sign a nine-figure deal (or, better yet, prove Fred Wilpon wrong and match Carl Crawford’s $142MM contract) it's in his best interest to finish the season in similarly strong fashion.

For Reyes to join Crawford in the $100MM club, he’ll probably have to show interested teams that he has recovered from the left hamstring issue that sidelined him for the past three weeks. No matter what Reyes does, he won’t silence questions about his ability to stay healthy for an entire season. But if the 28-year-old can finish 2011 with one more month of electrifying play, he’ll have a stronger case for a contract worth $100MM or more.

The most recent free agents to join the $100MM club wrapped up their walk years in style. Alex Rodriguez hit ten home runs after September 1st, 2007 before signing the biggest contract in MLB history. The next year, Mark Teixeira wrapped up his campaign with a .333/.417/.631 month that included five homers. His future teammate, C.C. Sabathia, posted a 2.11 ERA in 42 2/3 innings with a 43K/7BB ratio in Milwaukee that September, concluding a sensational three month stint with the playoff-bound Brewers.

The following year, it was Matt Holliday’s turn; the Scott Boras client finished his season with a .336/.405/.523 month that included five homers. Last year, Jayson Werth hit nine homers after September 1st for a monthly line of .300/.369/.600 while Crawford added four homers and posted a .360/.402/.588 line. And who could forget Cliff Lee, who posted a 1.93 ERA in September then contributed 35 2/3 innings of 2.78 ERA ball in the postseason as the Rangers reached the World Series (he had a 47K/2BB playoff ratio).

This is not to say that these players have a direct impact on the Reyes negotiations and it’s certainly not to say that they signed nine-figure deals because they had impressive numbers for a month. Teixeira, for example, could have hit .200 with one homer in September, 2008 and still signed for well over $100MM. However, Reyes isn't a surefire $100MM player, as Mets owner Fred Wilpon explained in a memorable New Yorker article this spring.

Teams will acknowledge Reyes’ game-changing skills even if he slumps in September and they’ll question his ability to stay healthy even if he plays every inning of every game from here on. That much is certain, but, to some extent, Reyes can change the way others perceive him between now and September 28th, when the Mets play their final game. The other recent additions to the $100MM free agent club finished the year with dominant months. Reyes can join them if he takes advantage of the season's final four weeks to convince teams he’s worth a mega-deal of his own.

New York Notes: Chavez, Reyes, Burnett

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Hurricane Irene washed out Saturday's contests for both New York clubs, and today's Braves/Mets game has been postponed as well. Weather permitting though, the Yankees and Orioles will play two, with Bartolo Colon and Ivan Nova looking to help the Yanks make up ground on the Red Sox in the AL East. Before they get underway, let's check out the latest from Queens and the Bronx….

Heyman On Reyes, Ortiz, Cole, Twins

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The market for Jose Reyes should still be strong after the season, Jon Heyman writes at SI.com. MLB executives tell Heyman that the Giants, Cardinals, Tigers, Angels, Nationals, Braves, Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees and Mets could be fits for the shortstop in terms of finances and positional need. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors…

  • Yankees people suggest they’re unlikely to pursue Reyes and Red Sox people say they don’t expect to spend big on a position player this winter.
  • The Red Sox haven’t discussed a new deal with David Ortiz, though they’re confident that they’ll be able to re-sign him after the season. Ortiz has expressed interest in a multiyear deal for a while, but the Red Sox don’t want to guarantee more than one year.
  • First overall draft pick Gerrit Cole is looking to approach Stephen Strasburg’s $15.1MM bonus and top Mariners pick Danny Hultzen is looking for $13MM plus money for school, Heyman reports. Keep track of which top picks have signed here.
  • The Twins appear to want to keep Joe Nathan when he hits free agency after the season, but they’ll probably let Matt Capps sign elsewhere.

Stark On Reyes, Bell, Astros, Slowey

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Jose Reyes’ injuries have hurt his free agent stock, as we saw earlier today. ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark surveys people around MLB to determine what kind of contract the shortstop will obtain in free agency. Here are the details and the rest of Stark’s rumors:

  • There’s buzz that the Mets were prepared to offer Reyes $100MM over five years earlier in the summer, Stark reports. It’s not hard to imagine the Mets scaling back their offer or replacing guaranteed years with vesting options now.
  • One of Stark’s sources estimates that each day on the disabled list costs Reyes $500K. However, there's no doubt that Reyes will see some substantial offers this winter.
  • Rival teams expect the Padres to trade Heath Bell this month, Stark reports. The Cardinals and Diamondbacks are the serious NL contenders with the worst record (62-53), which makes them prime candidates to make a claim on Bell. Assuming he does get claimed, the Padres will only be able to trade with the claiming team, so they’ll want to time his placement on waivers carefully.
  • The Astros’ sale is just a week away, Stark writes. Other clubs are hearing that incoming owner Jim Crane may drive payroll down to $50MM or below from $71MM.
  • One executive expressed his surprise at the Twins’ decision to keep Kevin Slowey, a non-tender candidate who’s currently earning $2.7MM at Triple-A. “If they'd traded him, at least they would have gotten something,” the person said. At least they would have gotten rid of the money. So I'm just not sure why he's still there."

Jose Reyes Injury Reactions

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Jose Reyes will be the top free agent middle infielder this offseason and one of the top free agents overall. However, the Mets announced yesterday that the shortstop is on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain for the second time this year. There's lots to like about Reyes, but injuries, especially recurring ones, can scare free agent bidders away. Here's the latest on Reyes:

  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson told Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger that to evaluate Reyes, you have to take everything into account. “As with all players, you’ve got to accept certain aspects of their performance, their makeup, their physical characteristics — and evaluate accordingly,” he said.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff wonders how the narrative surrounding Reyes' free agency will unfold this winter. Ultimately, we need to see how the season plays out first – as we've seen in the last six weeks, perceptions can change quickly.
  • One unnamed Mets player told Newsday's David Lennon that Reyes is "probably losing $100K a day on the DL." 
  • I said five weeks ago that Reyes would probably prove owner Fred Wilpon wrong and sign for Carl Crawford money. I now expect that Reyes will fall short of $142MM.

New York Notes: Reyes, Wade, Posada, Pelfrey

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The Mets have placed Jose Reyes on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain after examining the results of an MRI, the team announced.  This break in Reyes' season won't be filled by contract talks, however, as Newsday's David Lennon tweets that Reyes and his agents still plan to wait until after the season to begin negotiations.  Reyes' latest health issue isn't helping his reputation as an injury-prone player; as one unnamed Mets player tells Lennon (Twitter link), Reyes "is probably losing $100K a day on the DL," in regards to his next contract.

Here's the latest on the Mets and Yankees…

  • Right-hander Cory Wade has been the Yankees' "secret weapon" since joining the club on a minor league deal in June, writes Mike Axisa of the River Ave Blues blog.
  • Another low-profile Yankee acquisition, Eric Chavez, has also paid off for the Bombers, writes MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
  • Rival executives say the Yankees lead the league in waiver claims, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
  • As ESPN.com’s Buster Olney points out (on Twitter), the Yankees could use a second left-hander out of the bullpen in October. It won’t be surprising if they consider Arthur Rhodes, who will officially hit free agency later this week.
  • Jorge Posada will have to choose between a bench role and asking for his release, according to Olney, who says the Yankees won’t cut him (Twitter link).
  • The Mets intend to tender Mike Pelfrey a contract this winter, according to Newsday’s David Lennon. The right-hander earns $3.925MM now and could earn over $6MM in 2012.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

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