Daily Archives: December 3, 2009
SNY has confirmed the Mets have signed C Henry Blanco to a one-year deal.
Original Post, 6:36 pm:
Blanco told Francisco Blavia of Lider en Deportes he has agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Mets.
…thanks to Andres M for the link and translation…
…i like this signing a lot, he is the perfect back-up catcher… it’s the other 10 back-up catchers i am confused out… like i said earlier, blanco is one of the best defensive catchers in baseball, he has a strong arm, frames pitches well, he is steady behind the plate… of course, he is not a very good hitter… yes, he can have a hot streak or two, but, for the most part, he’s known for his defense not his bat…
Tagged Twitter |Tonight, on SNY’s Mets Hot Stove, which airs every Thursday at 7 
pm, SI.com’s Jon Heyman said, from what he can tell, “Roy Halladay to the Mets is not happening.”
Heyman believes Halladay will most certainly be traded before next season, but it is not likely to happen at next week’s Winter Meetings in Indianapolis, since, as he put it, ‘The Jays want to get a lot for him.’
According to Heyman, as of now, ‘the Mets are not heavily involved in free-agent RHP John Lackey,’ who he believes will eventually sign a $100–million contract.
Lastly, Heyman said, ‘Mets still like Carlos Delgado very much,’ and they are not interested in free-agent 1B Nick Johnson because ‘he has slowed down, he has no power and his range is not what it used to be.’
The Mets believe Ike Davis can be a starting first baseman in 2011, Heyman said, and so they are not likely to pursue free-agent 1B Adam LaRoche, because LaRoche is seeking a multi-year deal.
To watch clips from tonight’s show, keep an eye on SNY.TV.
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The Mets today officially announced the signing of 1B-C Chris Coste to a one-year contract and have added him to the 40-man roster.
…yes, the team refers to coste as a first baseman, as well as a catcher, in the press release…
He played 15 games at first base last season.
This week, I have been sent several e-mails from fans who feel this has been a particular slow Hot Stove season.
The thing is, Saturday, Dec. 12, is the deadline for teams to tender contracts to unsigned players on their 40-man roster.
If the player is non-tendered, he becomes a free agent; and so, because so many teams are looking to cut payroll, the buzz around baseball suggests close to 100 new free agents could end up hitting the open market.
The Dec. 12 deadline is just two days after 
the Winter Meetings, which is why I believe next week could be full of potential non-tender candidates being traded to new teams… this way, a team can at least get something for the player instead of cutting him loose to become a free agent.
So, if you are a GM, and you are looking for a catcher, why jump the gun and give a deal to Rod Barajas, when there is a chance the Rays might non-tender Dioner Navarro.
The Mets big decision will be whether to offer a contract to John Maine, Tim Redding and Cory Sullivan, all of whom can be non-tendered. Maine will be back, I have no doubt about it, since the team still believes in his talent, and he will only earn around $2.5 million next season. I have no idea what the future holds for Redding or Sullivan.
In short, next week’s Winter Meetings are going to be full of rumors from reporters and conversations between teams, all setting up how best to proceed after December 12, at which point players will begin signing new contracts and teams will start making trades.
It’s official…
The Braves have announced the signing of free-agent relief pitcher Takashi Saito to a one-year deal.
Original Post:
The Braves are close to signing Saito to a one-year deal, worth roughly $3 million, according to CBS Sportsline.
…hat tip to Sebastian for the link…
…if this is true, the Braves have done a pretty solid job of revamping their bullpen in the matter of a few days, in signing saito and Billy Wagner…
According to NPB Tracker, the Mets were among the eight teams who were showing interest in Saito.
According to a recent report from Baseball America, the Mets check in at No. 20 among the league’s farm systems, while the Phillies have the fourth best, the Braves are seventh, the Marlins are ninth, and the Nationals are No. 26.
“Phillies are bursting with young power arms, toolsy Latin American infielders and athletic outfielders, such as Anthony Gose,” the report reads.
That said, Baseball America did list Mets prospects Ike Davis and Jenrry Mejia among the Top 10 Prospects in the Arizona Fall League.
