Daily Archives: November 16, 2006
The Red Sox appear open to trading OF Manny Ramirez, reports Jon Heyman at SI.com, but will want ‘equal value back,’ given that his salary is quite ‘palatable’ in the current market.
…so, what, Albert Pujols for manny, or, Miguel Tejada for manny, i mean, there aren’t many guys who hit .300, 30 HR and 100 RBI as consistently as he does, so who does that leave as a potential trading partner…actually, tejada for manny makes a whole lot of sense, and, if i remember correctly, had a chance of happening last off-season at one point…
Ramirez is owed $17 million in each of the next two seasons, along with $6 million in deferred salary, before re-entering free-agency after 2008.
…unless, of course, he demands a contract extension, in exchange for accepting a trade, since he has total veto power…
Heyman provides a series of direct quotes by Red Sox GM Theo Epstein, which give the impression that talks involving Ramirez will occur, but a deal is a long-shot.
In Newsday, Ken Davidoff writes that the Mets remain confident they will 
retain Tom Glavine, noting that friends of the pitcher believe he will eventually return to the Mets, as well.
Meanwhile, Bill Shanks, at The Braves Show, believes Atlanta must bring back Glavine, but he feels he is in the minority among fellow Braves fans.
…i have not seen any polling of braves fans on whether they agree with shanks…however, i just did a quick look at the top braves blogs and glavine is not mentioned once…so, based on this i would assume he is not on their collective radar…
…we, mets fans, on the other hand, can’t seem to get him back to shea fast enough…
According to the Associated Press, baseball’s GMs plan to talk about implementing some form of instant replay in to MLB.
…don’t go nuts, now…it does not appear they are discussing a situation like the nfl, but more like the occasional review of a home run off the foul pole, that sort of thing…also, they are not approving it, they’re just voting to open a review, to allow for more information to base future decisions on…which is fine by me…knowledge is key…
…oh know, not again…
At his blog for ESPN.com, Buster Olney writes that the time may finally be right for the Red Sox to trade OF Manny Ramirez, who has two years and roughly $40 million left on his deal.
The logic being, that in a market ready to give free-agent OF Alfonso Soriano, or OF Carlos Lee, close to $15 million per year over seven years, acquiring Ramirez for just two years, and a few million dollars more per season, may be viewed as a bargain.
…you know, this makes perfect sense for the sox, who, according to buster, would look to add J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo in place of manny…
….i can’t believe i am about to say this, but, as a mets fan, i am intrigued…
Naturally, Olney describes the Mets as a perfect fit for Boston, noting that Ramirez has long wanted to play in Queens, while at the same time the Mets have a wide-open void in left field.
He writes that a deal such as Aaron Heilman and Lastings Milledge for Ramirez would work for both sides, creating a batting order in Queens that would look as follows:
SS Jose Reyes
C Paul Lo Duca
CF Carlos Beltran
LF Manny Ramirez
1B Carlos Delgado
3B David Wright
RF Shawn Green
2B Jose Valentin
…that is pretty good, man, especially when compared to the rest of the national league…i mean, wright is batting sixth for pete’s sake…
…the thing is, i always got the sense that Willie Randolph, though he would gladly accept manny’s bat, is not keen on having the slugger lament around shea’s tight-knit, team-oriented clubhouse…however, it’s hard to deny how much tighter the team may be when winning with 30 HR, .300 and 100 RBI coming from left-field…
…jeez, i can’t believe we are going to have this debate all over again…
David Lennon and Roger Rubin will be at Borders on Wall Street in Manhattan at 1 pm this afternoon signing copies of their book, The Great New York Sports Debate, while meeting fans and talking about hot stove baseball.
…i talked with lennon for a metsblog minicast, which you can read about, and listen to, here…
Early this week, at his blog for the Journal News, John Delcos quoted Mets GM Omar Minaya as saying the Mets have made a ‘proposal’ to free-agent OF Cliff Floyd.
Adam, the Brooklyn Met Fan, believes these reports are not legitimate, describing it as a “smoke screen.”
Adam suspects the Mets are simply helping Floyd create a market for himself by showing that a team has interest in him, while the Mets gain negotiating leverage in the markets for a new left-fielder.
