Daily Archives: November 16, 2007
The Mets have officially announced the re-signing of C Ramon Castro to a two-year, $4.6 million contract.
Mets GM Omar Minaya, on Castro…
“We are glad to have re-signed Ramon…He has developed into the kind of hitter who you want to come up in clutch situations. In addition to what he brings on the field, Ramon is a tremendous presence in the clubhouse.”
…actually, that should not be undervalued, in that when i ask any person connected to the team about ramon, they are all certain to mention his sense of humor and his ability to keep people smiling and positive…
…nevertheless, i do have concerns about him, should he end up getting the majority of playing time…if it’s a straight platoon between him and Yorvit Torrealba, i think it could work out, since it will allow willie the ability to ‘play the hot hand’…however, i still do not trust castro as a bulk-of-the-time catcher…
Tagged Ramon Castro |
In a recent chat for ESPN.com, Keith Law was asked if the Twins would accept Lastings Milledge in exchange for Matt Garza, to which Law responded…
“The Twins want Carlos Gomez. If I’m Omar Minaya, I do that deal.”
Before joining ESPN, Law spent four years with the Blue Jays as a Special Assistant to the General Manager.
Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune recently reported that the Twins are targeting young position players like B.J. Upton and Delmon Young of the Devil Rays, as well as Gomez in an effort to bolster their offense.
Entering last season, Baseball America ranked Garza as Minnesota’s best overall prospect, writing…
“No one expected Garza to be this good this fast, not even the Twins…His ceiling is all that’s in question…calling him a No. 2 starter behind Johan Santana almost seems conservative.”
In 16 starts for the Twins last season, following a mid-season call up, the 23–year-old Garza was just 5–7, with a 3.69 ERA while striking out 67 batters through 133 innings pitched.
…i have added a Hot Topics section to MetsBlog’s sidebar, which will 
feature the most noteworthy Mets-related news and notes from the the last day or so…this way, in case you missed something, you’ll know where to look…
…also, i am finding myself completely overwhelmed with how much information is out on the web…it was not like this as recently as a few years ago…the Hot Stove is enormous, it seems…it’s like the Hot Sun at this point…anyway, if you come across a tip, hear a rumor, see a link, etc, please send it to me through the Tip Line comment box in the left-hand sidebar, which gets sent to me and my fellow bloggers via e-mail…
…thank you for the help, and continued support…
Tagged MetsBlog |The New York Post, the AP, New York Times, Newsday and the Journal News, among others, all report that the Mets and Yorvit Torrealba 
agreed to a three-year, $14.4 million deal yesterday, pairing him up with Ramon Castro, who recently signed a two-year, $4.6 million deal, to be the team’s two-headed catcher.
…for what it’s worth, Newsday was the first to report the $14.4 million number, though i am eager to see exactly how the deal is structured, which nobody has reported on yet…
…by the way, a reader sent me an e-mail last night, and repeatedly called the duo Yormon Torreastro, which is perfect, and which i can’t stop laughing about…hilarious, man…well done…
Talking with reporters last night during David Wright’s Gala in New York City, Willie Randolph said he believes the 36–year-old Lo Duca is seeking at least a three-year deal.
…so, knowing lo duca’s general contract request, and knowing a bit more about torrealba as a person and a player, and knowing that if a top prospect is traded that it’s one less player who can be used in a deal for a pitcher, i’m curious to see how we now collectively vote in the following poll…
[poll=23]
Tagged Paul Lo Duca, Poll, Ramon Castro, Yorvit Torrealba |According to the Detroit Free Press, citing the player’s agent, the Tigers have expressed interest in free-agent RHP Livan Hernandez. In a recent column for FOXSports.com, Ken Rosenthal wrote that the Mets are ‘divided’ on whether to make a ‘strong push’ for Hernandez, who could also be of interest to the Cardinals and Astros.
Yesterday, in a report for the San Diego Tribune, Tom Krasovic reported 
that the Padres will soon offer a contract extension to RHP Jake Peavy, who can be a free agent after next season, though the team has an $8–million club option for 2009.
According to the Washington Post, Peavey’s agent has told the Padres he is seeking a similar deal to those recently signed by Barry Zito and Carlos Zambrano, i.e., more than five years at roughly $18 million per season.
“There has been speculation the Padres could attempt to trade Peavy if they fail to sign him to an extension,” writes the Post.
According to the Philadelphia Daily News, Phillies GM Pat Gillick has said he is not in the market for a third baseman, instead he is focusing on pitching.
Yesterday, ESPN Radio in Philadelphia reported that the Phillies had offered free-agent 3B Mike Lowell a four-year deal.
