Daily Archives: November 21, 2008
In a post to his blog for SI.com, Jon Heyman says there are ‘indications,’ based on conversations with other team 
executives, that ‘the Mets appear open to trading either Ramon Castro or Brian Schneider.’
According to Heyman, “Should the Mets find a deal for their catchers, longtime Red Sox C Jason Varitek, a free agent, could be a possibility for them. Mets GM Omar Minaya has always liked Ivan Rodriguez, but it isn’t known whether they’d consider I-Rod, as well.”
In late October, Heyman reported that the Mets had discussed trading for Giants C Bengie Molina.
The Boston Globe has written that the Red Sox would likely have to part with Clay Buchholz or Michael Bowden in a deal for Rangers C Taylor Teagarden or Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
Tagged Ramon Castro |According to Jayson Stark at ESPN.com, the Mets, Phillies, Cubs, Cardinals, 
Nationals, Braves, Royals, Rays, Blue Jays, Rangers, Angels and Mariners have all expressed interest in free-agent OF Raul Ibanez.
In fact, “The Mets, Cubs, Cardinals, Braves and Mariners have him at the top of their position-player shopping lists,” writes Stark.
Stark quotes a team official as saying of Ibanez, “Character. Proven run producer. In better shape than a lot of 25-year-olds. And he’ll play hard every day, every game, every second he has the uniform on.”
Ibanez played in all 162 games this season, and hit .293 with 23 HR, 110 RBI and a .358 OBP.
He has hit at least .280 with 20 HR and a .350 OBP during each of the last four seasons with the Mariners.
In a recent post to ESPN.com, Peter Gammons wrote of Ibanez, “His 338 RBIs the past three years are more than Ramirez, Teixeira, or Vladimir Guerrero; he is a leader, a tremendous person and a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat.”
Tagged Raul Ibanez |“The Mets received the medical information on Francisco Rodriguez, according to David Lennon in Newsday.
Lennon believes the team’s next step will be to look over the information, after which they 
will meet face-to-face with Rodriguez before an offer is made.
Initially, Rodriguez had been seeking a five-year deal, according to previous reports.
However, an official with one team told Jayson Stark at ESPN.com, “I’d be shocked if he gets a five-year deal at this point.”
Meanwhile, today in the New York Post, Joel Sherman says the Mets are unwilling to offer a fourth year to any closer, let alone five years to Rodriguez.
According to Sherman, the Mets are in ‘four corners mode,’ stalling to get a grip on the market, while considering Kerry Wood or Trevor Hoffman on a short-term deal, as well waiting to see if J.J. Putz becomes available in trade.
“Of all the potential closers,” Sherman writes, “Putz intrigues them because of a combination of stuff and affordability.”
Putz is due $13.8 million over the next two seasons.
…it’s frustrating, but the Mets are playing this correctly…
…neither K-Rod nor Brian Fuentes are going to sign a deal without giving the Mets a chance to counter…so, why jump first…in the meantime, they can check in on other options, while hopefully weighing down the market…
According to Jon Heyman at SI.com, ‘the Yankees will not be in the ballpark,’ if they offer Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett contracts worth $60 million over four years, as they intend to do.
Instead, Heyman believes Burnett is seeking a five-year deal, while Lowe is reportedly seeking a ‘Zito-like Deal,’ as was reported by FoxSports.com earlier in the week.
That said, the Blue Jays may be willing to give Burnett a five-year deal, reports the Toronto Sun.
…from what i can gather, lowe is more concerned with the dollar amount than the years…he is far more likely to accept a four-year, $70 million deal from a team on the East Coast, than he is to accept a five– or six-year deal worth less per season…the buzz around lowe suggests he would like to retire at or around his 40th birthday, and would like to sign with a team who has a spring training facility near his home in Florida…
In a poll earlier this week on MetsBlog.com, 48 percent of voters said they are only willing to give Lowe a three-year contract, while 36 percent would go as high as four years.
Meanwhile, 12 percent would not sign him at all, and less than three percent are willing to give him a deal over four years.
The Mets added minor-league 1B Mike Carp to their 40-man roster yesterday, which will keep him from being drafted in the Rule 5 draft on Dec. 11.
