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Mets Consider Offer For Molina

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MONDAY, 7:44pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Mets are considering offering Molina a deal that would pay him $6MM next year and include an option for 2011. It's not clear what kind of option they're considering. The Mets would prefer not to offer Molina a two-year deal, but they haven't ruled such a deal out.

9:52pm: Newsday's Ken Davidoff says that the Mets are considering Rod Barajas as an alternative to Molina. What do you think: genuine interest, or a smoke screen to put some pressure on Bengie?

SUNDAY, 3:02pm: Jon Heyman says, via Twitter, that the Mets are trying to wait it out when it comes to Molina. According to Heyman, the Mets figure that other teams with catching needs, such as the Royals and Rangers, have less money than them.

Are the Mets wise to wait on Bengie? Or, are they running a risk of losing out on what seems to be their main target for starting catcher in 2010? Gregg Zaun already signed with the Brewers this week, eliminating one possible alternative from this year's free agent crop.

SATURDAY, 9:19am: Despite signing both Henry Blanco and Chris Coste recently, the Mets are still looking to add a catcher according to Bart Hubbuch of The NY Post. Manager Jerry Manuel and pitching coach Dan Warthen hold last year's catching corps partially responsible for the team's 4.46 ERA, though I think the fact that Livan Hernandez, Tim Redding, Oliver Perez, Nelson Figueroa, and Pat Misch combined to make 71 starts is more to blame.

Hubbuch says the primary catching target appears to be Bengie Molina, whose 20 homers in 2009 was nearly double what the Mets got out of their catchers. Molina is a Type-A free agent, but he wasn't offered arbitration, meaning it won't cost a draft pick to sign him. Giants' GM Brian Sabean recently said that he believes Molina "probably has been offered" a multi-year deal by another team, though we haven't heard any more about that.

Royals Eyeing Jason Kendall, Rod Barajas

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The Royals are considering catchers Jason Kendall and Rod Barajas in addition to Ivan Rodriguez, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.  These three, as well as Bengie Molina, Yorvit Torrealba, and Miguel Olivo, are part of a catching musical chairs game that involves the Royals, Giants, Mariners, Rangers, Mets, Nationals, and Rockies to varying degrees and combinations.  It's a low-OBP group as usual; what's your preference?

Rockies Rumors: Betancourt, Barajas, Green

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Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has the latest on the Rockies…

  • Decision-time for free agents offered arbitration is about nine hours away.  Rafael Betancourt will take that decision right down to the wire, says his agent Alan Nero.
  • The Rockies have an eye on Rod Barajas in the event they can't re-sign Yorvit Torrealba.  Barajas has been linked to the Mets and Giants recently; he too must decide on an arbitration offer tonight.  He's expected to decline.
  • The Rockies also like Nick Green for a utility role; he's been linked to the Dodgers already.

Overnight Links: Red Sox, Jays, Posey, Past Deals

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Some overnight links for your viewing pleasure as we start to get into the real late hours of the night:

