Daily Archives: December 12, 2007
According to the Chicago Tribune, the Cubs have non-tendered RHP Mark Prior, making him free to sign with any team.
Prior is expected to miss the first few months of the 2008 season rehabbing from surgery on his right shoulder.
He has not pitched in a major league game since August of 2006.
According to Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports.com, free-agent RHP Luis Vizcaino is close to signing a multi-year contract with either the Pirates or Rockies.
Vizcaino was 8-2 with a 4.30 ERA in 77 games for the Yankees last season.
According to Kat O’Brien, at her blog for Newsday, the Mets and Yankees were among several teams who had talked with Vizcaino, who was rumored to be seeking a four-year, $19-million contract.
…again, as i have been saying, it appears the Mets have no interest in guarenteeing any free-agent reliever a spot in their bullpen, especially on a long-term contract…
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com writes, citing ‘baseball sources,’ that 
free-agent OF Cliff Floyd may sign with the Rays by the weekend.
In 109 games with the Cubs least season, Floyd hit .284 with nine homers and 45 RBI.
…you deserve better, cliffy…i’m still getting used to this whole Rays thing…i mean, is it supposed to be Rays, as in ‘sun rays’…if so, how can they be called that when they play in a covered dome…
Don Burke at the Star-Ledger reports that the Mets have signed C Raul Casanova, C Gustavo Molina and RHP Nate Field to minor-league contracts and invited them to spring training camp.
…not very exciting, but news all the same…i honestly can’t wait for spring training to start…all of these hot stove rumors are starting to drive me crazy…
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |
According to ESPN.com, the Giants have signed free-agent OF Aaron Rowand to a five-year contract.
Rowand hit .309 with 27 home runs and 89 RBI with the Phillies last season.
During an appearance on sports radio WEEI in Boston this morning, Curt Schilling said he thinks that the Red Sox will eventually acquire Johan Santana from the Twins.
…as i said yesterday, people connected to the Mets still seem positive, though i keep hearing that they’ll continue to ‘monitor the situation,’ which hardly invokes confidence if you ask me…at the same time, people around santana, who prefers to pitch for the Mets, are back to seeing Boston as a likely destination…so, there is a definite disconnect there…
…nevertheless, the way i keep hearing it, the Twins want Carlos Gomez and four pitchers…however, yesterday at SI.com, Jon Heyman wrote that the Twins want both gomez and Fernando Martinez, plus three pitchers, which the Mets are unwilling to do…
Meanwhile, at his blog for the Daily 
News, Adam Rubin recalls a story he wrote while in Nashville that lists Aaron Heilman as the fourth pitcher in question.
…i just assumed they were pitching ‘prospects,’ not some one from the major-league roster…but, again, it was relayed to me as just ‘four pitchers,’ so who knows…maybe it is heilman, like rubin suggests…
Yesterday, MetsBlog asked if the Mets should trade Pelfrey, Humber, Mulvey, Guerra and Gomez to the Twins for Santana, who will also require a seven-year contract, and only 58 percent of the 3,700 respondents said, ‘Yes, make the trade.’
…however, if heilman is among the four pitchers, that is a very, very different story…
…so, let’s try this again…
[poll=32]
At his blog for the Daily News, Adam Rubin gives an update on a variety of the team’s players, including 1B Michel Abreu, OF Ben Johnson, and RHP Juan Padilla, who ‘probably won’t be ready for Opening Day.’
…thanks to Peter Wade, MetsBlog’s eyes and ears, for the info…
Last year, John Maine was 12–5 with a 2.92 ERA during his first 21 starts of the season.
However, he was 3–5 with a 6.54 ERA in his last 11 starts.
In Newsday, citing an anonymous 
major-league scout, Ken Davidoff writes that hitters began to figure out Maine in the second-half of the season.
Maine, as quoted by Davidoff…
“I don’t know. I think I let some games slip. It was my fault, whether it was preparation or whatever…It hopefully won’t happen next year.”
…from what i recall, it didn’t look like hitters were making adjustments to maine, it looked like maine was just throwing a flat ball over the plate…the movement he had earlier in the year was gone, and so, instead of swinging and missing, batters were fouling back pitch after pitch, to the extent that maine looked tired and weak by the third inning…
…also, while i admire Rick Peterson’s strategic and philosophical approach to pitching, there were times last season when i feel maine needed to just let it rip, while no longer thinking about perfect placement…just throw the ball, man…let her fly…
According to the Daily News, The Cubs are shopping RHP Jason Marquis, ‘and apparently like Endy Chavez.’
…well, they can like him, but they’re not getting him…
Marquis won at least 12 games in each of the last four seasons, while compiling a 4.54 ERA and averaging 33 starts per year.
…the buzz from shea has long been that the Mets are likely to non-tender C Johnny Estrada during today’s deadline…
…by doing so, he becomes a free agent and the Mets owe him nothing, other than a thank you for allowing them to ship Guillermo Mota, and mota’s salary, to the Brewers…
Meanwhile, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, the A’s are likely to non-tender RHP Kiko Calero, who was 1–5 with a 5.75 ERA in 46 appearances in Oakland last season.
However, in his previous 128 relief appearances, spanning two seasons, he was 7–3 with a 3.36 ERA having struck out 119 batters in 113 innings pitched.
…the word from san francisco has been that calero is suffering from some sort of arm issues, which could be why they have no interest in bringing him back…
Speaking of arm issues, the Chicago Tribune writes that the Cubs may non-tender RHP Mark Prior, as he could earn up to $4 million through salary arbitration.
Prior has not pitched in a big-league game since August 2006.
He is 42–29 in 106 starts for his career, with a 3.51 ERA.
…if prior hits the open market, i assume there will be a large number of teams who will try to be creative about bringing him in to their camp…i hope the Mets are one of them, though it will be hard to justify giving him a guarenteed roster spot…
Lastly, the Padres may non-tender 3B Morgan Ensberg, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
At RotoWorld, Matthew Pouliot lists the following players, who could also find themselves non-tendered and available to any team via the free agent market starting tomorrow:
- Nationals 2B-SS Felipe Lopez
- Brewers OF Kevin Mench
- Dodgers LHP Mark Hendrickson
- Mariners LHP Horacio Ramirez
- Cubs LHP Neal Cotts
- Red Sox RHP Brendan Donnelly
- Brewers RHP Seth McClung
- Royals RHP Brandon Duckworth
- Nationals RHP Ryan Wagner
…in some cases, like with donnelly, the player will likely be cut and then re-signed to a lesser deal than he would have been given through arbitration…
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