…from what i understand, the team is working to re-make carp as a left fielder…
however, he will never be a good defensive player, and he’ll be clunky no matter where he sets up…the thing is, the guy can hit…seriously, he looks like Jim Thome at the plate…he’ll start the season at Triple-A next season, where he’ll bounce between first and left field, and will be mentioned in all sorts of trade talk…i bet he’s invited to spring training, unlike last season, and he will probably be among the first players promoted mid-season to the major league roster, assuming he is still in the organization…in short, he reads like Mike Jacobs…
In August, Carp was interviewed by Mike Silva at NY Baseball Digest, which you can listen to here.
Tagged Mike Carp |The lead financial story today on CNN reads, “U.S. stocks looked set to rebound Friday from their recent fall after a report said financial giant Citigroup is considering selling itself.”
The report suggests Citigroup could be purchased by Goldman Sachs or JP Morgan Chase.
In 2006, Citigroup announced it would pay $20 million over 20 years for the naming rights of the Mets new ballpark, which has been named Citi Field.
Nevertheless, despite the financial state of Citigroup, a team spokesman recently told Biz of Baseball, “Everything is fine with our naming rights deal for Citi Field.”
…like in most cases, if Citigroup is bought, it will retain its name and the deal with the Mets will remain in tact…
…that being said, i will forever hold out hope that the Mets and Apple will one day team up to create the first-ever iStadium, in which the team’s new home is a place where technology and baseball join forces…
…the best part is that we could call the stadium The Apple, in honor of the Home Run Apple, the Big Apple, etc…
…and then i woke up…
As always, please answer the following question, while considering the team’s ownership, current management, talent, minor-league system, new stadium, etc.:
[poll id="192"]
In a report for Newsday, David Lennon details a phone call made from Aaron Heilman to Omar Minaya, during which Heilman once again asked that he be a starting pitcher.
“We talked and he expressed himself,” Lennon quotes Minaya as saying. “He told me that he’d like the opportunity to start. 
But my job is to make sure I do what’s in the best interest of the team, and we still see him in the bullpen.”
Last night on SNY’s Mets Hot Stove, SI.com’s Jon Heyman again referenced Heilman’s ‘high-back elbow,’ which Mets officials believe could lead to injury if he throws more than 100 innings in a season, similar to Mark Prior.
In other words, according to Heyman, the Mets are looking out for Heilman’s health…by keeping him in the bullpen.
That said, the Rockies and D’Backs, among other teams, still believe that he can be starting pitcher, Heyman wrote in his blog for SI.com in early November.
…i still get the sense heilman will be traded for a relief pitcher, who has experience as a closer…to the Mets, it would be swapping out relievers…to the team getting heilman, they would be swapping a reliever for a starter…so, it makes sense on both sides, especially heilman’s, who would get a much-needed change of scenery and the opportunity to start, which he has earned…
By the way, to watch clips from last night’s Mets Hot Stove show, courtesy of SNY, click here.
In a report for the New York Post, Joel Sherman writes:
“Luis Castillo requested an offseason meeting in which he implored Mets officials not to trade him and also pledged to re-dedicate himself to offseason training to assure he is in top condition next season…Mets officials were pleased that Castillo did not want to flee from the problems. Instead, he stated a desire to play and win as a Met, and change the fans’ booing opinion of him, as well.”
Nevertheless, the Mets, Dodgers, Yankees and Indians are among the teams who have expressed interest in free-agent 2B Orlando Hudson, reports Jon Heyman on his blog for SI.com.
The Giants have ‘serious interest’ in Hudson as well, writes Chris Haft at MLB.com.
According to Heyman, Hudson is seeking a five-year deal worth more than $50 million.
…i am sure castillo is sincere…the thing is, can he change…
…frankly, the New York Post report reads more like a publicity effort from the Mets for castillo, who, from what i can gather, very few teams are interested in acquiring, regardless of what the Mets do to make a deal more attractive…
…the White Sox are rumored to be seeking a second baseman…they also want to rid themselves of Javier Vazquez…to me, there is a natural fit here…
…the Sox would get a second baseman, and while they’d be obligated to castillo for one extra year than they would have been to vazquez, the deal will cut $6 million from chicago’s payroll…
…similarly, the Mets pick up a fifth starter, which they need, for what amounts to an additional $6 million per season, but they clip their commitment by one season…
…for the Mets to make such a move, though, they need to be certain of how to replace castillo, and right now they are totally focused on the bullpen and signing a front-end starting pitcher…
Tagged Orlando Hudson |