  • USA Today's Bob Nightengale says good morning with a series of tweets; Nightengale says he continues to hear Edwin Jackson's name floated about, and that "most executives" feel he'll be traded soon. He also wouldn't be surprised to see Adrian Beltre fall into Boston's lap if he declines arbitration. Not sure where he envisions Mike Lowell in that scenario.
  • Jeff Zrebiec lists ten trade targets for the Orioles, though he admits that some are highly unlikely. In a separate piece, Peter Schmuck opines that it's not a waste of money if the O's spend money on free agents this offseason to add a few wins and show future free agents that Baltimore is trending in the right direction.
  • Alex Speier of WEEI.com explains why it would be unlike the Red Sox sacrifice a high draft pick for a free agent reliever such as Mike Gonzalez or Rafael Soriano.  As you know, Boston currently owes their first-round #29 pick to the Blue Jays for signing Marco Scutaro.
  • Anything can happen at the Winter Meetings, writes Peter Schmuck, who reminds us of the 1990 deal between the Blue Jays and Padres that sent Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez to San Diego for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter. That trade started off as a minor discussion.
  • The Boston Herald has ten things to keep in mind at this year's Winter Meetings.
  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch looks at how the economy will affect this year's Winter Meetings, and poses five key questions to keep in mind this time around.
  • Gordon Wittenmyer looks at why the Cubs are optimistic that they can move Milton Bradley this offseason.
  • Count Tim Wakefield and Daniel Bard among those in the Jason Bay camp for the Red Sox, says Michael Silverman. While Matt Holliday may be a more complete player, Wakefield and Bard would prefer their friend and proven AL East commodity. Good read, if for no other reason than Wakefield's quote at the end on how closely he follows the offseason: "…We’ll be sitting in the dugout in spring training in Fort Myers and I’ll look across and be, ‘How the hell did he get over there?’ ”
  • John Tomase touches on the Red Sox needs this offseason. Tomase hits most of the names we've already heard, and throws Mark DeRosa and Jamey Carroll into the mix as well.
  • Quick! Who do you see spending the most money on the draft in 2010? Bet you didn't guess the Blue Jays (unless of course you took into consideration the large hint I provided in the title of this post). Reports are that the Jays will have a ridiculous $16MM to spend on the draft in 2010. The Jays have eight picks in the first three rounds (nine if Rod Barajas signs elsewhere), and plan to take full advantage of it.
  • El Lefty Malo takes a look at the possibility that the Giants sign Jason Kendall as their starting catcher because of the belief that Buster Posey isn't ready. Apparently, it's not a thought that sits well.
  • MLB.com looks back at some of the best trades and free agent signings by each club in the National League and American League since the era of Divisional play began. They've also got a more generic list of the best moves of the past 40 seasons.
  • Per Kyodo News, several teams have expressed interest in So Taguchi, according to his agent Alan Nero. Several teams? Can't say I expected that one.

Giants Notes: Rodriguez, Uggla, Bumgarner

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Let's take a look at some Giants tidbits courtesy of Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News…

  • We heard earlier today that the Giants are one of a handful of teams interested in Ivan Rodriguez.  It has also been reported that the club is interested in Yorvit Torrealba and Brad Ausmus as they look to ease Buster Posey into the role of catcher.  However, Baggarly says Miguel Olivo, Rod Barajas, and Jason Kendall are more likely targets.
  • Although Florida's Dan Uggla is highly coveted by GM Brian Sabean, he is unwilling to sacrifice valuable commodities such as left-hander Madison Bumgarner to get him.
  • Just as the club wants to wait before giving Posey the reins as starting catcher, they would like to have Bumgarner start the year in Triple-A.  In order to do this, they need to find a fifth starter.  If they cannot retain Brad Penny, they'll have to look out-of-house.

Blue Jays Offered Two Years To Scutaro

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Talking to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian yesterday, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos revealed new information about Marco Scutaro.  Anthopoulos said "there was a time when we offered a two-year deal," but obviously the two sides couldn't come to terms.  Anthopoulos finds it unlikely that the Type A free agent will accept arbitration, but said Scutaro would be used in the outfield if he does.

Also, Anthopoulos finds it "highly, highly unlikely" that Type B free agent catcher Rod Barajas accepts the Jays' arbitration offer.  Anthopoulos said of contract talks with Barajas, "it seems the term and the dollars are far beyond what we would feel is appropriate for us."

The Blue Jays have already moved on at shortstop, while the catcher search involves trade possibilities, current free agents, and an eye on the non-tender candidates.  The Jays have draft picks next year at #11, #38, #44, #69, and #75 within the first three rounds.  It appears that they'll add two more supplemental picks and probably a first or second-rounder when Scutaro and Barajas depart.

Blue Jays Offer Arb To Scutaro, Barajas

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The Blue Jays offered arbitration to free agents Marco Scutaro (A) and Rod Barajas (B), tweets Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. 

