Daily Archives: January 11, 2008
Twins LHP Johan Santana, as quoted yesterday by the News-Press in So. Florida:
“I’m a Minnesota Twin. That’s all I know. It’s up to them. Whatever they have to do is going to happen. It has nothing to do with me at all. I said it from the beginning during the season last year, whatever will be the best for this team and this organization, I’ll agree with that.”
Meanwhile, according to the Associated Press, citing the player’s agent, Santana has never made a request to be traded before pitchers and catchers are set to meet.
Free-agent RHP Kyle Lohse is now 
willing to accept a three-year deal with a vesting option, reports Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports.com.
During a recent appearance on XM’s MLB Live, Lohse said that at least three teams are interested in signing him.
According to a report last month in the New York Post, “It’s believed the Mets have made an offer to the 29-year-old for four years, but it’s not known if it is for the $10 million per he is seeking.”
However, the following day, in a report for Newsday, Ken Davidoff wrote that the Mets ‘do not seem particularly interested’ in free-agent starting pitchers Livan Hernandez, Carlos Silva or Lohse, ‘unless their prices drop.’
In 34 starts for the Reds and Phillies last season, the 29–year-old Lohse was 9–12 with a 4.63 ERA, while striking out 122 batters through 192 innings.
Rosenthal also details the latest with the A’s, and the market for free-agent Pedro Feliz.
According to the team’s website, Mets OF Endy Chavez injured a ligament in his knee and his ankle while running from third to home on a sacrifice fly during a Winter-League game in December.
…thanks to Mets Fan in Mexico for the translation…
Chavez hit .476 in six games this winter, but has not yet returned to the lineup.
…although it’s an unfortunate topic, the google translation of the article is pretty funny…
…it appears that either endy doesn’t want to re-aggravate something, or he is still injured…
…hat tip to Mets Prospect Hub and Hot Foot for the link…
Tagged Regis Courtemanche |According to the Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports.com, citing ‘a source,’ the Yankees are no longer talking with the Twins about LHP Johan Santana.
…obviously this is great to hear, but i’ll believe it when santana is either on the Mets, stays with the Twins or any place other than the Bronx…
On the hand, other sources tell Rosenthal that by passing on Mike Cameron, who agreed to a deal with the Brewers today, it ‘could indicate’ the Yankees are still considering Santana.
…that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me…i mean, it seems to me that had they signed cameron, Melky Cabrera would now be expendable…and melky’s availability could indicate interest in santana…not the other way around…
…at any rate, during the last few days, i have written repeatedly that the Mets are the only major, pro-active team that is dealing with the Twins and things between the two sides are progressing…the thing is, the emphasis is on ‘pro-active,’ meaning other teams must certainly be monitoring the situation…
…i’ll say this, though, i’m getting pretty tired of this…i mean, i feel like i run SantanaBlog.com, not MetsBlog…i want so badly to start thinking about spring training, the roster, schedule, etc, but it’s all a waste if there is a realistic chance that santana ends up in Queens, since the entire dynamic changes…what’s worse, from what i can tell, the entire league is waiting on this situation, not just you and i…seriously, there are other trades between other teams, free agents, uninvolved GMs, etc, all of which are on hold…it’s getting a little ridiculous…
Tagged Yankees |…here’s what i have learned today, having talked with more or less the same group of insiders who i normally engage with…
…more and more people around baseball, from front offices to reporters, are all starting to see the Mets as Johan Santana’s likely landing spot, including people who are connected to the Yankees and Red Sox…which has me very giddy, but which also makes me very nervous…
…i mean, i just don’t want to be teased and let down…i know the Mets are involved, and they’re quite focused on santana, and they’re working a lot of creative angles, and so to have this back-fire, especially after all of the hype, it would be so disappointing…if he ends up on the Yankees it will be devastating…
…by the way, i have a feeling that Jose Reyes is repeatedly mentioned in public, specifically through talk radio, so the Mets have a built-in scapegoat should santana end up on another team…in other words, the Mets can say, “Well, the Twins wanted Reyes, what were 
we supposed to do,” when in reality he has not, is not and will never be involved…
…also, a lot of people now believe that the report from yesterday’s Star-Tribune was aimed directly at the Yankees, in an effort to smoke out Phil Hughes…hopefully it had zero impact…frankly, i’m starting to believe the Yankees would just as soon see santana end up in Queens at this point, which is saying a lot considering how these two teams typically fight over the back pages…
…lastly, i get the sense that santana and his agents are now in a position to consider a contract extension from another team…i am not exactly sure how that is allowed to happen without a trade having been agreed to, yet santana’s people are in lock down and their in lock down for what seems to be a very specific reason…man, could you imagine after all of this if he ends up signing an extension to say with the Twins…ugh…
…at any rate, i remain cautiously optimistic, but quite skeptical – as you should be as well…frankly, i will not sleep easy until santana is traded, because i will never trust what i hear or don’t hear about the Yankees…as long as they’re roaming the country side, i worry…
SNY will hold an open casting call on Saturday, January 12 from 10 am – 1 pm to find the new host of the network’s Emmy-Award winning children’s show Kids Clubhouse presented by f.y.e.
