Daily Archives: November 30, 2007
In a chat for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark had the following to say about the Mets acquiring C Brian Schneider and OF Ryan Church for Lastings Milledge:
“The Mets have been looking for a defensive-minded catcher who could lead a staff, and Brian Schneider does that as well as anyone. And Ryan Church is a better player than you’re giving him credit for. He’s better than a fourth outfielder, even though he might be more a 5-day-a-week kind of player than a 7-day -a-week kind of player. And Milledge, frankly, turned out to be overrated. HIs value had plummeted. For a team trying to win in the short term, like the Mets, I totally understand this trade, Now let’s sit back and see how good Milledge turns out to be.”
…it’s early in the history of this deal, but i’m getting the sense that this has everything to do with milledge…and that, most Mets fans who are irate about this deal, are fans who still view milledge like it’s early 2005…personally, i still believe he’s going to blossom in to an exciting player, but if he has very little trade value, and the Mets had soured on him, i guess it’s better to move on now than to wait and see…
According to SNY, the Mets have traded Lastings Milledge to the Nationals for C Brian Schneider and OF Ryan Church.
…from what i understand, Mets GM Omar Minaya is currently saying that this will not impact his efforts to acquire a top-line starting pitcher…
In 144 games for the Nationals last season, the left-handed hitting Church, 29, hit .272 with 15 HR and 70 RBI through 47 at-bats.
Church will be eligible for arbitration following next season, and able to be a free agent after 2010.
…well, out of the gate, i don’t get it…i mean, if omar turns around and uses church to get Dan Haren or Johan Santana, i’ll understand…otherwise, i don’t get it all…
…on the other hand, maybe we have overestimated milledge’s value when it comes to acquiring a guy like haren or santana…also, keep in mind, over the last year, we have repeatedly been writing how much the Nationals like milledge…so, if all of that is true, and the Mets are against trading away Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez, and milledge has little value, i can understand swapping out milledge for church, who hopefully can help bring in that desired pitcher…or, this allows them to more freely trade gomez, while keeping church…
…however, if this was just a way to get a catcher, then i’m, very, very confused, to say the least…
Schneider, 31, hit .268 in 2005, .256 in 2006 and just .235 in 129 games for the Nationals last season.
…he’s an outstanding defensive catcher, one of the best in the game and he has been praised for his work with the Nationals young pitching staff…when in a groove, he can single-handedly remove the stolen base from the opposition’s arsenal…however, he has thrown out less runners the last few years compared to earlier in his career…
Schneider will earn $4.9 million each of the next two seasons, after which he can become a free agent.
In his latest update for SI.com, citing ‘league sources,’ Jon Heyman, the A’s have started calling teams, including the Mets, Red Sox and Yankees, to gauge interest in RHP Dan Haren.
According to Heyman, the A’s are seeking a similar deal for Haren as the Twins are seeking 
for LHP Johan Santana.
Unlike Santana, who can be a free agent after next season, Haren is under contract and due $16.25 million through 2010, assuming his $6.75 million option for 2010 is exercised.
Lastly, Heyman writes, ‘The A’s also will consider offers for their other top pitchers, including Joe Blanton and Rich Harden.’
…as i wrote yesterday, and earlier this morning, there is more and more buzz out of Oakland suggesting that the A’s will not seriously field offers for haren until the Twins make a decision on Johan Santana…once santana is set, the A’s will first consider moving haren, followed by Joe Blanton, who is still arbitration eligible…
Heyman continues on to provide details on similar packages for Santana, and how they could impact the market in Oakland.
During an appearance on WFAN yesterday, on-air beat reporter Ed Coleman, said he is interested in filling the station’s vacancy for their play-by-play radio announcer.
…i like eddie c, be it in the booth, doing his beat-report updates, whatever…i’ve always been a big fan, even though he does begin every sentence with, ‘well, ya know, listen,’ but, i mean, who, you know, am i to speak, seriously, i mean, you know…
The Tigers have announced the re-signing of LHP Kenny Rogers to a one-year deal.
According to today’s Baltimore Sun, negotiations on a contract extension between the Orioles and ace left hander Erik Bedard stalled yesterday, though talks aren’t considered “dead”.
Regarding the talks, Orioles president of baseball operations Andy McPhail said:
“We’ve had some conversations. We spoke again today, but I’d say that we’ve cooled in that area. We’ve gone on to other things. It doesn’t mean that [negotiations] can’t or won’t be started again. It just means that they’ve cooled for now.”
Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal noted in his column that “the Mets made a strong run at the Orioles’ Erik Bedard at the general managers’ meetings, only to be told that the Orioles wanted more time to try and sign Bedard long-term.”
In fact, today’s Sun cites “several industry sources” in saying that the Mets made a concrete offer to Baltimore, only to have it rejected. The rumored offer included outfielder Carlos Gomez, reliever Aaron Heilman and a third player, believed to be right hander Philip Humber.
