Daily Archives: December 19, 2009
Update, 9:31 pm:
Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe says Mike Lowell will need surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb, and the trade sending him to the Rangers is off.
Original Post at 2:35 pm:
Jayson Stark of ESPN says Mike Lowell has seen a hand specialist in Arizona and is now on his way to a physical for the Texas Rangers.
Stark says assuming the Rangers are pleased with the results, they will complete their trade with the Red Sox for minor league catcher Max Ramirez, which was agreed upon on December 10 at the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis, but was delayed due to a potential problem with Lowell’s hand.
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Nationals are making a strong run for starting pitcher Jon Garland.
According to Rosenthal, Garland is seeking a three year deal but the Nationals are only offering two, and they could look at either Jason Marquis or Doug Davis to fill their starting pitching need.
…i would think the Mets have inquired about Garland this winter, and his name has been associated with the Mets for a couple of winters now…he is ok…i mean, i think he would be a valuable addition in the middle or back end of the rotation, but i don’t see him filling the void in the number two hole for the Mets…that said, i think he would be better than what they currently have, but i believe the club would look to sign a guy like Jason Marquis before looking at Garland…
The 30 year old Garland went a combined 11-13 with a 4.01 ERA between the Diamondbacks and Dodgers in 2009, allowing 225 and 24 home runs in 204 innings pitched.
Over at Metsmerized Online, Hojo’s Mojo is wondering what Jason Bay is waiting for.
Meanwhile, Kerel Cooper, in a video post to On the Black, says there is no situation where the Mets should trade Johan Santana, contrary to what Bob Klapisch of Fox Sports says here.
However, Dan from the Mets Police doesn’t necessarily disagree with Klapisch, as he loves the idea of the Mets rebuilding.
Finally, if you have time, don’t forget to vote on my Mets Photo of the Week here.
According to Anthony McCarron of the Daily News, the Mets and the Yankees have reached out to Paul Kinzer who represents free agent Matt Capps.
Kinzer told McCarron:
“We’ve had discussions…That’s all I can say at this point. There’s nothing close. They’ve both reached out. We’ve got a few teams being more aggressive. We aren’t in a rush. We’re still listening to everything.”
The 26 year old Capps was non-tendered last week by the Pirates after struggling to a 5.80 ERA and 27 saves in 2009, but prior to that he proved to be a solid closer earning 21 saves with a 3.02 ERA in 2008, and 27 saves with a 2.28 ERA in 2007.
Meanwhile, McCarron says the Mets continue to keep their on free agent Kelvim Escobar, whom they offered a minor league contract to earlier this week.
Escobar was scheduled to pitch in a Venezuelan Winter League game either last night or tonight.
According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Red Sox offered $82.5 million to Matt Holliday, but he declined that offer and instead, the Red Sox went after John Lackey, and now they appear out of the Holliday sweepstakes.
Olney says the Cardinals believe their offer to Holliday is still the best which, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, is for up to eight years at roughly $15-$16 million per year.
…if this is true, i really would like to see the Mets at least bid what they’re bidding for Jason Bay, as i continue to prefer Holliday over Bay no matter what the hit charts say and right now and i think it’s worth making a longer term commitment to Holliday…the Cardinals current offer to Holliday is for less in terms of average annual value than the Mets current offer to Bay, and i believe Holliday is worth more than Bay at this point…
For more on the Cardinals and other buzz from around the Majors, check out Olney’s blog here.
David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution says there has been no contact between the Braves and free agent Adam LaRoche.
According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the 30 year old first baseman could draw interest from the Giants, Mariners as well as the Braves, but Olney says teams are balking at LaRoche’s asking price.
…LaRoche always seemed to look the most comfortable in Atlanta, but that said, i wouldn’t mind if the Mets decided to take a look at him at this point…he had a very good year last year despite bouncing around, and overall he has had a solid career and he is durable, which is something i’m looking for in potential acquisitions with this team right now…
LaRoche spent 2009 with the Pirates, Red Sox, and Braves, and hit a combined .278 with 24 home runs and 80 RBI in 150 games, but with the Braves he hit .325 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI in 57 games.
Joe Janish from Mets Today feels the Mets should consider a trade for Miguel Cabrera, saying “The more I think about it, the more it makes a lot of sense.”
Janish says despite his weight problems and off the field issues, “there’s one thing about Miguel Cabrera that cannot be dismissed: the man can flat-out HIT.”
..it’s an interesting thought, Joe…this is one of the most talented players in the game, he obviously hits a ton, but his physical fitness problems don’t concern me as much as his attitude, and something like that, even if he is bringing a ton of talent to the team, can be subtraction by addition…the Tigers last season went south in a hurry when he had his reported off the field problems at the end, and they ultimately lost the division to the Twins…
…it’s not to say he wouldn’t be a good fit, because he would be from an offensive perspective, and guys this good are always tempting no matter what baggage they come with…but i feel right now, the Mets are working on improving the character in the clubhouse as well as the talent on the field, so i have to wonder how interested they might be in a guy like Cabrera at this point in time…
For more on Cabrera, check out Mets Today here.
According to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post, Jason Bay’s leverage against the Mets appears to be running out after the Mariners acquired Milton Bradley from the Cubs yesterday.
Given there appears to be fewer and fewer teams interested in Bay, Hubbuch says Omar Minaya is reluctant to guarantee a fifth year in the the contract offer, although they haven’t ruled it out as of yet.
…i feel this has become a staring contest between both parties, and each side is waiting for the other to blink…
Ken Davidoff of Newsday said the Mets were hoping to hear back from Bay by yesterday, but, on Twitter, said they didn’t.
Meanwhile, Hubbuch also saysfree-agent C Bengie Molina has no leverage against the Mets, as well, yet he still wants a third year guranteed in his contract.
…molina would be a definite upgrade, but i see no circumstance where the Mets should even consider giving him a third year, let alone the second year…
Hubbuch says the Mets might consider Rod Barajas if talks with Molina don’t progress soon.
…frankly, while i feel they still need to resolve the catching situation, i’d rather the team move onto other high priorities, such as pitching, rather than continue to focus on this…
