Jon Heyman of SI.com recently talked with WFAN’s Mike Francesa about the MLB off season, which you can listen to here.
Heyman believes free-agent OF Matt Holliday wants to come to New York, and might prefer to sign with the Yankees. 
However, the Yankees will first look to acquire a starting pitcher.
The Mets prefer Holliday, he said, but they are OK with signing OF Jason Bay, should Holliday’s asking price remain too high. Nevertheless, Heyman feels Bay’s top choice is to stay in Boston, despite rejecting a four-year, $60 million to do so.
Heyman said the Yankees, Mariners and Angels will pursue free-agent RHP John Lackey, who the Mets, and other teams, might avoid due to health concerns with his arm.
Instead, Heyman believes the Mets are more likely to sign free-agent pitchers Randy Wolf, Joel Pineiro or Jason Marquis, then sign Lackey or trade to get Blue Jays RHP Roy Halladay.
Heyman believes free-agent Jarod Washburn will end up signing with the Mariners; free-agent Mark Mulder will sign with the Brewers; who do not want to trade Prince Fielder, they will instead try to sign Fielder to an extension.
Heyman said there is no buzz around free-agent 1B Adam LaRoche, who is not being considered by the Mets.
Instead, Heyman believes the Mets will bring in a platoon-type first baseman to split time with Daniel Murphy, because they feel 1B prospect Ike Davis is one year away from the big leagues.
Francesa said he heard the Mets intend to talk with free-agent 1B-OF Xavier Nady about filling such a role, but Heyman is skeptical of this because, from what he understands, Nady will not be 100 percent healthy and ready for Opening day.
Again, to listen to this interview, and to listen to WFAN, click here.
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I can’t listen because I’m at work, but Matt: do you mean sign Wolf, Pineiro, or Marquis THEN sign and/or trade for Halladay, or THAN (as in they’ll do the former rather than the latter)? Important distinction.
Pretty sure he meant THAN.
Well, all of you Nady fans, look alive!
(Actually, why not try and get him on an incentive-laden contract. Not a bad depth option at OF, and perhaps at 1B he would be less injury-prone. But don’t sign him as a reliable half of a platoon…)
Obviously, I approve of this idea. In fact I’ve been saying it all along. If Nady is not ready for Opening Day, he should be open to an incentive laden contract. Have Murphy start at 1B and then have him platoon in May/June when Nady is ready.
Of course, the Mets should first be looking to sign Holliday and a couple of pitchers before any of that happens.
The beauty of Nady is that he gives you so much versatility, and he allows Murphy to play everyday early on. This allows us to get a good look at him.
Nady has played in 679 games, 82 of which were at 1B, the rest in the OF. He last played 1B in 2006, well there were 3 games at 1B in 2008. I’m not sure that qualifies as “so versitle”
Regarding Murphy: I think 700 major league AB is a better look than are 70 at bats next April.
I think he played 1B with the Pirates a few times in 2007.
no, follow the link. regardless he was not that versitle.
A-ha! He did play 1B 3 times for the Yankees in 2008. THREE TIMES!!!!!
I said that
well it bears repeating.
I now know how Zeppo Marx must have felt.
Time flies like an arrow.
But fruit flies like a banana.
He makes a good 4th OF. He has had one very good season and one adequate season. There isn’t much else – he is 31, coming off an injury, and not very good defensively either.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/nadyxa01.shtml?redir
Blasphemy!
Nady hit 17 HRs in 06, 20 in ‘07 and 25 in ‘08. Plus he’s a doubles machine.
Not saying he should be starting, but as a bench guy and a right handed bat, he’d be great (assuming he recovered from his injury).
4th OF starting
4th OF = bench
He had one season with moere than 30 doubles.
08: very good
07: good
in 06 he had an OPS of .790
RH off the bench: Yes; but we have a 4th OF in Pagan.
So OK – 07 good, 08 very good, (09 injured), 10 all star
Come on.
2011: HOF!!
Now you’re talking sense!
Heyman is almost never right when it comes to Met rumors. Two years ago he said the Mets didn’t have the prospects to acquire Johan Santana. Last year he said he didn’t expect the Mets to make any moves at the winter meetings (they signed K-Rod and traded for Putz during the winter meetings).