The auditions will take place at SNY’s street-level studio on 6th Avenue and 51st Street in front of three judges.
Eligible candidates must be between the ages of 14-18, and be accompanied by an adult.
For more information, go to SNY.
Tagged SNY |Mets GM Omar Minaya and agent Arn Tellem, among others, are part of a delegation currently in Israel to do work with Seeds of Peace, which aims to improve relations between Israeli and Palestinian children.
In the Jerusalem Post, Uriel Storm talks with Minaya about the mission; Pedro Martinez; building a team; and being the first Hispanic GM in MLB, among other topics.
Minaya, among other comments, as quoted by Storm…
“It’s important to have talent but character overrides talent. It’s more crucial, in fact, because without character it’s hard to maintain team unity. You have
to have both, but you can’t have one without the other.”
By the way, Minaya will arrive back in New York this weekend.
…i am surprised by the number of comments and e-mail from readers who seem to think that by being in Israel, minaya is now unable to communicate with the Twins – or with any other team for that matter…he’s in Israel, not Jupiter…hello e-mail, cell phone, assistants, etc…in this day and age, i’m fairly certain that minaya and other GMs can continue business as usual from more or less every corner of the planet…
…by the way, i can’t stop laughing at the cell phone image being used in this post…it’s a Zach Morris special if ever there was one…
Tagged Omar Minaya |…this has me a bit worried…
The Yankees are showing ‘serious interest’ in free-agent OF Mike Cameron, writes Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports.com.
…it seems to me that if the Yankees acquire cameron, Melky Cabrera will be as good as traded…however, where will he be traded to…hopefully not to the Twins, along with Phil Hughes, in a deal for Johan Santana…instead, from what i can gather, melky could be used in a deal to 
get a set-up man, which could allow Joba Chamberlain to slip back in to the starting rotation…
…as i said yesterday, and this is total speculation, but i wonder if all the rumored talk between the Red Sox and Twins and the Yankees and Twins has more to do with Joe Nathan than santana…just a thought…
…Update…3:00 pm…
According to Buster Olney at ESPN.com, the Brewers are ‘on the verge of an agreement’ with Cameron.
…thanks to Jason B for the link, and thanks to buster for calming my initial fears…
…Update…3:20 pm…
According to Rosenthal’s recent report, Cameron and the Brewers have reached agreement on a one-year deal.
…well, that was quick…
Tagged Yankees |According to Buster Olney, in his outstanding blog for ESPN.com, free-agent RHP Bartolo Colon was ‘on the verge’ of signing with the Mets last week, ‘but the Mets backed off after 
taking a closer look at the condition of his right arm.’
Last week, Impacto Deportivo speculated that Colon may not be entirely healthy, since he has yet to hit 90 mph, and so clubs may be waiting to see a few more starts before seriously considering whether to sign him.
Colon, who has been battling shoulder and elbow problems since 2006, has a career record of 146-95 and a 4.10 ERA in 306 starts.
…as i have said before, i’m not sure the Mets need to lock in a spot with a guy like colon right now…if he ends up signing a multi-year deal, as MLB.com once suggested he is seeking, not bringing him to queens will make even more sense…
…he is worth inviting to camp, which should be his second choice, but i have no interest in getting more bogged down in players who are clearly on the back nine of a career…
…Update…3:40 pm…
According to MLB Trade Rumors, WHBF-TV reports that Ozzie Guillen was recently in the Dominican Republic to watch Colon pitch and to gauge his health.
The guys at Wax Heaven pull some quotes, provide some commentary, and take a closer look at 19–year-old Mets OF Fernando Martinez, to determine 
whether his baseball card is worth investing in.
…my favorite part about this report is that, after a well-written, informative, 1000-word post, the first comment reads as follows…
“If you are serious about this, why not get your own domain name?”
…thanks to the always-awake Peter Wade for the link…
← Older posts
