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Jose Reyes

Rosenthal On Tigers, Reyes, Trout, White Sox

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The Rockies, who are about to start a series with the defending World Champions, have baseball's best record so far this year. GM Dan O'Dowd told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the team's resilience has contributed to its fast start. “We’re a confident, persistent club,” O’Dowd said. Troy Tulowitzki's hot streak hasn't hurt, either. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

  • One scout who has followed the Tigers this year predicts that they'll be looking for pitching help later this season. At some point minor leaguers Andy Oliver and Jacob Turner could help the Tigers, who are 12th in the AL with 77 runs allowed.
  • A rival official says Mets GM Sandy Alderson will not offer Jose Reyes $100MM to stay in New York. It appears likely that Reyes will be on the trading block this summer, so MLBTR's Steve Adams recently outlined some possible destinations for him.
  • Scouts are high on Angels prospect Mike Trout, praising his baserunning instincts, speed and power.
  • Jason Marquis is a potential trade candidate, according to Rosenthal. The Nationals' right-hander has a 3.26 ERA in three starts so far this season.
  • The White Sox don't plan to look outside of the organization for bullpen help at this point, despite their issues holding leads late in games.

Trade Candidate: Jose Reyes

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Good shortstops are always in demand, especially midseason. The number of contending teams in need of infield help almost always outweighs the number of quality MLB shortstops, so it stands to reason that a team not expecting to contend would be open to dealing its shortstop in the right situation. That's likely to be the scenario that we'll see this summer with the Mets and Jose Reyes.

Reyes, 28 in June, signed a four-year deal in August of 2006, and the Mets exercised their $11MM option this past offseason. Reyes hit the disabled list last year due to a thyroid issue after missing most of 2009 with a hamstring injury. He also battled through oblique strains over the course of the 2010 season, but appears healthy now. He's off to a nice .304/.333/.478 start with five stolen bases in five attempts.

Vintage form would see the switch-hitting Reyes as a 60-70 SB threat capable of hitting around 15 home runs while playing solid defense. That type of production would have teams lining up, but even with a more pedestrian season (by his standards), Reyes should attract significant attention at the deadline.

One knock on Reyes may be his career OBP of just .335, which the Mets said they'd like him to improve before considering a new deal. That OBP and his injury history may have been contributing factors in the recent Jayson Stark report that quoted one NL scout saying he'd recommend Reyes on a two-month rental, but not on a long-term deal. That may be just what's in store, as a month ago when Joel Sherman talked to five non-Met executives, not a single one saw Reyes returning to the Mets in 2012. So where might he end up? Let's look at some possible destinations:

  • Milwaukee – The Brewers are stuck with Yuniesky Betancourt as their primary shortstop for the time being, so it stands to reason they'd look to upgrade at the deadline. Their farm systems have been picked pretty clean by the Shaun Marcum and Zack Greinke trades, however.
  • San Francisco – The Giants are trusting Miguel Tejada and his nearly 37-year-old frame to be their everyday shortstop, and they don't have much in terms of contingency plans. Tejada's defense and OBP woes may have San Francisco looking for external options come July.
  • Cincinnati – The Reds are going with Paul Janish and Edgar Renteria to fill out their shortstop position, but they've looked for a leadoff hitter and a more concrete solution at short in the past. Reyes could fill both of those roles on a short-term basis in 2011 as they look to defend the NL Central title.
  • Minnesota – If the Twins can turn around their terrible start to the 2011 season, they could certainly use an upgrade over Alexi Casilla at shortstop. With newcomer Tsuyoshi Nishioka on the shelf, their middle infield depth is particularly weak at the moment. The Twins were said to be at their payroll limit entering the season, however.
  • St. Louis – Ryan Theriot and Skip Schumaker are currently playing up the middle for Tony La Russa, so it's not a stretch to see the Cardinals in search of a midseason improvement if they can remain in contention without Adam Wainwright. Like Minnesota, we heard that the Cardinals were low on funds late in the offseason.