…that’s actually a very strong offer, and one I could see the Orioles revisiting if they decide they can’t extend Bedard, and thus want to trade him… I could see them asking for Mike Pelfrey, instead, though, as some people are very down on Humber…
…of course, even if they don’t extend bedard, they have two years left on his contract, so they don’t have to move him, and coupled with the demand for an ace this off-season, they’re in a position of strength… meaning, they can ask for a whole lot from any team that misses out on Johan Santana…
Tagged Philip Humber |During a tour of Citi Field, Mets GM Omar Minaya talked with reporters and had the following to say regarding…
…why these other teams would even consider moving a top, young pitcher, given the state of the free-agent market…
“I was on that other side once, when in Montreal we had Colon – and you try to get the best players. In my case, I had to trade him because of payroll, and so it’s a little different when teams know you have to trade a guy…Now, though, the guys that are being mentioned out there, they don’t have to trade these guys. So, when you don’t have to trade a player, unless you get the deal that you feel is on your side of the ledger, you don’t move the player. From our point of view, it’s not that we have to, I mean, we’d like to, but we don’t have to – we can patch it up by going in to the market place.
So, we’re looking at different avenues, not only trades, but all of us are looking at the free-agent market…
“I find it kind of funny, because I keep hearing about some guys who are on the market, who are pretty good pitchers, that won 13 games, with ERAs in the high threes or fours, and we have two guys who won 15 games who are young with ERAs in the low threes. So, if we were to have our guys on the market, people would be saying, ‘Hey, you’ve got to get these guys.’ So, what I’m trying to say is, I understand that every one is looking for a front-line guy, but I don’t want to under-value two, young starters that won 15 games with ERAs in the threes. Not too many teams have those guys. Now, would I like to have another guy? Of course, I’m always trying to get more pitching.”
…whether he has been in contact with teams; the value of his current stock of players, and is it enough to make a deal…
“Look, all of those guys that are being mentioned, we’re in contact with them on a regular basis – and I think we’ve got a good feel. I can tell you that, we feel, no club has told us ‘Forget it you’re not in it.’ Maybe they have told us, ‘Hey, for you to be in you have to have this player.’ And we say, ‘Thank you very much, but we’re not going to be in with this player’s name in it.
“The goal is, I’m trying to put together a team that can win some place around the 85– to 95–win category, a) you’ve got a competitive team and b) you should be in the playoffs, and it’s about the 162 games. To say one pitcher is gonna win you a championship, I mean, once you get to the playoffs it’s a crapshoot – you just don’t know what’s gonna happen.”
To listen to his entire conversation, go to WFAN.com.
Tagged Omar Minaya |At FOXSports.com, Ken Rosenthal writes that the Mets ‘remain aggressive’ on free-agent RHP Livan Hernandez.
If you recall, earlier in the off-season, instead of trading for Johan Santana or Dan Haren, the majority of more than 3,200 voters at MetsBlog said they would instead sign free-agent RHP Carlos Silva to a four-year deal, while also trading for A’s RHP Joe Blanton.
…which is funny, because, as i wrote the other day, thanks to blogs like mine, newspapers and vague quotes by the team, my big concern is that fans will be painfully disappointed if the Mets only end up acquiring, say, blanton and livan or silva…which, though probably enough to help for next season, is not enough from a public relations perspective given the hype around santana and haren…in short, it’s like our collective expectations have been raised so high, that anything short of acquiring the best pitcher in baseball will be viewed as a colossal disappointment, which is crazy, yet totally understandable…
The Colorado Rockies re-signed catcher Yorvit Torrealba yesterday for two years and a guaranteed $7.25 million.
In Newsday, David Lennon writes that Torrealba’s agent, Melvin Roman, may take legal action against the Mets for what he says was a fraudulent claim by the team when they stated that Torrealba had failed a physical.
…let sleeping dogs lie, roman…the fact that the Mets cut-off their discussions with torrealba so abruptly definitely raises a red flag…
Tagged Regis Courtemanche, Yorvit Torrealba |In ESPN.com’s Rumor Central, Jayson Stark reports that, 
instead of pursuing Johan Santana, the Dodgers have turned their attention to Hiroki Kuroda, Joe Blanton and Dan Haren.
…the heavy buzz from the west coast has long favored the Dodgers and D’Backs, when it comes haren and blanton – with names such as Carlos Quentin and Matt Kemp repeatedly being mentioned…
In the New York Post, Mark Hale talks with A’s Assistant GM David Forst, who says his club has still yet to decide on whether to trade Blanton or Haren.
…as i wrote yesterday, there is more and more buzz out of Oakland suggesting that the A’s will not seriously field offers for haren until the Twins make a decision on Johan Santana…once santana is set, the A’s will first consider moving haren, but oakland may look to acquire a pitcher more like John Maine, instead of Mike Pelfrey or Aaron Heilman, because they want a semi-established, zero-to-three starting pitcher…if they get no movement on haren, oakland may next consider moving Joe Blanton, who is still arbitration eligible, and essentially the type of pitcher they hope to get, not trade away, in a deal for haren…
Contract extension talks between the Orioles and Erik Bedard stalled yesterday, explains Jeff Zrebiec in the Baltimore Sun, ‘increasing the likelihood that team officials will spend part of next week’s winter meetings contemplating trade offers for the ace left-hander.’
According to Zrebiec, the Mets recently offered a package of Carlos Gomez, Phil Humber and Aaron Heilman to get Bedard, but were turned down.
Similarly, in a recent update for FOXSports.com, Ken Rosenthal writes that the Padres have had internal discussions about trading this year’s Cy Young winner, Jake Peavy, ‘but the deal would need to be heavily weighted in their favor.’
According to Peavey’s agent, writes Rosenthal, the Padres and Peavy would like to agree on a long-term deal, but there is pressure to pay him along the lines of what CC Sabathia and John Santana may get, which is something the Padres have been historically unwilling to do.
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