Daily Archives: December 4, 2009
In 10 games during the Arizona Fall League, Mets 23-year-old prospect Reese Havens hit .368, while playing second base..
In a post to Mets Today, Joe Janish takes a look at the evolution of Havens’s swing.
According to Janish, “For the most part it’s a good swing, but he has one major flaw that, if corrected, can unleash his true potential as a power hitter, i.e., become the next Jeff Kent.”
Speaking of the minor leagues…
Yesterday, John Manuel of Baseball America said the Mets have the 10th worst farm system in baseball.
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com believes the Angels are still very interested in re-signing free-agent RHP John Lackey.
Last night, on SNY’s Mets Hot Stove, which airs every Thursday at 7 pm, SI.com’s Jon Heyman said, as of now, ‘the Mets are not heavily involved in Lackey,’ who he believes will eventually sign a $100–million contract.
However, in a post to his blog last week for 1050 ESPN Radio, Andrew Marchand said he talked to an MLB executive who feels Lackey will be lucky to get a five-year, $85 million deal.
…the buzz from Los Angeles is that lackey rejected a four-year, $60 million extension from the Angels last off season, and so it stands to reason he believes he either a) can do better, or b) wants out of Anaheim, both of which could be true… for him, i think a lot will depend on where the Blue Jays send Roy Halladay… if halladay ends up in either Boston or the Bronx, i bet the other team pushes hard for lackey, which could jack up his price… however, if those two teams decide to avoid acquiring a starting pitcher, then i think lackey will need to accept a four– or five-year deal from someone else…
According to Marchand, “Lackey could end up in a New York-New York bidding war between the Yankees and Mets.”
…i’ll be honest, i’m still torn… i know the better move for the Mets is to sign lackey, not Matt Holliday… but, even though i think his talent and competitiveness would be perfect in Citi Field, i just have a bad feeling about signing lackey to a super-rich, long-term deal… he missed the start of the last two seasons, both with an elbow injury… and so, i then snap back to preferring holliday…
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Buster Olney of ESPN.com believes, while the Tigers are willing to discuss OF Curtis Granderson, they haven’t been aggressively shopping him.
Olney also says 34–year-old, free-agent infielder Mark DeRosa is seeking a three-year deal, worth roughly $9 million per season.
The Nationals are looking for a veteran starting pitcher; a reliable, veteran catcher; and a middle infielder; though they do not plan to spend big money on free agents, says the Washington Post.
As such, Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com believes the Nationals are interested in free-agent RHP John Smoltz.
Lastly, the Cubs traded Jake Fox and Aaron Miles to the A’s for Jeff Gray and two minor-leaguers, according to ESPN Chicago.
According to Ben Shpigel of the New York Times, Johan Santana helped the Mets recruit C Henry Blanco, who the team signed yesterday to a one-year deal.
Yesterday, MetsBlog reader Michael D sent me an e-mail:
“I think this might be we’re free and clear with not having to be stuck with Bengie Molina and Jeff Francoeur whiffing back to back. Omar Minaya has signed too may backup catchers and bit players to be thinking about committing to a guy like Molina, who’d likely play regularly. If Molina was here, especially at some of the prices mentioned, he’d get the starts, the backup would be mostly unimportant and wouldn’t likely be getting figures like 1.5million.”
…i disagree, unfortunately…
…the plan, i think, is to have a Molina-Blanco Combination in the big leagues, to totally switch up the catching situation from last season, and with Chris Coste, Josh Thole and Omir Santos at Triple A, where thole will get the bulk of the playing time, coste will play some first base, and with santos getting the shaft…
…Brian Schneider is getting $1.37 million from the Phillies to be a back up… Ramon Castro made $2.75 million last season… so, blanco, who is one of the best defensive catchers in the game, getting $1.5 million, is not as crazy as it seems…
…i believe the Mets want molina on a one-year deal, probably around $6 million, with an option for 2011, though he probably wants a two– or three-year deal…
Last night, on SNY’s Mets Hot Stove, MLB Insider Jon Heyman said Minaya offered Molina a three-year, $18 million deal in late 2005, before trading to get C Paul LoDuca from the Marlins.
According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals may decide to pass on re-signing OF Matt Holliday, and instead use that many for multiple players and to help in eventually signing 1B Albert Pujols to a contract extension.
“You can’t just look at it in the vacuum of 2010,” Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told Strauss. “It has to be in a broad sense. Whatever contract Holliday ends up signing, it’s going to be a long-term deal. From where we sit, we have to understand with Albert coming up, such a deal’s ramifications for long-term planning.”
According to Mozeliak, he has yet to submit a formal contract offer to Holliday’s agent, Scott Boras.
…yesterday, here, i wrote about how Roy Halladay has the ability to make his situation this off season very similar to how things played out for Johan Santana in 2006… to me, the situation for holliday this winter is also very similar to how the market took shape for Carlos Beltran, following 2004…
Beltran and his agent, Scott Boras, negotiated a seven-year, $119 million deal with the Mets, but it paid him just $10 million in year one, $12 million in 2006 and 2007, and then jumped to $18.5 million for each of the final four seasons.
…there are people in baseball who believe boras will be able to get a seven-year deal for holliday, while others feel he is more likely to sign with whomever first guarantees a sixth season and a contract worth more than $100 million…
…so, if this is the case, i wonder if holliday would be willing accept a deal like beltran, paying him just $10 million next season, say, $15 million in 2011, then $20 million each of the final four years, i.e., a six-year, $105 million deal…
…this would allow the Mets to sign holliday, plus a pitcher like Randy Wolf, while building up the bench and bullpen, all for the roughly $25 million people estimate they will spend for next year…
According to John Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com, “The Mariners are the clear 
frontrunners to sign free-agent Chone Figgins.”
Morosi believes Figgins is likely to receive a four-year deal worth more than $30 million.
In early November, Joel Sherman of the New York Post said, ‘The Mets are absolutely in on Figgins,’ according to the words of an involved party.
Later that month, Jon Heyman of SI.com told WFAN the Mets are more likely to sign free-agent 2B Orlando Hudson than Figgins, should they be able to trade 2B Luis Castillo.
In 158 games this season for the Angels, Figgins hit .298 with a .395 OBP, 42 extra base hits and 42 stolen bases.
Speaking of infielders…
The Red Sox and free-agent infielder Marco Scutaro agreed to a two-year deal, according to Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse.
The Boston Herald believes the deal calls for a third-year option.
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