Most believe Scutaro will turn down the offer in search of a multiyear contract.  If so, the team signing him will have to give up a draft pick.  The Jays could net two picks for Scutaro and one for Barajas, assuming both turn down the arb offers by December 7th.

Keep this in mind with Scutaro – while he is a Type A, his 83.069 number is outranked by Rafael Soriano, John Lackey, Mike Gonzalez, Johnny Damon, Jason Bay, Jose Valverde, and Matt Holliday.  It is possible the Blue Jays will not receive a first-round pick for Scutaro, instead getting a second or even third-rounder along with their supplemental pick.

Mets Talk: Cora, Catchers, Krivsky

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Let's gather up the latest Mets hot stove links…

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Jesse Spector of the New York Daily News, and Ken Davidoff of Newsday all trashed yesterday's signing of Alex Cora for $2MM.  The basic premise is that every dollar counts when you're up against a payroll limit, and uninspired signings like Cora, John Grabow, and Ramon Hernandez for $2-3MM hurt.
  • In that same blog post, Davidoff says the Mets "like Matt Holliday, but it's pretty apparent that they're not going after him the way they pursued Carlos Beltran five years ago."
  • The Mets are poised to add Henry Blanco and Chris Coste as backup options, but Davidoff says their top free agent target is Bengie Molina.  If he's offered arbitration today and turns it down later, Molina would cost the Mets' their #40 draft pick (unless they also sign a higher-ranked Type A who turned down arb, in which case their #40 pick would go to another team and the Giants would get #71).  Davidoff notes that Gerald Laird and Chris Snyder were Mets trade targets in the past, and that other free agent catchers would not cost a draft pick.  Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post says the Mets are interested in Type B free agent Rod Barajas.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASN talked to Orioles president Andy MacPhail about Wayne Krivsky leaving his special assistant position with the O's for a better position with the Mets.  Knowing that Krivsky wants to be a GM again, does this put more pressure on Omar Minaya?

Olney On Scutaro, Barajas, Johnson

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The Toronto Blue Jays will almost certainly offer arbitration to Marco Scutaro and Rod Barajas, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. In today's blog entry, Olney applauds the work being done by GM Alex Anthopolous, who will secure the team three compensation picks if Scutaro and Barajas sign elsewhere, as is expected.

Rather than re-signing Scutaro and Barajas, the Jays are attempting to replace their departing players with comparable options. Signing Alex Gonzalez and pursuing catchers like Yorvit Torrealba allows the team to avoid downgrading too significantly, while earning them compensation draft picks at the same time.

Within the same piece, Olney explains the reasoning behind the Marlins' reluctance to deal Josh Johnson this winter, comparing the situation to the Indians' handling of Cliff Lee. If Florida starts strong in 2010, Johnson will help them contend. If they fall out of the playoff race, however, they could potentially trade the right-hander before next year's deadline and still demand a significant return.

Olney also mentions that extension talks between Johnson and the Marlins hit a snag because the 25-year-old is looking for at least four guaranteed years, and the club didn't want to guarantee that fourth year.

Blue Jays Rumors: Barajas, Snider, Needs

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The only MLB city not celebrating Thanksgiving today has, predictably, been the main source of Thursday's hot stove talk. In a series of Twitter updates, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com brings us a few more Toronto Blue Jays notes….

  • It doesn't look like Rod Barajas will return to Toronto next year. The club plans to offer him arbitration, but the 34-year-old could have a multi-year deal lined up with another team.
  • GM Alex Anthopoulos on Barajas: "We're going to keep the dialogue open. But, right now, I don't see there being good chances of Rod coming back."
  • The Blue Jays have informed Travis Snider that he'll have to earn a spot on the team's Opening Day roster.
  • The upshot of Barajas' likely departure and Snider not being handed a starting role? The Jays' two primary needs are behind the plate and in the outfield, with catcher being the club's top priority.
  • Anthopoulos also cites the leadoff spot as something Toronto would like to address this winter.
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