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Rosenthal On Mets: Paulino, Pelfrey, Capuano

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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.

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.

Quick Hits: Utley, Wainwright, Harris, Young, Sheets

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Some links for St. Patrick's Day as players don green uniforms in Arizona and Florida…

  • Chase Utley has made "minimal" improvement since taking a shot for his injured knee, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Though Utley can hit and field, he can't run, so Wilson Valdez will play second base for the time being.
  • Adam Wainwright told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he's anticipating a high-stakes rehab, since the Cardinals may not exercise his $21MM option for 2012-13 if he struggles. "There's a lot of money resting on me coming back healthy next year," he said.
  • Willie Harris can opt out of his contract with the Mets on March 27th, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). There seems to be a good chance that Harris will make the team and the opt-out won't be an issue.
  • Michael Young told Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he has found it tough to develop a rhythm this spring, partly because he has been bouncing from one position to another.
  • Not surprisingly, Ben Sheets isn't negotiating with any teams, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Sheets' 2010 season ended early when he needed flexor tendon surgery.

Mets Sign Willie Harris

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The Mets have signed Willie Harris to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training, according to the team. Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com first reported the agreement. The utility player will have a good chance of making the team's Opening Day roster, Rubin writes.

We heard last week that Harris had two offers and would not return to Washington, where he played from 2008-10. Harris played all three outfield positions and backed up at third base last year. The 32-year-old posted a .183/.291/.362 line with 10 homers in 262 plate appearances. Harris bats from the left side and generally maintains an above-average strikeout to walk ratio.

The Mets, who had been looking for a fourth outfielder, now figure to continue their search for starting pitching.

Willie Harris Has Two Offers, Won’t Return To Nats

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Willie Harris has two offers, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (Twitter links). A Nationals source tells Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that there's "no chance" the utility player returns to Washington.

Harris played all three outfield positions and backed Ryan Zimmerman up at third base last year. In the process, the 32-year-old posted a .183/.291/.362 line with 10 homers. Harris bats from the left side and generally maintains an above-average strikeout to walk ratio.

Odds & Ends: Pedro, DeShields, Myers, Lee

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Links for Thursday, as Juan Pierre picks up his 500th career stolen base…

Nats Notes: Pitching, Capps, Dunn, Willingham, Harris

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MLB.com's Bill Ladson talked with Nationals GM Mike Rizzo about the upcoming trade deadline. Let's run down an abbreviated version:

  • Rizzo is pleased with his rotation's performance in spite of losing Jason Marquis for nearly all of 2010 thus far. Still, starting pitching is his biggest priority in any potential trades. As he points out, you can never have too much good young pitching.
  • Rizzo says he doesn't make any calls attempting to shop Matt Capps, Adam Dunn, or Josh Willingham. He does, however receive a lot of calls on the trio, which he says he's not surprised by:"There is a reason everyone is asking for those three players: They are good players."
  • Asked about a possible extension for Dunn, Rizzo was brief in saying that they're in talks and have been since Spring Training, but that's all he was going to say. The White Sox have been pursuing Dunn for weeks, and as of today it looks like the Tigers have joined the fray as well.
  • The Nationals have received calls about Willie Harris, and he's available, but not being shopped. Rizzo specifically mentions Harris' presence in the clubhouse as a positive.

Possible Destinations: Andruw Jones

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Was a better bargain than Andruw Jones signed this winter? The White Sox added him on a one-year deal worth $500K, and all he's given them so far is a batting line of .260/.360/.604. Meanwhile, the man patrolling his old Atlanta center field home, Nate McLouth, checks in at .167/.302/.271, and Gary Matthews Jr., who will make twice what Jones does from the Mets this year (and next year!), is hitting .152/.235/.196.

The problem is, this hasn't allowed the White Sox to move into contention. Thanks to a 14-20 start, combined with Minnesota's 22-12 beginning, Chicago is already eight games out, with Memorial Day still weeks away. So it may well be that the White Sox can, and should flip Jones to a contending team down the stretch. And that reasonable short-term deal means some of the smaller-market contenders are likely to be in the Jones sweepstakes.

What are some possible destinations?

  • Washington could be a good fit. Willie Harris is hitting just .182/.313/.418, and with Willy Taveras also getting outfield at-bats, so Jones could be a good fit for regular corner outfield time. The Nationals have several pitchers set to join the big league team, but little in the way of outfield prospects at the top of their system. For now, the Nationals say they're content with Harris and Roger Bernadina.
  • Cincinnati has seen Drew Stubbs struggle in center field so far; he's hitting just .196/.283/.321. It shouldn't be hard to convince Dusty Baker to play the veteran Jones over Stubbs, either. It's not clear that Jones is still an every day center fielder, but Chicago has already played him there four times in 2010.
  • The Padres have Kyle Blanks in left field, Tony Gwynn Jr. in center field, and Will Venable in right field. Of the three, only Blanks profiles as a top prospect, so the other two could be vulnerable to a Jones acquisition, should San Diego remain in the race.
  • With Eric Chavez and Jake Fox struggling, and Rajai Davis reverting to form, the Athletics could use Jones in either center field or at designated hitter to support an imposing starting rotation. The move sounds a lot like acquiring Frank Thomas, doesn't it?
  • And don't fall asleep on Seattle, either. Currently 6.5 games out, the Mariners have the talent to climb back into the race, but their DHs, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Sweeney, simply aren't hitting. Jones could also slot into left field.

One thing's for sure: those who believed Andruw Jones' career was over- a sad thing for anyone who saw him dominate baseball in his 20s- appear to have been premature.

Nationals Have Discussed Trade For Right Fielder

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In the wake of losing an everyday outfielder when they released Elijah Dukes, the Nationals have had discussions with several teams about a trade for a right fielder according to MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling. Among the targets: Corey Hart, Kosuke Fukudome, and B.J. Upton.

Goessling says that none of those trade talks have been particularly substantive, but it's clear the Nats aren't necessarily looking for a cheap solution. The two sides weren't able to find a common ground for Hart, and the Nats came away with the impression that the Rays won't move the elder Upton brother unless they fall out of the AL East race this summer. Fukudome still has two years and $26.5MM left on his deal, so he's unlikely to be moved unless the Cubs eat a large portion of that commitment.

Washington feels right field is a thin position around the league, so for now they'll try to get by with a combination of Willie Harris and Willy Taveras. They'll have to hope their defensive skills make up for their collective lack of offense. 

Stark’s Latest: Trade Block, Mets, Phillies, Tigers

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ESPN's Jayson Stark has a new blog post up with some trade rumor nuggets for us. It's behind the Insider wall (if you don't have a subscription yet, what are you waiting for?), so I can't give away too much…

  • Stark lists 16 players currently on the trade block. Among the names we haven't seen mentioned recently: Willie Harris, Andy Marte, Tim Stauffer, Omir Santos, and Brad Thomas.
  • The Mets are looking to move one of their extra catchers, either Santos or Chris Coste, and are looking to add "major league-ready triple-A pitching depth." Aren't we all…
  • The Phillies are looking to add all sorts of pitching depth, and have interest in the recently released Chad Gaudin.
  • Scott Sizemore's rocky spring has the Tigers looking for a second base upgrade.
  • Kansas City is shopping Brayan Pena in their perpetual search for starting pitching.
  • The Braves have told other clubs that David Ross is available, "possibly in a catcher-for-catcher swap for a younger backup-catcher type."
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