Texas has no state income tax.

I’m not an accountant.  In fact, math and I have had a rough relationship dating back my fiasco with fractions in fourth grade – but, it would seem to me, signing with New York and not Houston would be the equiviliant of giving up an entire year’s worth of pay in state income taxes.

Hopefully an accountant will explain this better in the comments section.

MetsBlog asked its readers to express their reasons for wanting OF Carlos Beltran to sign with the Mets.  BeltranToTheMets.com features snippets from a selection of the emails we received, an interview with two renowned journalists familiar with what makes Beltran tick and two confidence ratings that help to determine the Met fans true interest in the game’s top free agent.

Enjoy.

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MetsBlog will not be posting over New Years weekend.  We will return on Monday for what is expected to be the start of a rather hectic week, centering on Beltran and Boras.

As always, should major news break over the weekend, though, we will be here to provide insights and reaction.

Have a happy and healthy New Year.

Best if luck in 2005,

MetsBlog.com

Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that Mets GM Omar Minaya, his special assistant, Tony Bernazard, and Jeff Wilpon are expected to meet with OF Carlos Beltran and his agent, Scott Boras, next week.

Sherman states that Boras is using a seven-year deal worth $112 million as a starting point for his negotiations with all teams.

According to Peter Abraham of the Journal News, there are people within the Yankees management who believe adding Beltran is unnecessary, “considering the team won 101 games last season.” The Daily News suggests that, according to one source, a six-year deal worth $15 million a season for Beltran could be the Yankees’ limit.

Considering their luxury tax issues, and how it weighs on their payroll, Sherman notes that the Yankees would in essence be paying out $21 million per year in 2005 for Beltran, not just the $15 million they’d be putting in his pocket.

The Daily News writes that Beltran is being courted by the Yankees, Astros, Mets and Tigers.

Will Carroll, medical expert at Baseball Prospectus: Yes and no. He would be eligible to be insured with little or no problem getting underwritten. The premium would be INSANE so the team might pass – my guess is around 20% of the contract. The insurance would also only cover the first three years. If he was injury-free, it could then be extended for another three.

The final step would have the Yankees giving Johnson a two-year, $30 million contract extension.

The NY Post reports that Minaya won’t pursue another starting pitcher unless he can trade RHP Steve Trachsel first.

A reader suggested that the Mets pass on Beltran and, instead, sign 1B Carlos Delgado, trade Trachsel and prospects for a right fielder and sign Odalis Perez.  So simple, so effective.  While MetsBlog is giddy over the idea of having a Reyes-Wright-Beltran trio plastered over Mets merchandise over the next half decade, we recognize that it may not be the right move at the right time.

However, getting younger, and slotting a lefty into your starting rotation is never a bad thing.

Regardless of the Beltran-Delgado soap opera, swapping Trachsel for a right fielder and signing Perez is probably a wise move all around – especially considering the kid’s fascination with RHP Pedro Martinez.  

The question now becomes, who can the Mets get to play right field in exchange for Trachsel?

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So the scoreboard is as follows:

The Yankees: reportedly willing to offer Beltran a guaranteed six-year, $90 million deal at $15 million per year.

The Astros: unable to negotiate with Beltran after January 8, and have reportedly offered a guaranteed five-year, $82 million deal, at $16.2 million per year, with a sixth-year option at $14 million and a $5 million buyout.

The Mets: expected to meet with Beltran and his agent, Scott Boras, towards the beginning of next week.  

Beltran and Boras: seeking a 10-year, $200 million deal and supposedly will not consider signing unless the deal guarantees seven-years. 

MetsBlog: offer Beltran a guaranteed five-year deal at $80 million, with a no-trade clause and a sixth and an easily attained seventh-year vested player option.  Next season and the year after, Beltran would earn $18 million per season.  From 2007 to 2009 he would be paid $14 million, with the two vested option years ringing in at $16 million.

Good luck.

There was talk early in the off-season about a deal that would’ve sent C Mike Piazza to the Dodgers for 1B-OF Sean Green. And, of course, we are all well aware of the OF Cliff Floyd to the Cubs for Sosa discussions.  Now we have a Green-for-Sosa rumor on the table.

Could a three-way deal between the Cubs, Dodgers and Mets be in the works?

Floyd and Green go to the Cubs.
Piazza heads back to LA.
Sosa, against the will of the fans, comes to Queens. 

Interesting, and crazy, thoughts for a slow Hot Stove day.

At age 28, Woodward is a nice player, and would make for a solid backup to Jose Reyes. In his first full season starting in Toronto he hit .276 with 13 home runs. However, his time diminished due to injuries, inconsistent play and a high strikeout -to-walk ratio.

Defensively, Woodward leaves a lot to be desired. Though he can make an occasional dazzling play, he turns the double play very week and has averaged one error for every seven games he played in the field over the last three seasons.

Woodward will compete with OF-2B Marlon Anderson, IF Jeff Keppinger and IF Danny Garcia for a bench spot during Spring Training.

Question, Omar: Where’s my minor league contract?

The Houston Chronicle reports that OF Carlos Beltran has assured Astros owner Drayton McLane that he will make a decision on where to play by the January 8 salary arbitration deadline.

The Chronicle also notes that Mets GM Omar Minaya “is about to make his move on” Beltran, who is no longer listening to teams that are not offering a minimum seven-year deal.  According to Newsday, two baseball officials familiar with the situation claim that the Mets have made Beltran “a top priority.”

The Astros have reportedly offered Beltran a six-year deal worth roughly $96 million.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post states, according to an executive from a team not interested in Beltran, that, “all things being equal, Beltran would prefer to remain with the Astros.”

