Mets Prioritize Pitching
9:15pm: Michael Schmidt has a look at the amusing binder the Boras Corporation compiled to sell Oliver Perez.
6:31pm: Mets GM Omar Minaya commented on Manny Ramirez, indicating that he plans to invest in pitching instead.
2:34pm: The Mets expressed preliminary interest in Jon Garland and Ryan Dempster, according to Ken Davidoff. Dempster’s agent made it clear that he won’t be re-signing with the Cubs soon.
1:23pm: ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote in his blog this morning that the Mets are probably not willing to go past three years for Francisco Rodriguez or any reliever.
10:03am: More Mets chatter from Joel Sherman of the New York Post. He says the Mets and Rays have had preliminary discussions about Edwin Jackson and Andy Sonnanstine. The Rays have some interest in Aaron Heilman, though the Mets would need to give more.
Sherman believes the Mets’ interest in Ibanez is minor, and Carlos Delgado or Ryan Church would have to be dealt first.
9:45am: The Mets are prioritizing pitching this winter, based on articles by Mike Puma of the New York Post, Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News, and Ken Davidoff of Newsday. Let’s dig in!
- Puma says the Mets have Scott Boras clients Oliver Perez and Derek Lowe on the radar. Perez offers the benefit of familiarity, though he’s not likely to sign quickly. Ken Rosenthal says the Mets would probably do $12MM a year for Perez, but Boras will want more. Rubin notes that Lowe is doubly attractive to the Mets for his closing experience.
- Rubin lists the Rockies, Cardinals, Cubs, and D’Backs as potential trade destinations for Aaron Heilman. The Rays have also been connected to Heilman.
- Davidoff mentions Omar Minaya’s Javier Vazquez connection. ESPN’s Keith Law says the Vazquez to the Mets rumor "appears to have originated in the Chicago camp, and the White Sox are keen to move him."
- ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Mets inquired on Rays pitcher Edwin Jackson.
- Davidoff also points out the Mets’ interest in Raul Ibanez despite their emphasis on pitching. The Royals and Cubs are also in on Ibanez so far.
Heyman’s Latest: Sabathia, Burnett, Matsui
Here’s a look at the latest column from SI.com’s Jon Heyman.
- C.C. Sabathia is the Yankees’ top offseason target, and they’ll make him an offer beyond Johan Santana‘s $137.5MM. Heyman also sees the Yanks pursuing A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe, and Oliver Perez (with Ben Sheets a less likely target). Heyman’s sources believe the Yanks could even attempt to sign three free agent starters.
- The Yankees aren’t counting on Mike Mussina, and may wait on him before considering Andy Pettitte.
- Contradictory note from Heyman: the White Sox have no plans to try to keep Joe Crede or Juan Uribe, but might consider bringing Uribe back as a utility man.
- Heyman dismisses vague rumors about Hideki Matsui trade talks.
Mets Rumors: Wolf, Fuentes, K-Rod, Street, Pedro
11:37am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Mets are eyeing Randy Wolf, in addition to Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez.
Heyman adds that some Mets people are concerned about their catching, but others aren’t thrilled with the free agent options.
9:20am: All kinds of Mets rumors this morning.
- Let’s begin with the closer situation. The Mets are interested in Brian Fuentes, but Omar Minaya will not rule out Francisco Rodriguez. He makes a great point: contract numbers are tossed around early, but the player often fails to reach that amount.
- Joel Sherman says the Mets also want to speak to the A’s about Huston Street. However, his sources say the A’s feel they match up better with the Indians, Rockies, and Brewers (all interested parties). Rosenthal has Kerry Wood and Joe Beimel in the Mets’ sights as well. Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog believes J.J. Putz could be a trade target, with interest on the Mariners’ side.
- Ken Davidoff explains how the Mets could end up signing K-Rod – the Fuentes market blows up, while Rodriguez settles for less. I’m on board with that.
- The Javier Vazquez rumors were addressed in this post. Elsewhere on the starting pitching front – Minaya will talk to Pedro Martinez‘s agent, but he’s unlikely to return. Aaron Heilman won’t be moving to the rotation.
- We’ve heard about the Mets’ interest in Raul Ibanez, but Minaya does not seem to consider the offense a problem. He even spoke optimistically about a Luis Castillo rebound (though he did not give Castillo a ringing endorsement).
