Quick Hits: Giants, Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox
The latest trade rumors from around MLB…
- The Giants are still looking for bullpen help, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter), They had some interest in Francisco Rodriguez until they saw him pitch recently and they don't view Jonathan Broxton as the solution, Knobler reports.
- GM Ned Colletti says the Dodgers are far from done, and will continue to look for a starter and a position player, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets.
- The Mets would listen to offers for Scott Hairston and Tim Byrdak, but only for pieces who could help them next year, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (on Twitter).
- The Red Sox would like to obtain a right-handed bat, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe tweets. We covered more Red Sox rumors in a pair of AL East posts today.
Mets Notes: Wright, Byrdak, Santana
David Wright will get a cortisone shot for his sore ribcage, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News tweets. Here are some more Mets-related updates…
- Mets left-hander Tim Byrdak will have surgery to repair a torn meniscus, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. This means Byrdak figures to start the season on the disabled list.
- Rubin wonders if the Mets will open the season with both D.J. Carrasco and Miguel Batista on the 25-man roster or if a non-roster left-hander will make the team (Twitter link). Mike Gonzalez and Arthur Rhodes are free agent possibilities for GM Sandy Alderson to consider.
- Anthony DiComo of MLB.com runs through some of the lefties in Mets camp who warrant consideration for a spot in the bullpen.
- Mets officials agree that lack of overall depth is an issue for them, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets.
- "I truly believe we're going to do this right and that Johan Santana will be on this team Opening Day," Mets manager Terry Collins said, according to the Associated Press (via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Santana aims to return from a shoulder injury this year.
Quick Hits: Pirates, Cubs, Werth, Byrdak
The Cardinals won and the Braves lost, so only 2.5 games separate the two clubs in the National League Wild Card race. Here's the latest news from around MLB…
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington didn't say whether he intends to offer arbitration to Ross Ohlendorf this offseason, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Ohlendorf would earn a raise from his current $2.025MM salary if the Pirates tender him a contract this winter.
- The Cubs told scouting director Tim Wilken that he'll be back in 2012, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune. There had been some rumblings that Wilken would receive a four-year extension like the one director of player personnel Oneri Fleita obtained, but Wilken will return on a one-year deal.
- Giants officials acknowledged to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News that it will be hard to bring back both Jeremy Affeldt ($5MM option) and Javier Lopez (free agent) next year. The two left-handers could hit free agency this offseason.
- Jayson Werth told Bill Ladson of MLB.com that he still believes that the Nationals are headed for success. The outfielder hasn't lived up to his $126MM contract so far, but he says he has found his swing and regained his composure.
- Mike Mosa, the agent for Tim Byrdak, told MLBTR's Tim Dierkes that Byrdak's decision to sign an extension with the Mets had to do with the team's willingness to include an opt-out in his deal for 2011 (Twitter link).
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs explains that serious analysts don't believe "that awards voting should be done according to an ordinal ranking" of the wins above replacement statistic. WAR is a tool that guides baseball fans, not an absolute statement about value or ability.
- In this week's edition of Ask BA, Jim Callis of Baseball America explains that he doubts we'll ever see an international draft because of all the logistics that would be involved. Commissioner Bud Selig has long supported a worldwide draft, which will come up during this round of collective bargaining.
Quick Hits: Thome, Indians, Byrdak, Mets
Sunday night linkage..
- It's exceedingly rare for the Mets to grant an in-season extension to anyone, but Tim Byrdak was aggressive and approached the team with the idea, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
- However, it doesn't sound like more extensions with veterans are in the works, Martino tweets. General Manager Sandy Alderson stressed that locking up a lefty reliever was special circumstance.
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti believes that Jim Thome can be a productive player in 2012, should he decide to continue playing, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
- Even though Indians rookie Jason Kipnis appears to have the starting role at second base locked up for next season, he does not plan on thinking that way, writes Bastian.
Mets, Byrdak Agree On Extension For 2012
Mets GM Sandy Alderson announced that the team finalized a contract extension for the 2012 season with lefty reliever Tim Byrdak during today's game, tweets Newsday's David Lennon. The team has confirmed the move via press release.
The 37-year-old Byrdak signed a minor league deal with the Mets prior to the 2011 season, and has enjoyed a very strong year for the club. In 36 2/3 innings (68 appearances), the left-hander has posted career bests in ERA (2.95) and K/9 (10.8).
Byrdak has been particularly tough on lefties this season, limiting same-handed batters to a .204/.257/.323 triple slash line this season. He's posted a 5.50 K:BB ratio against lefties this season (33 strikeouts, six walks) as opposed to a 0.92 versus right-handed batters (12 walks, 11 strikeouts). He is represented by agent Mike Mosa, as shown in MLBTR's Agency Database.