Minaya can meet with Beltran.  He can say, “hello.”  But if Minaya and the Mets ownership make the All-Star an offer, they better be prepared to do whatever it takes to sign him.

This situation appears to be the Mets opportunity to exorcise the demons of Vladdy and ARod – if the team committs, and get their fans excited and dashes their hopes again, following three straight losing seasons, a series of bad acquisitions and trades and a litany of confusing messages, the repersussion of losing Beltran, especially to the Yankees, could be deadly.

Additionally, Cuza confirmed the Mets statement with the same newspapers.

According to Newsday, te Mets have interest in bringing back RHP Steve Reed to join the team’s bullpen.  Reed has a 3.11 ERA over the last four years, two of which came while pitching for the Rockies.

As RotoWorld notes, “And they wouldn’t have to give up Jason Bay for him this time.”

The Yankees were taxed at a rate of 30 percent because this is the second straight season they have exceeded the limit.  Should the exceed the limit next year, the Yankees will be taxed at 40 percent. 

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The Cubs agreed to a one-year deal with OF Todd Hollandsworth, avoiding arbitration.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Cubs continue to explore trades for OF Sammy Sosa with the Mets, Braves, Royals and Nationals.

Indians GM Mark Shapiro confirmed to the Willoughby News Herald he has made an offer to LHP Kevin Millwood.

According to Ken Davidoff of Newsday, the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan gave RHP Victor Zambrano’s elbow a clean bill of health – his ankle is another story. The Hospital believes that Zambrano twisted his ankle during his first start as a Met, which led to overcompensation, and pain, in his elbow.

“He is completely healed,” Zambrano’s agent, Peter Greenberg, told Davidoff.

“The meeting with Steinbrenner was very good,” OF Carlos Beltran told Primera Hora, a newspaper in Puerto Rico, over the weekend.  “He is a professional person, super educated.  The Yankees have shown that they are champions and the owner is going to do everything possible to win.“

“[The Mets] entered and they are being aggressive,” Beltran added.  “To this point, they have not made an offer. I believe that we will have a meeting very soon.”

The Associated Press reports that a meeting between Beltran and the Mets will “probably” take place the week of Jan. 3.

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Good luck.

He will not wow you with any one category, but he’ll never fail without giving his best effort – a quality every team can use.  For this, the Oakland fans love him.

Earlier in the season, a report surfaced that the A’s had interest in C Jason Phillips, but that was before the acquisition of C Jason Kendall, forcing Adam Melhuse, who the A’s like, as a backup.

The A’s, however, are still very interested in moving side-armed reliever Chad Bradford, who Rick Peterson has long been a fan of.  As one Oakland reporter told us, “If they did trade Bradford, I always thought the Mets were the most likely destination because of Rick Peterson.”

From what we can gather, the A’s are in need of more pitching, particularly someone who has pitched at least one or two years in the Major Leagues making little to no money, such as RHP Jae Seo.

Good luck.

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However, should major news break we will be sure to post all pertinent news, insight and commentary.  

The Daily News reports the Mets offered Alou a one-year deal with an option.

Moreno was 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA last season before he went on the disabled list July 25 with a strained right shoulder.

We resisted commenting heavily on Moreno’s departing earlier in the week, assuming, for whatever reason, that he would be re-signed, as many non-tenders often are.

MetsBlog is a huge fan of Moreno’s and is glad to see him back.  At 27-years-old, he has worked hard to return from multiple injuries in his career – if healthy, he should be the ideal set-up man for Braden Looper. 

The Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros have offered OF Carlos Beltran a six-year, $96 million deal.  According to the the New York Post, though Beltran’s agent, Scott Boras, continues to ask for ten-years, $200 million, he claims a team will not even be considered unless they offer a minimum of seven years at $112 million.

The New York Post writes that Mets GM Omar Minaya has told Mets management he wants to make an aggressive run at Beltran.

The Chronicle writes the following: “Beltran also received a book of about 250 e-mails the Astros have received from fans urging the club to re-sign Beltran, who is considered by baseball officials the top free agent.”

Castro hit .135 in 96 at-bats for the Marlins last season.

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We can only fight fire with fire.

I have no idea what the fans of the Houston Astros can say to Beltran to woo him back to Houston, but I’m certain the persuasiveness of New York can do better.  

Here’s what MetsBlog proposes…

Send an email to faneditorials@metsblog.com containing a well-written pitch to OF Carlos Beltran, stating why you feel he should come to the Mets.  Maybe it’s because he would enjoy the nightlife, maybe you’ll take him to a strip club, maybe you think he’d have much to offer the New York community, maybe you simply believe he can be the perfect leader for a group of young up-and-coming talent in the world’s biggest city.  

Let us know.

Keep your statement pithy, well-researched, sincere and less than 500 words.

The Houston fans compiled 250 responses, so don’t be shy…if you have something to say, say it now.

We will accept submissions through the weekend.  If we receieve a comparable amount, we’ll print each, have it bound, and send it to the attention of the team’s management and media department and the office of Scott Boras.  We will, of course, post each submission at a new MetsBlog site, BeltranToTheMets.com, as well. 

Mets management and most all of the team’s media to notice of our mostly negative YesOrNoToSosa.com plea – we know this for a fact.  Therefore, we see no reason we shouldn’t be positive, as well, and do the same with regards to requesting Beltran.

Like George McFly said, “If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.”

Good luck.

Many believed that Alou was the Mets fallback position if they are to lose out on either OF Carlos Beltran or 1B Carlos Delgado.  My guess is that this will turn up the need to bring in OF Magglio Ordonez.

According to this morning’s New York Times, the Mets have asked Scott Boras for the medical report on Ordonez.

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