In regards to Mejia, Baseball America says, “The results weren’t pretty… But he showed one of the league’s strongest arms.”
Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg is the only pitching prospect ranked higher than Mejia, who was 0–5 in 10 AFL starts.
In regards to Davis, Baseball America says, “He has the raw power to hit 25-30 home runs annually… His tendency towards striking out will drag his entire offensive game down at higher levels.”
To read additional analysis and see video of Davis and Mejia, check out Mets Minor League Blog by Toby Hyde.
By the way, in a report last weekend for MLB.com, Marty Noble talked with Darryl Strawberry, who had some advice for Davis.
The Phillies and 34–year-old infielder Placido Polanco have agreed to a three-
year, $18 million deal, with a fourth-year option, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.
In 2005, the Phillies traded Polanco to the Tigers for Ugueth Urbina and Ramon Martinez.
Update, 10:16 am:
According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Phillies are expected to finalize a three-year, $18 million deal with Polanco later today.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Yankees remain bystanders rather than aggressive pursuers for Blue Jays RHP Roy Halladay.
The way I understand it – and I think this is what Sherman is essentially saying as well – the Yankees, Phillies and Red Sox, among other teams, would prefer to trade one or two 
top prospects to get Halladay, and then let him hit the free agent market, knowing they will get at least two top draft picks if he eventually signs elsewhere.
And so, I believe talk of a ‘hot pursuit from the Red Sox,’ as it was written earlier this week, is because Boston must have seen an opportunity to give up only one or two big-time pitching prospects in exchange for one season from Halladay, and so they were rushing to force Toronto to make a quick decision.
I mean, if Halladay doesn’t care, if he is only concerned with leaving Toronto and getting on to a team with a chance to win a World Series next season, then it’s open season, he can just sit back and wait to see which perennial contender gives up the best player to the Jays, such as, say, Joba Chamberlain from the Yankees, or Clay Buccholz from the Sox, or Kyle Drabeck from the Phillies, etc. However, if Halladay wants a big-time contract extension, then the entire storyline changes, since he holds all the cards.
In the Johan Santana Saga from 2006, interested teams had to essentially signal to the pitcher what he could expect from them in terms of a contract extension, as he signaled to the market place what he would require. Santana wanted to sign a long-term deal with the Mets, and, from what I was told, he said so much to the Twins early on, probably because he knew the Mets 
would dish the six-year extension, while the Yankees and Red Sox would not. And so, the Twins had no choice but to accept a collection of questionable prospects, or else no trade would be made.
And so, today, if a team wants Halladay for the next several seasons, at big money, they’re probably going to have to let him know through ‘backchannels,’ and then, based on that ‘hunch,’ Halladay can dictate to the Blue Jays where he will go. If the Blue Jays have no choice but to accept a basket of mid-level prospects, so be it, and they’ll then be forced to either do the deal, or do nothing, and instead be happy with draft pick compensation the following off season.
In the end, Sherman writes, “The Blue Jays have yet to divulge exactly what it would take to land Halladay.”
This makes sense, because, I bet, as of right now, no team is willing to give the 32–year-old Halladay a six-year extension like Santana got… and so, everyone, from inquiring teams to the Jays to Halladay, nobody knows yet what this trade and contract will need to look like.
Actually, I think that is what the Winter Meetings are for.
According to NPB Tracker, “Omar Minaya asked Arn Tellem for the results of Hideki Matsui‘s physical.”
…the Mets are going to ask about, look in to, talk with, and guage interest in all sorts of players, which does not mean they’re going to sign them all…
…omar should be collecting information, while weighing his options, and letting the press know, in that it will give him better leverage throughout the market place…
…that said, if matsui is on the Mets next season, i might cry…
Speaking of Hot Stoves…
Tonight at 7 pm on SNY’s Mets Hot Stove, host Kevin Burkhardt will talk by phone with Alex Cora, while discussing the upcoming Winter Meetings with Adam Rubin and SNY MLB Insider Jon Heyman.
By the way, following tonight’s Hot Stove show, SNY will air Mets Yearbook: 1975, which you can watch a clip of here.
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