Of course, injuries and other factors could lead other teams to enter the running for Reyes, as he currently only represents a midseason rental. The Mets will likely have a steep asking price for the three-time All Star, but teams are willing to part with elite prospects to make short-term pushes every year; 2011 should be no different.

Stark On Orioles, Beltran, Reyes, Carpenter

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The Yankees weren’t counting on much from Kevin Millwood when they signed him to a minor league deal and, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, that may be a good thing. Stark hears that Millwood “looks terrible” and isn’t throwing as hard as usual in extended Spring Training. Here’s Stark’s latest from around the league:

  • An AL executive expects the Orioles to be one of the most active sellers in baseball if they fade this summer. With Vladimir Guerrero, Derrek Lee, J.J. Hardy and others on the roster, the O’s have a lot of potential trade chips.
  • The Mets would ‘love’ to see Carlos Beltran play well enough to make himself appealing as a trade candidate. Scouts are already watching Beltran in case he’s available at the deadline.
  • One NL scout says he’d recommend Jose Reyes on a two month rental, but wouldn’t advise committing to the shortstop long-term.
  • Despite speculation that Chris Carpenter could be traded, most clubs expect the Cardinals to hold onto him. St. Louis holds a $15MM option for Carpenter in 2012 ($1MM buyout).

Heyman On Manny, Mets, Yankees, Dodgers

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Jon Heyman of SI.com points out that despite all of his antics, Manny Ramirez earned more than any players other Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. And unlike Jeter and Rodriguez, Ramirez was not a well-rounded player. Here’s Heyman’s latest from around the league:

  • There’s ‘growing suspicion’ that the Mets will look to trade veterans such as Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and Francisco Rodriguez if they are not contending midseason. Plus, Mike Pelfrey could find himself on the block.
  • Though the Yankees maintain that Phil Hughes is healthy, it’s troubling for them to see him pitching with reduced velocity. It’s part of the reason they have continued adding starting pitching depth, most recently with Carlos Silva.
  • Dodgers owner Frank McCourt had proposed a deal that would have seen FOX advance him $200MM, but MLB rejected it, according to Heyman. McCourt is losing the support of fellow owners, Heyman reports.

New York Notes: Feliciano, Reyes, Harris

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Links for Monday night, as Jorge Posada hits his third home run in two days…

  • Pedro Feliciano told Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork that he was upset to hear that Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen suggested he was overworked last year (Yankees GM Brian Cashman says he was "abused."). Feliciano maintains that he likes to pitch a lot and predicts he'll strike out Ike Davis when the Yankees face the Mets this year. Feliciano says he didn't sign with the Mets because they weren't willing to offer a multiyear deal.
  • As MLB.com's Anthony DiComo explains, the decade-long partnership between Jose Reyes and David Wright of the Mets may come to an end in 2011.
  • Willie Harris, who is off to a hot start with the Mets, drew interest from a half-dozen other teams this offseason, according to DiComo.

NL East Notes: Reyes, Werth, Amaro

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The latest on the NL East, before the Phillies, Mets and Marlins open their respective seasons…

Alderson On Perez, Castillo, Beato, Emaus, Reyes

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Mets GM Sandy Alderson held a blogger conference call today, and Metsblog.com's Michael Baron has the transcript.  Here are some of the hot stove-related notes…

  • Fan sentiment "came into play" in Luis Castillo's release, Alderson said.  The Mets "became aware about the sentiment in New York for [Castillo and Oliver Perez]….It's difficult to overcome that, so you evaluate player performance against presumption in the minds of the fans."  In Perez's case, Alderson said the southpaw just didn't pitch well enough to make the roster, so the fans' thoughts were moot.
  • Alderson says if the Mets are in contention, the club will have the money available to add a player if necessary.
  • Alderson thinks his team's farm system is underrated but he says the Mets "need to be more aggressive and successful in developing players out of the draft."
  • "There is a very good possibility we will keep both our Rule 5 picks" Alderson said, in regards to Pedro Beato and Brad Emaus.  The GM said that Emaus' Rule 5 status was a major reason the team gave him every chance to win the second base job this spring.  "If he was not a Rule 5 draftee, he wouldn’t have presented the immediacy that he does," Alderson said.  "If he’s not the starting second baseman, I’m not sure how much he helps us in a bench role. At least at the outset, you’re going to give him every opportunity."
  • If the Mets have a reduced payroll next season, they should still be able to re-sign Jose Reyes if they wish, given the number of contracts the team has coming off the books this winter.