…interesting theory…if i have learned one thing over the last few years while writing metsblog, it’s that the market economy in baseball is a wild, wild place full of eye-winks, crossed-fingers and double-speak…so adam’s theory could be true…
…however, in this case, i believe the mets have interest in bringing back floyd…
…i know it’s fun to speculate on guys like Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Lee, the only big-name options on the open market, but i am absolutely convinced they have no interest in either…
…i mean, should the mets roll craps on Barry Zito, and get boxed out of the trade market, i could see them making a move on soriano, assuming he is still unsigned at that point…but, the sense i get, and i agree with it, is that they feel soriano is too much of a loose-cannon, prone to slumps, and worth more to other teams than he is to the mets…
…and lee is viewed by many national league teams as a dh-waiting-to-happen, maybe not next season, but soon, and certainly before his contract will run out…
…having said all that, floyd makes sense, since the mets know him, he trusts willie, who trusts cliff, who has something to prove…if he is to sign on for one season, at very little money, he gets added to a long list of players who will compete for a starting job…
…i don’t think this is the mets top option, mind you, but i do think it is a legitimate option…
By the way, according to Ken Rosenthal at FOXSports.com, the Mariners have been in contact with Floyd.
At Fishbowl NY, a blog from Media Bistro, Dylan ‘reveals’ some of the losing bidders, whose names were passed over in favor of Citi Field.
…thanks to david for the link…
At FOXSports.com, Ken Rosenthal confirms that the Mets are pursuing White Sox RHP Javier Vazquez, who has one more year on his contract at $12.5 million.
…the buzz from chicago has been that any deal between the white sox and mets for vazquez is going to cost either Aaron Heilman or Mike Pelfrey, or the like…this concerns me, as i am not that impressed by vazquez…i was a few years ago, but not any more…
In his most dominant season, at age 26, which was four years ago, he struck out 241 hitters through 230 innings, while posting a 3.24 ERA.
…however, since joining the Yankees the following year he has been a total mess…he’s been unable to crack 200 k’s, he’s allowing more hits and more runs and throwing less innings…
…i mean, the talent is there, and for one season he could prove to be a nice pick up, no doubt, but not for heilman or pelfrey, both of whom i would rather see start next season than vazquez…
Ultimately, Rosenthal believes Texas matched up better with the White Sox then any other team, since they can provide a variety of young, quality arms to Chicago’s bullpen.
In a column for Newsday about the value of Lastings Milledge, Ken Davidoff writes that the young outfielder appears to be more of a trade chip to the Mets than a future all-star at this point.
…the team is obviously willing to move the kid, i think that is pretty clear at this point…
…i mean, a year ago his name rarely came up in legitimate trade rumors…now, he seems to be involved in every single one…i’m not sure this signifies the mets no longer want him, or if it means so many other teams do want him, but the fact is that he’s being discussed, and that has to mean something…
Mets GM Omar Minaya says that Milledge currently “fits in fine,” as he explains, among other comments, to Anthony McCaron in the Daily News.
…hmmm…a year ago he was untouchable…now, the kid is just fine…see what i mean…
…my thing with milledge has long been that two of his biggest strengths – his value as a defensive center fielder and his potential to be an impactful leadoff hitters – are two parts of the game the mets already have covered, in Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes, whom they will have for many, many years to come…
…milledge is not a corner outfielder…even if he realizes his potential, and hits, say, .290 with 20 HR, a team could still go out on the free-agent market, or trade market, and acquire a more potent bat for its corner spot…
…his value is, and will always be, as a speedy, versatile, center-fielder, which, if you look around baseball, is something several teams are in need of…the problem for the mets, however, is that these teams are looking for players who can be successful now, right now, and lastings, though very talented, still needs work…
Yesterday, the Mets traded Heath Bell and Royce Ring to San Diego for RHP Jon Adkins and OF Ben Johnson.
The 25–year-old Johnson was ranked the best athlete and the top outfield prospect for San Diego entering last season by Baseball America.
At his blog for ESPN.com, Keith Law writes:
“Johnson is the ideal caddy for right fielder Shawn Green, who can no longer hit left-handed pitching or catch fly balls that aren’t hit directly at him.
“Johnson’s bat may be stretched as an everyday corner player, although he’s a good athlete and could develop into a borderline producer in right. He’s a good defensive right fielder with average power and good plate discipline, and I think he’ll add a little more power if he learns to extend his arms slightly and pull certain pitches.”
Law also provides comments on Bell, Ring and Adkins. Before joining ESPN, Law spent four years with the Blue Jays as a Special Assistant to the General Manager.
According to Ben Shpigel in the New York Times, the Mets like Johnson’s “athleticism,” and believe he could split time with Endy Ch
