Daily Archives: November 13, 2008
The Red Sox have been in contact with Scott Boras about free-agent RHP Derek Lowe, according to the Boston Herald.
…it seems to me that lowe will wait until CC Sabathia signs with the either the Yankees or Angels, at which point he will shop himself to the Yankees, Angels, Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox, etc., all of whom have been linked to him in rumor so far this off-season…
Speaking of Sabathia, according to Joel Sherman in the New York Post, the Yankees intend to make him an aggressive offer, i.e., six-years, $150 million in Sherman’s opinion.
Meanwhile, “Freddy Garcia has drawn interest from a few teams as a potential lower-budget option for starting pitching on the free-agent market,” writes Jason Beck at MLB.com.
…we are bound to hear garcia’s name linked to the Mets, you can set your watch to it…if you recall, the Mets were said to have mild interest in garcia last off-season, spring and around the trade deadline…though, i sense he had more interest in playing for the Mets, than the Mets had in signing him…
The following video, courtesy of SNY.tv, is of my recent phone conversation with Tim Dierkes from MLB Trade Rumors, during which we discuss Mark Teixeira and the closer’s market.
To watch the three-minute video, click play below:
To share this video, or embed it on your blog, click the icon in the lower-right corner of the screen.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, 
the Rockies may look to ‘spin’ Huston Street to the Mets, Tigers, Indians or Brewers.
However, as Ken Davidoff writes in Newsday, ‘The Mets don’t love Street, and the Mariners, who want to contend in 2009, could hold onto J.J. Putz.’
Interesting, in that the Rockies, along with the Cardinals, Cubs and D’Backs, have interest in Heilman, according to Adam Rubin in last Tuesday’s Daily News.
…also, from what i recall, the Rockies expressed interest in heilman during the trade deadline…
…i wonder if the Rockies would be interested in heilman…in that they’d be trading a set-up man in street, who is under contract through 2010, in exchange for heilman, who they could use as a starting pitcher, and who is under contract through 2010…
…nevertheless, i get the sense that street will not be traded until later in the off season, after Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes have signed, when the demand for a late-inning bullpen arm can go up…
…which works just fine for the Mets, who, i believe, prefer to utilize the free-agent market for a closer, then use the trade market to support the rest of the bullpen…
“Tuesday night, several White Sox officials watched Mets pitching prospects Bobby Parnell and Eddie Kunz pitch in the Arizona Fall League,’ reports Mark Gonzales in the Chicago Tribune.
According to Gonzales, citing two NL scouts, the Sox are scouting players for deals that include OF Jermaine Dye.
Earlier this week, in a post to his blog for Newsday, Ken Davidoff wrote that the Sox are looking to trade Dye.
…as i wrote earlier in the week, the Sox will likely want a pitcher back in a deal for dye, who they are eager to move, in an effort to get younger and free up some cash…
Dye hit .292 with 34 HR, 96 RBI and a .344 OBP in 154 games for the White Sox this season.
He has hit at least 20 home runs during each of the last four seasons, while playing mostly right field.
Dye will earn $11.5 million in 2009, after which he has a mutual option in 2010 for $12 million, or a $1 million buyout that could make him a free agent.
In a report on Tuesday for SI.com, Jon Heyman wrote, “The Mets are trying to 
swing a deal for White Sox RHP Bobby Jenks before doling out free-agent riches to Brian Fuentes or Francisco Rodriguez.”
Jenks, 27, completed 30 of 34 saves in 2008, with a 2.63 ERA in 61 innings pitched, during which opponents hit .230 against him while striking out 38 times.
Gonzales quotes an NL scout as saying, ‘Jenks remains a bargain despite his expected salary hike to at least $5 million because of his consistency and the dearth of dependable closers.’
Meanwhile, in a report from early November in the Chicago Tribune, Dave van Dyck wrote, ‘The Mets had interest in White Sox RHP Javier Vazquez,’ according to a well-placed source at the GM meetings.
…in other words, something must be brewing with the Sox…
In the New York Post, Bart Hubbuch writes, ‘The Mets will pursue a closer right out of the gate in free agency, with starting pitching, corner outfield help, second base and possibly catcher lower on the list of priorities,’ according to a person familiar with the team’s thinking.