ESPN.com’s Buster Olney told the radio station that the Dodgers were interested in Lowell, ‘though he would prefer Philadelphia.’
…there have been reports out of new york suggesting the Yankees have interest in lowell for first base…of course, the Phillies already have a pretty good first baseman in Ryan Howard…
In the News Journal, Scott Lauber writes that the Phillies are interested in Japanese RHP Hiroki Kuroda, but could also look toward Bartolo Colon, Kris Benson, Matt Clement and Randy Wolf.
Tagged Phillies |The Mets have asked about free-agent RHP Octavio Dotel, according to Ben Shpigel in the New York Times.
…first off, every time i see dotel’s name in print i think of Rickey Henderson, who, back in 1999, for some reason used to call him ‘do-teal.’…rickey, what a character…anyway…
…from what i recall, the Mets had interest in dotel during last year’s trade deadline, as well as two off-seasons ago, when they considered giving him a one-year, incentive-laden deal…
…as a Mets fan, i always liked doteal’s attitude, i mean dotel, especially during his rookie season at Shea…i will never forget his energy-level when nearly pitching a no-hitter…
The Braves acquired Dotel at last year’s trade deadline in exchange for RHP Kyle Davies, only to put Dotel on the 15–day disabled list with right shoulder strain just 10 days later.
He was was 2–1 with a 3.91 ERA in 24 games for the Royals before being traded and getting injured with the Braves.
…there is increased buzz around new york if late suggesting the Mets may have more interest in David Eckstein than has been reported…in fact, from what i can gather, there may be a little blue-and-orange wining and dining in his future, if it hasn’t happened already…
…for what it’s worth, i have heard from different people that eckstein had recently been seen around the tri-state with the wilpons, doing their standard meet-new york, live-in-ct tour…
…as i have written before, my sense all along has been that if the Mets are unable to sign free-agent Luis Castillo, they’ll set their aim on eckstein, who is rumored to be seeking a lesser deal than castillo, who could drag out negotiations longer than the Mets are willing to wait…remember, omar hates to wait, so the sooner he can wrap up his infield the better…in fact, my hunch is that second base will be taken care of before the winter meetings, where he’d rather spend all of his time focused on pitching…
Yesterday, in the New York Post, Ben Shpigel wrote that Castillo could command a four-year deal.
…however, i sense he’ll be hard-pressed to get a deal worth more than three years, from any team - let alone the Mets…
Last week, at FOXSports.com, Ken Rosenthal wrote that the Mets, Astros, Indians, Padres and Dodgers may all show interest in Castillo, while the White Sox, Tigers and Mets are among the teams that could be interested in Eckstein.
According to Rosenthal, ‘Eckstein would figure to be open-minded if the Mets or another club wanted him to move to second base.’
In 117 games for St. Louis this past season, Eckstein hit .309, with a .356 OBP, while putting the ball in play roughly 85 percent of his plate appearances.
…i’ll be honest, i have always been intrigued by eckstein, who a) began his career as a second baseman, b) is a winner, and c) would fit the exact type of hard-nosed, hard-working, disciplined, fundamentals-type player this team seems to be in need of…
In an article for MLB.com, Anthony DiComo discusses the current state of the Mets offseason, confirming they are still in talks with 2B Luis Castillo, 
as well as continuing to finalize a deal with C Yorvit Torrealba.
Willie Randolph, while at David Wright’s Gala last night, speaking about Paul Lo Duca, as quoted by DiComo…
“I thought he brought a lot to the table this year, but that doesn’t mean that you hold onto a guy because of that. You hope you can bring other guys in that maybe can pick up that slack. But each year is totally different…I like Lo Duca. I think Paulie’s the kind of player that knows how to win, and that gives me all that he has every day.”
Randolph, on the free agent market, as quoted by DiComo…
“We could be totally different by the time Spring Training comes around. Or, if things don’t fall right, we could be closer to where we were last year…Right now, everyone’s jockeying, everyone’s posturing. You look at the free agent market, nothing jumps out you, really. So everyone’s kind of just holding back and waiting.”
…while i think he’s exaggerating about the possibility of the mets being “totally different” if things go well, i do agree with randolph on the state of the free agent market…Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada were never real options and there just isn’t a whole lot out there at the mets need positions…pitching is always the most coveted and the last to go, so we’ll see how that shakes out, as well as the trade market…
…as for lo duca, while i respect lo duca’s attitude and passion, i have no problem with the Mets deciding to move on and get younger with torrealba…i mean, how many times in the past have we criticized this organization for bad contracts, sticking with veterans too long, or bringing in older guys…
Tagged Paul Lo Duca | Newer posts →