I take anything he says regarding Met rumors with a grain of salt because he has been off so many times.
This is Heyman starting the narrative that, if the Mets sign Holliday, it will be because the Yankees weren’t interested. Just like he did when Beltran and Santana signed with the Mets.
The Mets SHOULDN’T have had the prospects to trade for Santana. In a sense, he was right. The Mets robbed Minnesota. (Yes, even though Minnesota has been to the playoffs since then and the Mets have not. Imagine if this team DIDN’T have Johan?) Nobody could have thought that the Mets could get Johan for that package. That’s why it’s so hard to predict these things.
Personally, I like Heyman. I don’t get why he gets lambasted so often on these boards by Met fans.
Then what about last year before the start of the winter meetings saying he didn’t expect the Mets to make any moves? Or him being completely off base on Tony Bernazard being retained?
This guy is consistently wrong when it comes to rumors about the Mets. His sources maybe good with other teams, but they are consistently wrong when it comes to rumors about the Mets.
The thing is, rumors are just that: rumors. They’re not right or wrong, because they’re not necessarily true.
Look, Hot Stove time is the best time of the year for Mets fans (sadly), and right or not, Heyman provides a lot Mets rumors. It stands to reason, as a former baseball writer for Newsday, he probably has more contacts in the NY/LI area than he does anywhere else in the country.
Well again he has been pretty bad with his Met rumors the last few season’s. Most of them have been completely off base. So I’d take what he says regarding the Mets with a grain of salt.
I like Heyman when its a factual story; all of these “columnists” are awful with the rumors.
As for the Santana deal, it doesn’t matter if Mets shouldn’t have been able to do it- a reporter is supposed to hear what the teams say, not what they speculate.
Anyone know what the Mets stance is on signing Type A free agents this year? Since we did so bad, do we keep our picks, lose them? What??
Nicky — if a team signs a Type A player who was offered arbitration (most are, especially ones you’d want), you lose your first pick in the draft. Every time after that you lose a pick from the next round.
If a team finished last season in the bottom half of the league record-wise, the team keeps their first rounder, and instead the process starts at the second round.
So if the Mets sign two Type As, they lose their 2nd and 3rd round pick, instead of 1st and 2nd rounders like the top 15 teams would.
As for Type Bs. I believe the top teams lose a lesser pick but the bottom half loses nothing. That said, less Type Bs are even offered arbitration because they would accept (like Tatis, for example), but the good thing for the Mets is that teams shy away from Type Bs because of that pick they would lose in addition to signing the player — but the Mets are one of the teams out there with a high payroll that would not lose anything.
This is why I believe they will try for Type Bs as much as possible.
right Razor for type A.
For Type B, i think no one loses pics but team that lost the type B gets sandwich picks.
Thanks fellas!
Opps used a word not allowed
Heyman is an idi – ot, he hates the mets for some reason, he said some interesting things i guess but I still think we have a chance for Halladay and I’d love to get him.
I’m not sure if he hates the Mets. He just seems to get a lot of inaccurate info about the Mets and potential moves out there. I mean him saying on Met Hot Stove last December the Mets will not make any moves at the winter meetings and yet the Mets pulled off two of their biggest moves at the winter meetings last year is another sign that he is completely out of touch with Met ongoings.
I said a naughty word too, lol. This is what I said, though.
Heyman is a do-uche and a Boras lackey (ha!).
Unless he reports an actual trade that has happened, I don’t pay attention to what he says.
I thin the MEts should be competing to get LAckey and Holliday or BAy. This is what I’d do. Sign LAckey. Sign either Holliday or Bay for LF. Sign Molina or Barajas. Trade for Phillips and Arroyo or Harang. Trade CAstillo for bullpen and bech players. Re-sign Cora.
Reyes
Phillips
Beltran
Holliday/Bay
Wright
F-Core
Molina/Barajas
Murphy
P
Johan
Lackey
Arroyo/Harang
Pelfrey
Maine/Perez
I hope i’m wrong but i don’t think the Mets are coming ome with the big names.
*home with the big names
I hope u are wrong because what I posted above CAN happen.
I got that feeling too Lou…but Omar might be throwing smoke screens out there to keep the club’s plan close to the vest.
That’s assuming they have a plan…because there’s no false hustle in Omar.
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