Mets Notes: Rodriguez, Reyes, Finances, Wright

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Let's check out the latest Mets-related links, as Carlos Beltran makes his spring debut vs. the Red Sox….

  • Brian Costa of The Wall Street Journal explains one interesting way in which the Mets could avoid having Francisco Rodriguez's $17.5MM option for 2012 vest. K-Rod needs to finish 55 games this season to trigger the option.
  • All signs point to Jose Reyes playing for a team other than the Mets in 2012, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman talked to five non-Mets executives and not one expects to see New York re-sign Reyes. As we heard yesterday from SI.com's Jon Heyman, Reyes' OBP will be a major consideration as the Mets contemplate their future with the shortstop.
  • In a separate piece, Sherman wonders whether we'll see a full-fledged fire sale from the Mets, with the Wilpons attempting to keep control of the team. Two rival execs that spoke to Sherman said it would be wise for the organization to cut payroll nearly in half for 2012. If the club were to go in that direction, deciding whether to try to extend or trade David Wright would be the toughest call, says Sherman.
  • Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times examines why the Mets and Dodgers, two franchises with ownership uncertainties, are being treated differently by Bud Selig.

Mets Want Reyes To Improve OBP Before New Deal

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One of the key components of being a leadoff man is the ability to get on base, and people familiar with the Mets' thinking tell SI.com's Jon Heyman that the team wants Jose Reyes to improve his on-base percentage before they give him a multiyear deal (Twitter link). The 27-year-old posted a .321 OBP in 2010.

Reyes' OBP was an issue earlier in his career as well; he got on base just 30.3% of the time in his first three seasons, a span of 1,254 plate appearances. He responded by posting an OBP between .354 and .358 in the next three years before a hamstring injury shortened his 2009 campaign. Reyes' career OBP is .335, and for comparison's sake, leadoff hitters around the game got on base at a .329 clip in 2010.

Reyes will earn $11MM in 2011 after the Mets exercised the club option in his contract. He's scheduled to be a free agent after the season. Last month we heard that the team wants to see if Reyes can stay healthy this summer before offering him a new contract. That's fine with the switch-hitting shortstop; he recently said he prefers to wait until after the season to talk about a new deal anyway.

Olney On Zito, Brown, Jeter, Reyes

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As ESPN.com's Buster Olney points out, the Giants would have to have a legitimate alternative in place before dumping Barry Zito and the $64.5MM remaining on his salary. If Jeff Suppan earns a rotation spot or someone else pitches unexpectedly well, the Giants could consider releasing Zito, but until then they can use the durable left-hander. Here's more on the Giants and other notes from Olney:

  • Olney says now is the time for the Giants to dump Zito if they're ever going to do it. The Giants are coming off of a World Series title, so Olney argues that they're working from a position of credibility. They aren't likely to cut Zito, however.
  • As Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes, manager Bruce Bochy says Zito is the team's fourth starter and GM Brian Sabean says the team isn't frustrated with him.
  • One talent evaluator says "the athleticism has been taken out" of Domonic Brown's swing.
  • Derek Jeter's relationship with the Yankees will be defined by the team's perception of what's required to win, writes Olney. The team will likely be willing to put Jeter at the bottom of the order or switch him to another position if his performance declines. 
  • It's for that reason that Jose Reyes could become a solution for the Yankees when he hits free agency after the season.
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