Mets, Byrdak Close To Extension
The Mets are close to signing Tim Byrdak to an extension for 2012, reports Mike Silva of New York Baseball Digest. GM Sandy Alderson confirmed the contract talks to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York (Twitter link).
The 37-year-old Byrdak signed a minor league deal with the Mets prior to the 2011 season, and has enjoyed a very strong year for the club. In 36 2/3 innings (68 appearances), the left-hander has posted career bests in ERA (2.95) and K/9 (10.8).
Byrdak will earn about $1.2MM this season after incentives, and while Silva isn't sure about the terms the two sides are discussing for next year, he predicts that the deal will be for at least the same amount, if not more.
Mets Won’t Trade Izzy, Byrdak, Hairston
Relievers Jason Isringhausen and Tim Byrdak, and outfielder Scott Hairston will remain with the Mets for season's balance, a source tells Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The players were placed on waivers, claimed and pulled back by the Mets, meaning they are ineligible to be traded for the rest of the month, Rubin reports.
Last week, we heard that several Mets players cleared waivers, including Jason Bay, Chris Capuano, Angel Pagan, D.J. Carrasco and Willie Harris. Those players can be traded freely, as can the others on this list, which has a running tally of the guys who have cleared waivers this month.
Mets Rumors: Available Players
The Mets are currently 6.5 games out of the wild card, with Dillon Gee opposing Chien-Ming Wang tonight in Washington, D.C. The latest:
- The trade front is now quiet with the Mets, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. He says R.A. Dickey is staying put, Jason Isringhausen probably will stay, and Chris Capuano, Scott Hairston, and Tim Byrdak are available but probably will also stay. Mets GM Sandy Alderson said yesterday that he doesn't expect more trades.
- Carlos Beltran's agent Scott Boras will seek a five-year, $70MM deal in free agency, reports Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog. I can see four years and $52MM if a team extends itself, but Beltran will be 35 in April of next year.
- New Mets prospect Zack Wheeler spoke to reporters today, noting that he found out about his inclusion in the Beltran trade by watching ESPN and he's happy about joining his new team.
New York Notes: Trade Talk, Byrdak, Santana
The Yankees and Mets will send Bartolo Colon and Dillon Gee, respectively, to the hill today as they look to take the rubber matches of their weekend series. Before they get underway, let's run down this morning's New York links….
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider-only link) says the Yankees might approach the deadline like they did a year ago, when they acquired Lance Berkman, Kerry Wood, and Austin Kearns. As July 31st nears and teams decide to dump money, the Yanks could wait for the market to come to them and "gobble up depth."
- Andy Martino of the New York Daily News follows up on yesterday's tweet, in which he said the Mets are unlikely to trade anyone besides Carlos Beltran. Martino says that if the Mets do trade anyone else, left-hander Tim Byrdak may be the best bet.
- The Yankees may not be able to trade for a number two starter this week, but John Harper of the New York Daily News thinks GM Brian Cashman needs to try, given the shakiness in the rotation behind C.C. Sabathia.
- Jeff Bradley of the Star Ledger examines the tricky trade situations facing both the Yankees and Mets.
- Johan Santana talked to reporters yesterday about his rehab progress, and the Bergen Record's Steve Popper has a few quotes from the southpaw.
Rosenthal On Mets: Paulino, Pelfrey, Capuano
In his latest blog post regarding Carlos Beltran, Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com also has some interesting notes on some of the Mets' other potential trade candidates. Rosenthal cautions, however, that the Mets will proceed carefully leading up to the deadline, because they don't want to give up on their season altogether.
- The Mets are likely to retain catcher Ronny Paulino and right-hander Mike Pelfrey. Paulino, a righty, has split time with left-handed-hitting Josh Thole behind the plate this season. He's under team control through 2012. Pelfrey's trade value, meanwhile, is down, according to Rosenthal, and he's under team control through 2013, so the Mets are less inclined to move him.
- The Mets will be more willing to move some of their free-agents-to-be, like lefty Chris Capuano, lefty reliever Tim Byrdak, outfielder Scott Hairston and utility man Willie Harris. Each of these players were signed to one-year deals prior to this season and could be useful, if unspectacular, additions for teams looking to patch minor holes.
- Jason Isringhausen is likelier than the others to stay in New York because he has value to the Mets as a late-inning reliever and in helping to develop setup man Bobby Parnell into a closer. We heard last night that Izzy would like to remain with the Mets but would be receptive to returning to St. Louis, where he still has "unfinished business," per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Jon Heyman of SI.com first tweeted of the Mets' preference to hold Isringhausen yesterday. For the fantasy implications of closers on the move at the deadline, be sure to check out CloserNews.com.