Daily Archives: December 17, 2009
Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports quotes a source who feels a deal between the Dodgers and Reds involving RHP Aaron Harang is ‘not happening.’
Original Post at 12:00 pm:
According to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times, the Reds are asking for one or two players from the Dodgers major league roster in return for Harang.
…from what i can gather, the Mets and Reds have been in talks this off season, though i have no idea if it is regarding harang, Bronson Arroyo, Brandon Phillips, or some other player… i have no idea what the Mets have to offer from the major-league roster that would interest in harang, nor do i know if the Reds are looking for a straight salary-dump… but, i have to think there would be a match some place…
Jayson Stark of ESPN.com believes the Mets and Phillies are among several teams who are interested in 32–year-old free-agent relief pitcher Mike MacDougal, who was non-tendered by the Nationals last week.
He was 20 for 21 in save opportunities last season once picked up by the Nationals, while going 1–1 with a 3.60 ERA in 50 innings, after being released in late May by the White Sox.
…he has a nice slider, if i recall… he loses the handle pretty quick, though, and can walk the ballpark if his manager doesn’t have a quick hook… however, he does get a lot of ground balls, with his sinking fastball, which makes him an interesting option for a mid-inning relief pitcher, but the same thing was said about Sean Green last season, and, well, yeah, not so much… i am not sure if signing Ryota Igarashi is all the Mets will do to the bullpen… i have to think they’ll make a few other, small acquisitions… i would think macdougal will ask for more than the Mets should be willing to commit, so i am not sure he is the answer…
Ken Davidoff of Newsday believes the Yankees are close to signing free-agent 1B Nick Johnson to a one-year deal, worth roughly $5.5 million.
According to FoxSports.com, the Giants offered Johnson a similar deal.
…there was a lot of talk among Mets fans last summer, about how the Mets should have traded for johnson… it made sense then, but not now… in the Bronx, he can spell Mark Teixiera, but also DH, which might mean the end of Johnny Damon in pinstripes, actually… the Mets seem semi-committed to Daniel Murphy, and so adding johnson, especially for $6 million, would have been a stretch… i still think, if the Mets are going to acquire a first baseman, it will be either a utility-man who can play other positions, but who can hit left-handed pitching, or they’ll bring back Carlos Delgado… plus, with johnson’s history, and the Mets track record from last season, there’s a good chance he might have suffered a career-ending injury while signing the contract…
Ed Price of AOL FanHouse believes the Cardinals are not inclined to offer free-agent OF Matt Holliday a contract worth more than five or six years, while paying roughly $15 million per season.
…i sense a scramble coming on… in talking with people around baseball, it sounds like dominos may soon start to fall for Jason Bay and holliday, since there are only two or three teams legitimately looking to sign these two guys, they’re getting antsy, and nothing is moving…
…by the way, if this is the case, and holliday is looking at, say, a six-year, $90 million deal, to me, i’d MUCH rather have him than bay for four years, and roughly the same money per year…
Here is a video clip from SNY’s 1963 Mets Yearbook:
The Mets today officially announced the signing of Japanese relief pitcher Ryota Igarashi to a two-year contract.
…who will almost certainly become known as Iggy…
The 30–year-old Igarashi was 3-2 with a 3.19 ERA in 56 games with the Yakult Swallows last year.
…i’ve written this a few times already, but, i’ll post it again in case you missed it:
…i am told he has a serious, mid-90s fastball, and a hard splitter, which sits in the upper 80s… he can throw a curve ball, but rarely uses it in short relief… the concern is how he will adjust to the smaller, major-league strike zone, as he tends to struggle with control from time to time…
…i still believe the deal is for around $1 or $2 million per season…
To see video of Igarashi, go here.
Yesterday, I had a chance to speak with Mets OF Jeff Francoeur at the SNY Studio, during which we talked about baseball statistics, his ‘approach at the plate,’ leadership and New York sports fans.
