Daily Archives: November 27, 2006
Any time a top minor-league related website publishes a Top 10 Prospect list for a major-league team, JDM is recording it at AtThePlate.com.
…outstanding resource…nice work…
…so far, of the seven sites he is logging, only three have updated their mets rankings…
Teams have until 5 p.m. today, Monday, November 27, to submit a sealed bid to the MLB commissioner’s office for exclusive negotiating rights with Japanese LHP Kei Igawa.
Igawa, 27, went 14-9 with a 2.97 ERA last season in Japan. He struck out 194 batters, and lead his league in strikeouts in 2002, 2004 and 2006.
…the word around baseball has long been that teams will most likely submit bids in the area of $10 million, with the Mets, Cubs, Padres, D’backs, Yankees, Braves and Dodgers having all been rumored to have at least mild interest in igawa…
Though the Orioles have recently signed Jaime Walker and Days Baez, the team still hopes to acquire another reliever before the winter meetings, reports the Baltimore Sun.
According to the report, the Orioles have made offers to free-agent Chad Bradford, Joe Borowski and Dustin Hermanson.
…the buzz from new york is that the mets want bradford back, they’ve made a proposal, and are confident he will return…however, it is unrealistic to expect he would sign a deal, especially with a team from new york, before other relievers could set the bar for his value…also, as a top free agent, teams must consider draft-pick compensation, as well…
…either way, at this point, i’m thinking the Mets may need to offer at least a two-year deal to bradford, if not more, considering that the o’s gave baez and walker three-year deals, all while the Angels granted Justin Speier four years…
…put it this way, if the Mets do not give bradford at least a two-year deal, the market suggests that some team will…
In a column about fantasy baseball on the main page of ESPN.com, Tristan Cockcroft ranks Jose Reyes as the most valuable shortstop in all of baseball, ahead of Miguel Tejada, Derek Jeter, and so on.
…thanks to jim b for the link…
The Red Sox and Giants have reportedly discussed a Manny Ramirez deal, including possible three-way scenarios, writes the San Francisco Chronicle.
…and there is nothing like a good three-way scenario, is there…
Meanwhile, according to the Boston Herald, the Red Sox will most likely require a hitter in exchange for Ramirez.
…the buzz around baseball seems to be that the Angels, Giants and Dodgers are the likely suitors for ramirez, though i don’t see how any of these teams can find the hitter capable of replacing manny…
…i mean, the only move that has ever made sense, when this equal-value thing pops up, is manny to the Orioles for Miguel Tejada, since the sox are still searching for a shortstop…
At his blog for ESPN.com, Buster Olney writes…
“Stay tuned; you get the sense that the Red Sox are increasingly comfortable with the idea of moving Ramirez even if they aren’t offered a perfect package in return. It may be that the team has just grown weary of Manny Being Manny.”
…you know, not for nothing, but, Moises Alou, who the mets signed to presumably play left-field, is also a right-fielder…i mean, the guy started 81 games in right last season and 53 the year before…
…also, Shawn Green, who is currently the starting right-fielder for the Mets, is due to be paid roughly $4 million next season, by whomever he is playing for…he is eligible for free-agency after next season…also, while he once had a no-trade clause, it was waved to allow the deal to new york…
…so, green for one-year at $4 million, in the current high-priced market for outfielders, is not that bad…in other words, if the Mets can find a way to upgrade in left or right, i do not think it will be tough to trade green, assuming they want to, which may or may not be the case…
…just something to think about…
Readers,
With the Winter Meetings set to begin next Monday, news and rumors are going to start flying fast and furious.
As such, I’m looking for a few people to help be another set of eyes and ears. If you spend a lot of time surfing the net, be it on other blogs, ESPN.com, SI.com, etc, or listening to talk radio, be it WFAN, ESPN Radio, MLB Radio, etc, let me know if you’d like to help.
I am looking for three or four reliable people who will be able to keep tabs on a specific news source and simply e-mail, IM or text message me information and a link to the news or rumor as it happens, so I can quickly post it to MetsBlog.com as expected.
In exchange, at the end of my post with your news, I am more than happy to plug your website, reference your name, promote your company, etc.