Odds And Ends: Miller, Ngoepe, Moss, Perez, Phillies
Here are some crumbs from the trade rumor loaf:
- Justin Miller, who spent the past two seasons working out of the Marlins bullpen, has reached agreement on a Minor League contract with the Giants.
- The Pirates signed an 18-year-old shortstop from South Africa, Mpho Ngoepe, a switch-hitting shortstop who made a cameo appearance in the recent Instructional League in Bradenton, Fla.
- The Mariners have signed center fielder Steve Moss to a minor league contact. Moss, 24, was a 2002 draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers, taken right out of high school. Last year, he batted .299 for the Long Beach Armada and was, according to his manager, ex-Mariner Steve Yeager, the best center fielder in the league.
- Umpbump’s Paul Moro says teams should be wary of Oliver Perez, whose ERA has benefitted from the Mets’ above average defense.
- The team that wins the World Series always cashes in. Will the Phillies have more money to spend this offseason as a result of their championship? And if so, will they spend it on Japanese free-agent pitcher Junichi Tazawa, or on free agent Pat Burrell?
Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com. He can be reached here.
Odds and Ends: Myers, Crede, Giants
Links for Wednesday…
- The Brewers snagged infielder Casey McGehee off waivers from the Cubs. The Crew also designated Joe Dillon for assignment.
- The Reds signed 16 year-old lefty Ismael Guillon out of Venezuela.
- MLB.com’s Marty Noble discusses the Mets and impending free agents Oliver Perez and Pedro Martinez. The Mets will entertain re-signing Perez at their price, but they’ll let Pedro leave. Any guesses on where he pitches next year?
- Joe Pawlikowski at River Ave. Blues would like the Yankees to sign free agent outfielder Juan Rivera. Brian Cashman traded Rivera, Randy Choate, and Nick Johnson to the Expos for Javier Vazquez back in 2003.
- Brett Myers never wants to pitch in Boston again.
- Two more free agent bargains from Dave Cameron: Joe Crede and Dave Ross. Crede would be a solid one-year signing for the Dodgers or Twins.
- South Side Sox doesn’t see the White Sox adding much else for second base. There goes my Ray Durham idea.
- El Lefty Malo examines the latest Giants rumors.
- J.C. Bradbury provides values for Vladimir Guerrero, John Lackey, and Garret Anderson.
Odds and Ends: LaCava, Colletti, Andruw
Links for Wednesday…
- I did a Q&A with the Roselle Press. The article includes a sweet picture of me hacking the Internet.
- Greg Cote of the Miami Herald speculates on the new-look 2009 Marlins. If defense is a goal, they could look to acquire Adrian Beltre and try Jorge Cantu at first base. Randy Winn could improve the defense in right.
- John Fay runs through the Reds’ nine free agents. He believes Jerry Hairston Jr. wants to return.
- Brian Cashman wants to acquire a real first baseman, rather than have Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui spend time there.
- The Mariners received permission to interview Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava, according to Geoff Baker.
- It’s still not known whether the Dodgers will bring GM Ned Colletti back for the final year of his contract. Interesting note from ESPN’s Buster Olney – the Andruw Jones signing was engineered by owner Frank McCourt rather than Colletti.
- Olney feels Brian Cashman is more likely to pursue Derek Lowe than Mark Teixeira.
- Will Joe Girardi’s presence discourage free agents from signing with the Yankees?
- McCovey Chronicles sees the Giants trading for a second or third baseman this winter. I tossed out a bunch of names in my Offseason Outlook.
- Pedro Alvarez clammed up when asked precisely what time he accepted the original deal from the Pirates.
- MetsBlog tries to figure out whether Ryan Church loves or hates New York.
- Oliver Perez predicts a tough offseason following the Mets’ final-day elimination. On the bright side, he stands to earn a ridiculous amount of money as a free agent.
How To Fix The Mets
I will offer my own opinions on how to improve the Mets in the Offseason Outlook, due within a few weeks. Many journalists have already weighed in – let’s take a look.
