Daily Archives: December 2, 2007
During tonight’s Knicks game on MSG, Al Trautwig talked with Paul Lo Duca, who had the following to say about…
…whether he is mystified with the direction the team has gone now…
“Well, I don’t know if I’m mystified, I’m disappointed, I wanted to come back & end my career here & it’s not gonna happen that way and it’s disappointing for me I’m gonna miss a lot of the guys in the clubhouse and I’m gonna miss the fans, the fans were great to me.”
…whether the Mets expressed any interest in re-signing, and, if not, was there any bad blood between him and the oragniation…
“You know, I don’t know, I’m obviously a very outspoken person, with a little fire, maybe I rub some people the wrong way. I just tell people the way it is and, you know, Al, I really don’t know.
“I have no hard feelings and I hope they do well. I have a lot of friends over there. But, when I come back to Shea, I’m coming for them, that’s the way you have to look at it.”
…thanks to Peter Wade, MetsBlog’s eyes and ears, for the info…
Tagged Paul Lo Duca |
The Houston Astros signed former Mets second baseman Kaz Matsui to a three-year, $16.5 million contract today.
For the Rockies this year, Matsui hit .288 with four home runs and 37 RBIs. He stole 32 bases and scored 84 runs as well.
…i thought kaz was in a good situation in colorado so it will be interesting to see if he can keep his momentum going in texas…
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |In a recent report for SI.com, Jon Heyman explains why the Angels effort to acquire Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins has ‘fallen apart.’
According to Heyman, the Angels have made 
two offers they were confident would get the deal done, such as Howie Kendrick, Jeff Mathis and of Nick Adenhart or Ervin Santana, only to have the Marlins repeatedly ask for more.
…that is a serious, serious deal…this, and a deal for Dontrelle Willis, and the Marlins could quickly be back in business…
Interestingly, Heyman lists the Mets among the seven teams who have expressed interest in Cabrera, who will cost a top young hitter, a catcher, a center fielder and pitcher.
…i think it’s quite clear the Mets do not have a package that meets that description, or, at least one that can match anaheim’s best offer…plus, getting cabrera means there is no chance of trading for a pitcher, which is the team’s top priority…
Tagged Miguel Cabrera |The following clip is from ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick, who recently appeared on ESPN News to preview the MLB Winter Meetings, which officially begin tomorrow in Nashville…
ESPN.com‘s Buster Olney, citing ‘sources.’ is reporting that the Red Sox have reconsidered their stance against trading OF Jacoby Ellsbury to Minnesota in a deal for Johan Santana.
Having shifted back and forth on dealing Ellsbury, most recently telling the Twins they won’t trade him, the Red Sox reportedly have shifted that stance, perhaps in response to the Yankees’ reported willingness to tinclude Philip Hughes in a deal for Santana.
They will not, however, also include LHP Jon Lester in a package that contains Ellsbury, writes Olney.
Additionally, he reports, the Yankees are threatening to pull their offer soon, perhaps Tuesday, if they don’t get an answer from the Twins, who are still holding out for another top Yankees prospect, such as RHP Ian Kennedy.
…this is turning into a real bidding war, though the two-superstar prospect threshold has yet to be crossed…i don’t think the mets can’t really compete with these offers, as presently constituted…
…given their inability to compete directly, i’d imagine the mets’ best hope would be the yankees pulling out, leading to the red sox deciding to lessen or remove their offer, as well, leaving the mets as perhaps the only serious team standing… far fetched, i know…
Tonight at 7 pm, I will be a guest on Gotham Sports Radio’s Winter Meetings Preview, to talk about the Mets, Yankees, and other Hot Stove baseball, along with Marc Malusis of WFAN, among other guests.
To listen live, click here.
To call in with a question or comment, dial 646-716-8187.
…while the Yankees and Red Sox keep going back and forth, trying to outdo one another in an effort to acquire Twins LHP Johan Santana, i sense that the Mets are now pushing harder for O’s LHP Erik Bedard than A’s RHP Dan Haren or Joe Blanton…
According to a previous report in the Baltimore Sun, the Mets offered Aaron Heilman, Phillip Humber and Carlos Gomez to the Orioles for Bedard, but it was rejected.
However, in today’s Daily News, Roger Rubin writes that it was Lastings Milledge whom the Mets offered, not Gomez.
Rubin quotes a baseball official as saying…
“You put Ryan Church or Gomez in place of Milledge in an offer and it might be a more attractive offer.”
…the buzz from baltimore, though, is that the O’s don’t really want to trade bedard, and so he may cost a team more than the Twins get for Johan Santana…they are debating whether to trade him for talent that can help next season or keep him, allow more time for an extension and if it can’t work out they can always trade him next off-season, after which he will still be under control by his new team for one full season…
As of now, Santana and C.C. Sabathia are eligible to be free agents after next season, while Brad Penny and Jake Peavy are eligible during the off-season after that, as is Bedard.
…so, the time to trade him could be now, since so few quality pitchers are on the open market…
…the Dodgers have long been referenced as bedard’s most aggressive suitor, from whom baltimore will likely request OF Matt Kemp, RHP Jonathan Broxton and RHP Clayton Kershaw, which is a package the Mets cannot compete with…of course, the Dodgers may need many, if not all, of those prospects to get Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins, assuming those talks are still occurring…
Speaking of Cabrera, the Marlins left him off of their marketing materials for next season, writes the Palm Beach Post.
According to the New York Post, while the Mets continue to have interest in trading for a front-end starting pitcher, they also have interest in free-agent Japanese RHP Hiroki 
Kuroda, RHP Livan Hernandez and RHP Shawn Chacon, ‘who could start or relieve.’
By the way, the D’Backs offered salary arbitration to Hernandez, meaning any team who signs him must surrender a supplemental first-round pick to Arizona.
Meanwhile, in the Daily News, Roger Rubin writes that the Mets should also consider free-agent RHP Bartolo Colon, who Omar Minaya once traded for while working for the Expos.
Accordint to a recent report from Yahoo! Japan, Kuroda is believed to be seeking a four-year, $45 million contract, and will soon make an announcement about whether he intends to sign with a team in Japan or MLB.
For more on Kuroda, check out ArmChair GM.
According to the Associated Press, free-agent LHP Randy Wolf has signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Padres that can earn him an addition $5 million in incentives.
…if i recall from last off-season, the Mets had interest in wolf, who made it well known he only wanted to pitch on the west coast…so, i have to think the same must have been the case during this off-season…
In 212 games during his career, Wolf is 76–66 with a 4.25 ERA, but has been unable to make at least 18 starts during each of the last three seasons due to a variety of injuries.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates may non-tender Xavier Nady if they are unable to find a team interested in trading for him.
…what is wrong with that team…seriously…i know we complain about the Mets at times, but really, i just can’t imagine being a Pirates fan right now…nady will likely earn $4 million 
through arbitration, if he even gets that much, and yet they may cut him…crazy, man…just crazy…
In 75 games for the Mets in 2006, Nady hit .264 with 14 HR and 40 RBI before being traded to the Pirates for LHP Oliver Perez.
…i’m sure he’ll get traded, if they really want to get rid of him that badly…i’d love to bring him back to the Mets, though i’m not sure where he fits in at this point, given the arrival of OF Ryan Church…
Last season, in 125 games for the Pirates, Nady hit .278 with 20 HR and 72 RBI, while missing time due to a variety of injuries.
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