Last year, MetsBlog.com received a 50 percent spike in traffic during the winter meetings, and logged more than 190,000 unique readers at the trade deadline last season. Things are bound to be as crazy next week, and I can use all the help I can get.
If you’re interested, and feel you are able to help out as mentioned above, e-mail me at mattcerrone[at]metsblog.com.
Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you,
The Angels and free-agent OF Gary Matthews Jr agreed to a five-year, 
$50 million deal, reported FOXSports.com.
…matthews played two games with the mets in 2002…he’s been a journey-man outfielder, who entered last season with a .255 career average, and at 31–years-old he was just given a five-year deal following one break-out season…how silly…
The Astros and free-agent OF Carlos Lee agreed to a six-year deal worth $90 million, reported the Houston Chronicle.
…while the bidding for lee was expected to get out of hand, i don’t sense the buzz around baseball had ever doubted he would end up eventually going to the astros…
The Baltimore Sun reports that free-agent RHP Danys Baez and the Orioles have agreed to a three-year, $19 million.
At FOXSports.com, Ken Rosenthal notes that the Dodgers are the front-runners to sign free-agent LHP Randy Wolf to a one-year deal.
…i will not miss seeing the phillies fans act like clowns in those wolf masks…what is the deal with that town and their costumes…man, talk about low self-esteem…
Lastly, the Brewers and D’Backs swapped six players, most notably C Johnny Estrada and LHP Doug Davis, which you can read about at MLB.com.
Last week at Gotham Baseball, Mark Healey cited a DC-based source as saying the Nationals have contacted the Mets about swapping OF Lastings Milledge for Nationals RHP John Patterson, whom the Mets have interest in, but not necessarily in exchange for Milledge.
Over the weekend, at his blog for MLB.com, historian and author Bruce Markusen makes a similar assertion regarding DC’s interest in Milledge, adding, however, that the Nationals are in no position to part with pitching.
…i like patterson…and he has Rick Peterson written all over him…he’s tall, poised, has pin-point control and he keeps the ball down and moving around the strike zone…
In 2005, his first full-season in the major leagues, the 28–year-old Patterson posted a 3.13 ERA in 31 starts for the Nationals having struck out 185 batters through 198 innings.
Patterson had season-ending surgery on July 21 to repair an impinged nerve in his right elbow…
…the buzz from dc is that patterson is doing well, is healthy and will have no problem being ready for spring training…
Last week in Newsday, David Lennon wrote that the Mets expect a final decision from Tom Glavine in the days after Thanksgiving, but before the winter meetings, which begin December 4.
…in other words, we should know sooner than later what glavine has planned for next season…
…in fact, i am sensing we will know what’s up by mid-week…
Glavine has told reporters on several occasions that he will only play for either the Mets or in Atlanta, where his family lives and where he spent 16 years of his career.
Last week, in his blog for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dave O’Brien suggested that a major sticking point between Glavine and the Braves 
may be his request for a no-trade clause.
Last Friday, in the New York Post, Braves GM John Schuerholz told the paper that he has never granted a no-trade clause and, as a ‘general philosophy,’ he doesn’t intend to start granting them now.
…the buzz between new york and atlanta seems to be that by the end of this week, glavine will return to the mets, most likely for roughly $10 million, maybe more, over one season, with a vesting-option for next season…
…i believe it when i see it, as glavine’s decision is seemingly less about money this time around, as it is about security and time with his family…
On November 15, the Mets have traded LHP Royce Ring and RHP Heath Bell to the Padres for RHP Jon Adkins and OF Ben Johnson.
The 25–year-old Johnson was ranked as the best athlete and the top outfield prospect for San Diego entering last season by Baseball America.
According to Baseball America…
“Johnson has all the tools to be an everyday outfielder in the big leagues. He has shortened his swing and developed above-average power while improving his grasp of the strike zone. Once a plus-plus runner, he’s now just a tick above-average. He’s a good right fielder with a solid arm.”
At Amazin Avenue, Marc Normandin puts forth a mini-profile, with a lot of statistics, on Johnson, writing, “All in all, this was a nifty pickup by Minaya, and excellent insurance against Shawn Green‘s rapid decline.”
Normandin also writes for Baseball Prospectus, as well Beyond the Boxscore.
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