On Tuesday, Rodriguez’s agent, Paul Kinzer, was a guest on WFAN, and said his client likes New York, the big stage, and he is very interested in the Mets.
Hubbuch quotes Kinzer as saying essentially the same thing.
That said, according to Hubbuch, citing other sources, Brian Fuentes is higher on the team’s wish list, ‘in part because of initial reports of Rodriguez looking for a five-year deal worth as much as $15 million per season.’
…well, i would like to be paid $1 million per year to write MetsBlog.com, but that’s not going to happen either…however, we can all dream, right K-Rod…
Yesterday, in an interview with a Los Angeles radio station, Angels owner Arte Moreno said he and his team are ‘probably turning the page on Rodriguez,’ and ‘moving forward.’
Similarly, in a recent radio interview, Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski also said he does not expect to bid on Rodriguez, according to a blog for the Grand Rapids Press.
And so, today, at CBS Sports, Danny Knobler concludes:
“The Mets could be well-positioned to get Rodriguez, because the other teams in need of a closer this winter are very unlikely to spend anything close to $15 million per year… The Mets could end up going that high, although not for the five years that Kinzer was originally demanding.”
Teams can start bidding on free agents starting at midnight.
In a poll of 3,300 fans on MetsBlog.com yesterday, when asked to put aside dollars, years, trades, etc., and value only talent, 59 percent of voters said they would want Rodriguez to be the team’s closer, while 19 percent said Bobby Jenks, 15 percent said Fuentes, and three percent said Huston Street.
According to Scott Miller of CBS Sports, the 
Braves are offering Yunel Escobar, Gorkys Hernandez, Blaine Boyer, and either Charlie Morton or Jo-Jo Reyes, and one of two minor-league left-handed pitchers, one of which is believed to be Jeff Locke.
In the report, Miller adds, “The Braves have been pressuring the Padres for an answer by Friday, when the free agent market opens, because they need at least two starters… They are expected to pursue A.J. Burnett, Ryan Dempster and others - sign maybe one if they acquire Peavy, and two if they don’t.”
Buster Olney wrote on Tuesday at ESPN.com that in talks with the Cubs, the Padres may need a third team to facilitate a deal.
“The Cubs and Padres have talked about a deal built around Josh Vitters, the Cubs’ top pick from 2007,” Olney writes.
Meanwhile, in a post to his blog for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Braves reporter Dave O’Brien described the Braves as being ‘peeved,’ and getting ‘antsy,’ with the Padres.
So, yesterday, the Mets and Red Sox ‘inserted themselves in to talks about Peavy,’ reported Tim Brown at Yahoo!, adding, “The Yankees continue to push hard,’ as well.
…from what i understand, though, there is no way peavy will approve a deal to boston or new york, or any big-city, east-coast location, especially in the American League…it’s just not happening…
In his report for ESPN, Olney wrote, “Some sources believe that a trade of Peavy, while not imminent, is inevitable, and could occur prior to Thanksgiving.”
David Wright hosted his fourth-annual Do the Wright Thing Gala last night at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City.
The David Wright Foundation, and the Do the Wright Thing Gala work to provide financial support and raise awareness for Multiple 
Sclerosis and a variety of children’s causes, such as the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Wright, when asked about the prospect of his team acquiring a new closer for 2009, told reporters prior to the event:
“I think obviously you go through two seasons like we have the last couple of years and you’re going to need a little bit of a face lift. I think there are 30 teams out there that could use pitching and obviously we’re one of them. I think Omar’s going to work his tail off to go out there and deliver. As far as specific needs, the guys that we have here, we need to step it up. We need to do a better job next year. Omar’s going to go out there and bring us some tools in that will help us out as well.”
Lastly, when asked whether the team should acquire more ‘high-character players,’ Wright said, “I love a player that puts winning before everything else. I’ll take a player that has less talent, but a guy that has a desire to win.”
To read a transcript from Wright’s discussion with reporters prior to the Gala, click here.
For more on the Gala, from a fan’s point of view, check out Danielle’s post at her blog, The Wright Stuff, where she details her night attending the event.
Lastly, Wright talked with SNY’s Matt Yalloff prior to the event, which you can watch by clicking play below:
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