Daily Archives: November 27, 2006
According to the Baltimore Sun, the O’s and free-agent Chad Bradford are close to finalizing a three-year deal.
…this morning i wrote that he could expect to get at least a two-year deal, considering what has transpired in the free-agent market this off-season…turns out i should have said a three-year deal…
…wow…
…if this happens, it will hurt the mets…it will also most likely mean that Aaron Heilman will not be traded this off-season, and he’ll have no chance of being a starting pitcher next season…
…hat tip to joe, from baseball digest daily, for the link…
According to the Associated Press, the Mets and Yankees are thought to be among several teams that submitted a bid to negotiate with Japanese LHP Kei Igawa.
If Igawa’s team in Japan accepts the highest bid by Friday’s deadline, the winning team will have 30 days to negotiate with him.
The Indians and free-agent OF David Dellucci have agreed to a three-year, $11.5 million contract, reports Ken Rosenthal at FOXSports.com.
The Boston Globe lists the Mets among nine teams that continue to express interest in free-agent LHP Mark Mulder, who, according to the report, “probably won’t be ready to pitch in April .”
…the buzz around the pitcher’s market is that mulder will likely end up agreeing to a one-year, incentive-laden deal, leaving many to speculate he could end up playing for his hometown d’backs…
…of course, in this market, he’ll probably end up getting a six-year deal worth $100 million…
…yes, that was sarcasm…
Mulder had season-ending surgery to repair a partial tear in his rotator cuff during mid-September.
At ESPN.com, Jerry Crasnick reports that the Phillies and free-agent RHP Adam Eaton have reached agreement on a three-year deal worth more than $24 million.
In the report, Crasnick includes details regarding the contract’s option, as well as the yearly break-down of the deal.
…well, if he’s healthy this is a good signing…though i am sort of shocked that a guy who has pitched just under 200 innings over the last two years was able to lock down a three-year deal…
…i suspect this is good news for Ted Lilly, et al…
…eaton will join Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer and Jon Lieber in what could be a very good, well-balanced starting rotation…
According to Buster Olney at ESPN.com, the Red Sox are aggressively shopping OF Manny Ramirez.
A major-league official tells Olney, “I wouldn’t be shocked if the Red Sox traded him by Saturday.”
Olney writes that the Giants, Padres, Dodgers, Rangers and Orioles are among the teams involved in talks regarding Ramirez.
…this seems serious…
…olney does not mention the mets…however, you would have to think that if boston backs off wanting an established, major-league hitter, such as a Michael Young or Miguel Tejada, and, instead, turns to asking for prospects, that the Mets would poke around to see what’s what…
…i will say this, though, in year’s past i recall hearing from buzz out of boston that the sox have never been as high on Lastings Milledge as we, in new york, would like to think they have been…so keep that in mind when creating your mock-proposals for theo…
The initial offer by the Red Sox to Daisuke Matsuzaka, and his agent, Scott Boras, was roughly half of the pitcher’s asking price, reports the Boston Herald.
…the buzz around matsuzaka had been that he and boras were seeking five-years at roughly $12 million per season…so, i guess we can assume the sox offered three-years at a bit less money, which, honestly, is pretty fair, considering the kid has never pitched in the big leagues…
…most people seem to feel that boras will not start serious discussions about his other top pitching client, Barry Zito, until talks with matsuzaka are nearing an end…
Speaking of Zito, at FOXSports.com, Day Perry ranks Zito as the most overrated free-agent on the market, writing, “Zito’s quirky personality and sweeping overhand curve have added to his star appeal, but he’s not an elite starting pitcher. However, he’s going to be paid as though he is.”
…as i’ve mentioned before, zito and boras will most likely ask for seven-years, $100 million…most teams see zito to be worth around $40 million over four-years, but will likely end up having to pay five-years at $70 million, much like the deal given to Roy Oswalt last season in houston…
The Mets and free-agent Chad Bradford are close to agreeing on a two-year deal, reports Mark Healey at Gotham Baseball.
In the last few days, I have received a few e-mails asking about the status of Cuban 2B Yuliesky Gourriel, who many fans seem to feel would make for a perfect fit at second base for the Mets.
On July 28, a report in a newspaper out of Bogota reported that the 22–year-old Gourriel had defected from Cuba while playing in an international tournament in Colombia.
However, five days later, Gourriel refusted this claim telling ESPN.com that he had returned to Cuba when the tournament ended and has no interest in leaving Cuba.
The following tentative spring-training schedule was e-mailed to me by Jim, the President of the Mets Booster Club.
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time |
| 2-Mar | Cardinals | Away | 1:05 PM |
| 5-Mar | Indians | Home | - |
| 7-Mar | Red Sox | Away | - |
| 11-Mar | Marlins | Home | 1:05 PM |
| 13-Mar | Indians | Away | - |
| 15-Mar | Red Sox | Home | 7:05 PM |
| 16-Mar | Marlins | Away | 7:05 PM |
| 18-Mar | Cardinals | Away | 1:05 PM |
| 22-Mar | Braves | Away | - |
| 23-Mar | Cardinals | Home | 1:05 PM |
| 24-Mar | Marlins | Away | 1:05 PM |
| 30-Mar | Marlins | Home | 1:05 PM |
| 31-Mar | Devil Rays | Away | - |
…he and i both assume that the times may change, since the team has yet to release the official schedule, but, for the most part, this should give you a general idea of what’s what as you try and make hotel and flight plans for next spring…i also would not be surprised to see a few other games slipped in, including a split-squad or two…
…good luck…