To watch video of my conversation with Francoeur, click here; or read the text below:
Matthew Cerrone: Yesterday, you did a chat with MLB.com, and on it you were asked a question that compared On-Base-Percentage guys to RBI guys, and you said one does one thing, and one does the other. But, it seems to me you would want to do both. What is the difference, and what did you mean by that?
Jeff Francoeur: Well, I think you obviously want to do both. But, you look at a guy that I played with in Atlanta this year, Garrett Anderson, who’s had a heck-of-a career and his OBP isn’t that great. I think you learn as you go. I’m still 25 and I’m learning different things, learning the strikezone and hopefully I will continue to get better at that; but, at the same time, I’m not going up there thinking to walk, thinking about this or that, if there is a guy on second or third I’m gonna try to drive him in – that’s my first priority. Whether I ground out or fly out or whatever, I want to get him in and do my best to help the team. I think as you learn more you’re OBP goes up; but, I think for me, that’s not something I just think about. I know to a lot of statistical people OBP seems to be a huge thing… 15 to 20 years ago it wasn’t a big deal… and all of a sudden it is.
The following is my conversation with Mets OF Jeff Francoeur at the SNY Studio, during which we talked about baseball statistics, his ‘approach at the plate,’ leadership and New York sports fans:
Jorge Arangure of ESPN.com says 21–year-old Cuban free-agent RHP Aroldis Chapman threw roughly 50 pitches in front of 15 teams in Houston earlier this week and, concludes:
- Chapman is healthy and in good shape.
- He reached 97 mph, though he was mostly in the 92-93 mph range.
- He stands at about 6-foot-4, 200-210 pounds.
- More teams are interested than anyone had originally thought.
- He’s not a bad guy. But, “One team executive suggested that whichever team signs Chapman might need to hire a chaperone to make sure he doesn’t fall into bad habits.”
Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus quotes an MLB insider who feels Chapman could earn a $30 million contract, up from previous reports suggesting his value had been dropping.
According to Buster Olney, of ESPN.com, “Some evaluators view Chapman as a left-handed Stephen Strasburg,” who was the No. 1 pick in the MLB draft last year.
…yes, the Mets sent a representative to watch chapman, according to people in the organization… but, i have no idea what they think of him, or whether there is an interest in signing… but, there should be… i mean, if ever there was a time to spend this much money on an unknown talent, this is it… i mean, had they drafted strabsurg last year, they’d have been paying it… so, in this situation, while trying to rebuild a farm system, when a young talent is for the taking, who will essentially cost what an elite draft pick would cost, they should do it… it reads like he would instantly become their top pitching prospect…
Buster Olney of ESPN.com believes free-agent Mark DeRosa is seeking a three-year, $18 million deal.
Jayson Stark of ESPN.com recently said the Mets, Cardinals, Giants, Yankees, Red Sox and Twins are were in on DeRosa.
…he’s an interesting player, for sure, as he can play third base and both corner outfield positions, though the word last summer was that – defensively speaking – he really is just a first baseman at this point…
In a post to Twitter, Anthony DeRosa of Hot Foot said, “I would have taken him over Alex Cora.”
…me too, especially since cora will likely end up under contract for a second year anyway…
…the thing is, the Mets like cora – yes, they may even like-like him - and they probably didn’t want to wait around for derosa, who is most certainly going to look for a starting job, instead of settling to be a backup for the Mets… though, yesterday, Jeff Francoeur told me derosa is the definition of a ‘clubhouse leader,’ in his opinion… and, it seems, that is essentially what cora got paid for, i.e., being a ‘character guy,’ and a leader…
The 33–year-old DeRosa had surgery in late October to repair a torn tendon sheath on his left wrist.
He hit .250 with 23 HR, 23 doubles and 78 RBI in 139 games for the Indians and the Cardinals.
By the way, to follow DeRosa’s Hot Foot on Twitter, click here.
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