- Newly added bullet: John Harper of the New York Daily News. He advises the Mets to decline Delgado’s option while signing Orlando Hudson, Raul Ibanez, and Derek Lowe and trading for J.J. Putz. Say goodbye to Castillo, Perez, and Martinez in this plan.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday: Sign free agents Francisco Rodriguez, Darren Oliver, Juan Rivera, Fernando Tatis, and Wes Helms. Also sign one of Jon Garland, Derek Lowe, or Oliver Perez. Exercise Carlos Delgado‘s $12MM option. Trade/release Aaron Heilman, Duaner Sanchez, Scott Schoeneweis, and Luis Castillo.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post: Sign C.C. Sabathia, even if it takes $150MM over six years. Sherman notes this would lessen the load on the bullpen (Sabathia averaged 7.23 innings per start in ’08). I prefer this plan to spending $100MM on K-Rod and a mid-tier starter.
- Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog: Buy Delgado out for $4MM rather than exercise his $12MM option. Interesting, unconventional thought by Cerrone. Cerrone, like Davidoff, finds the idea of trading David Wright or Jose Reyes to be misguided.
Mets Rumors: K-Rod, Castillo, Pedro
Let’s collect some a few postmortem Mets articles floating around this morning.
- Ken Davidoff suggests the Mets patch up their bullpen with Francisco Rodriguez. It’d be an obvious overreaction, and would ignore past history of big money tossed at relievers. The Mets had a firsthand look with their own Billy Wagner signing. $43MM for 193.3 innings – was it worth it?
- David Lennon believes Luis Castillo is as good as gone, though I’d be surprised if eating half of his contract is enough. Would Castillo get a three-year, $9MM deal on the open market right now given numerous palatable one-year options? Adam Rubin sees the Mets trading Castillo, Aaron Heilman, and Scott Schoeneweis (he suggests eating 90% of Castillo’s contract).
- As for the rotation, Lennon doesn’t see the Mets involved on C.C. Sabathia, Ben Sheets, A.J. Burnett, Oliver Perez, or Pedro Martinez. I imagine the Mets will add one starter to follow Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, and John Maine though. Freddy Garcia could make sense. Rubin says Derek Lowe and Brian Moehler are rumored possibilities, though Moehler already re-signed with Houston for ’09.
- Bob Klapisch wonders if the Mets should consider trading Jose Reyes, David Wright, or Carlos Beltran to shake up the team.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Mets, Brewers, Astros
Ken Rosenthal has a lot to offer in his latest Full Count video:
- The Mets will prefer to pickup Carlos Delgado‘s $12MM option rather than buy him out for $4MM. That’s a guarantee for a guy who should finish the year around 35-100 despite not contributing for the first two months.
- According to sources, Manny Ramirez is unlikely to go the Mets. They will more likely focus their spending on pitching. John Maine has a bone spur in his right shoulder. Pedro Martinez and Oliver Perez are free agents. The Mets will need to go after starting pitching.
- If the Mets go after Francisco Rodriguez, would they dangle Billy Wagner on the trade market in his contract year?
- If the Astros sign Ben Sheets and Randy Wolf, they’d become immediate contenders, if not division favorites.
- To recoup the loss of Ben Sheets and C.C. Sabathia, the Brewers might want to trade J.J. Hardy or even Prince Fielder for a pitcher to join Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, and Dave Bush. I can’t see them trading Fielder and a lot will be determined by how they fare in the playoffs.
- Casey Blake will be in high demand this offseason. As a third baseman, his only real competition is the fragile Joe Crede. Blake can play 1B, 3B, RF and LF. He’s a good fit for the Dodgers to re-sign but, according to Rosenthal, he may want to go closer to his Iowa home.
Heyman’s Latest: Bowden, Helton, Maddux, K-Rod
Let’s take a look at the latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman.
- Despite the headline "Nats GM in trouble," Heyman says Jim Bowden has the support of his bosses. They do not blame him for Aaron Crow and are not concerned with his possible connection to the scout skimming scandal.
- Heyman suggests the Rockies could shop first baseman Todd Helton this winter if he demonstrates a healthy back in September. Here’s the thing – if Helton was a free agent and you had to give him a three-year deal, what would you pay? $5MM a year maybe? Are the Rockies going to eat $40MM? Helton might have to be swapped for another bad contract.
- Heyman sees Ryan Dempster getting four years and $48MM, and Oliver Perez snagging $60MM over five. Are they worth that?
- People close to Greg Maddux are saying he wants to pitch next year. Heyman also sees John Smoltz and Tom Glavine back in ’09.
- "Some are expecting" the Reds to be big players in free agency this year. The Reds figure to be in the market for catching and outfield help. Manny Ramirez would be interesting.
- Heyman wonders if the Mets will be players for Francisco Rodriguez this winter.