Monthly Archives: December 2009
According to Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse, the fifth-year vesting option in Jason Bay’s contract with the Mets will be worth $17 million.
…i actually think we will learn it is $14 million, with a $3 million buy out, hence the $17 million that price is reporting… but, of course, we will never actually know, unless the terms leak out in the days after the contract is officially signed, which will not be until after he takes a physical…
…from what i can gather, his physical will be this weekend, or Monday, in New York City…
In a post to his blog for ESPN.com, Buster Olney says the Dodgers are in the chase for free-agent RHP Joel Pineiro.
According to Olney, “The Mets and Angels have already been in the mix for the right-hander.”
Prior to agreeing to a deal with free-agent OF Jason Bay, Olney said the Mets have between $15 and $22 million in payroll flexibility for 2010.
…like i said before, i believe bay will only earn around $10 million in 2010, which would mean the Mets could still have around $12 million to spend on other acquisitions… that said, i have always been under the impression the team will go above their limit if it means significantly improving the club… the way i understand it, they have no set limit, other than not wanting to go over the luxury tax, and and restrictions will have more to do with the actual talent, and this weak free-agent market, than a self-imposed budget for the sake of having a budget…
…the buzz around pineiro is that he is seeking a three- or four-year deal, worth around $15 million per year, or something between what Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez signed last winter…
Also in his blog, Olney reveals some extensive stats on Bay, reactions to Bay signing with the Mets from teams in the NL East, and how Bay stacks up against some of the league’s other top hitters.
Yesterday, WFAN reported the Mets and Jason Bay agreed to a four-year contract.
…i like it… i don’t love it… i mean, i don’t think the Mets will regret signing him at any point during the next four years… i just think the Mets could have done more for their money, in terms of what this team specifically needs… also, if the goal is to build a team around pitching, speed and defense, i fail to see how bay solves any of these issues… that said, he will prop up the middle of their batting order, and i’m happy about that…
The deal will be worth roughly $16.5 million per season for four years; with an easily-attainable, $14 million vesting option for 2015, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
…from what i can gather, the deal will be backloaded, and something like $10 million in the first year, and roughly $42 million in the final two seasons… also, i believe the vesting option will be based on bay averaging something like 140 games played each of the first four years of the deal…
According to FanGraphs, based on the Time Value of Money, that would make the deal essentially worth $61 million by the time the contract expires.
The Red Sox will receive the Mets second-round pick as compensation for Bay signing in New York.
Bay’s former teammate, Red Sox 1B Kevin Youklis, had the following to say about him, according to the Boston Globe:
“It’s definitely going to be tough for all of us… Jason was a close friend. A joy to play with him. Great ballplayer… I wish him the best in New York. Hopefully we get to see him in the World Series.’’
Ed Ryan from Mets Fever says, “Nice job, Omar.”
According to John, from Metstradamus, “This is a good move. In a vacuum, it’s a great move.”
On the other hand, while Mets Grrl likes Bay, she explains why her reaction was just, ‘ehhh.’
Mike Silva of NY Baseball Digest explains, “When it’s all said and done, the Mets needed Bay.”
To read how the Bay signing might impact the team’s farm system, check out Toby Hyde’s recent post for Mets Minor League Blog.
Meanwhile, Jack Moore of FanGraphs believes the Mets overpaid to get Bay, even though, he admits, “This deal definitely improves the Mets offense for 2010.”
In terms of his defense, Keith Law of ESPN.com believes Bay’s defensive numbers might have been skewed by playing in front of the Green Monster in Fenway Park.
Brian Costa of the Star-Ledger details the Pros and Cons to signing Bay, such as, “Bay’s health and production could deteriorate with age, making him an albatross.”
Greg Prince of Faith and Fear in Flushing is happy to have Bay, but says, “Mind you, I’m not overwhelmed by his presence. He’s not a franchise player, but he’s performed at a high level for quite a while now and he’s not in his early forties.”
In a post to Amazin Avenue, Dan Lewis asks if Bay will be the team’s best-hitting left fielder ever; also at Amazin Avenue, Sam Page explains why Bay is a ‘heck of a consolation prize.’
Jeff Passan of Yahoo! believes the Mets should have spent this money on John Lackey.
That said, Adam, the Brooklyn Met Fan, still feels Bay was a better choice than Matt Holliday.
Lastly, Andrew and his readers at the Ropolitans are trying to find Bay a nickname.
…i prefer BayRut, or at least using that as a nickname for left field in Citi Field, as it is a play on Peter Gammons comment last weekend when he said bay would rather play in Beirut than Queens…
Chris S: I was wondering what the salary of a pitching coach is because if they are so valuable, i.e. Joel Pineiro with Dave Duncan, than why don’t the Mets pay a top of the line Pitching Coach to come in and help out their prime talent.
Matthew Cerrone: There are really only two pitching coaches who are so revered they get paid top money; Dave Duncan is one, and he’s loyal to LaRussa, and the other the Mets already had, Rick Peterson, who they fired.
Don’t forget, most people praised Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen in 2008, when he replaced Peterson, and Oliver Perez, John Maine and Mike Pelfrey all seemed to respond to his methods.
The Mets feel their catchers were a BIG problem with how the pitchers performed last season, which is why they went catcher-crazy earlier this off season, and picked up Henry Blanco, who is one of the best defensive catchers in the game.
I am not fan of Bengie Molina. But, to his credit, he is talked about in high regard in terms of working with the pitching staff, and I think that is a big part of why the Mets are trying to acquire him.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle believes the A’s are in the thick of the bidding for free-agent Cuban RHP Aroldis Chapman; as are the Marlins, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.
Last week, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald said the Marlins had made a five-year offer, worth around $13 million, to Chapman; while the Red Sox made a multi-year offer worth around $15.5 million.
Chapman threw roughly 50 pitches in front of 15 to 25 teams, including the Mets, during a bullpen session a few weeks ago in Houston, Texas.
…i don’t really know where the Mets stand on chapman… they were intrigued enough to go to the workout, but i have never picked up a ton of excitement from people connected to the team, when his name comes up… i have talked to just as many people in baseball who have major concerns about how chapman will develop, especially for a team in New York City, as i find people who feel he will be successful with the right guidance… like i have said before, it seems to, a team like the Mets, ina big market, who is trying to rebuild a farm system, signing a guy like chapman would makes sense… but, i’m not a scout, and, who knows, maybe free-agent Cuban RHP Yuniesky Maya is the more known talent… i don’t know…
Last week, a report on Globedia.com said the Mets and White Sox are the front-runners to sign Maya, who threw for scouts in the Dominican Republic last week.
Jorge Arangure of ESPN.com quoted a scout who watched Maya as saying he threw in the 88–92 mph range, while sporting a fastball, two-seamer, a slider, curveball and a changeup.
Maya’s agent says his client should be a starting pitcher, not a relief pitcher, he’s in the prime of his career, and is ready to pitch in the Major Leagues.
Marc Hulet of FanGraphs, who takes a statistical look at the Mets Top 10 Prospects, and concludes, ‘the Mets minor league system is starting to round into shape.’
Fernando Martinez, Ike Davis, Jenrry Mejia and Wilmer Flores check in at the top of the list.
Hulet says, “The first four players on the list all received consideration for the top spot, while the last six could all face big breakout seasons.”
LHP Jonathan Niese checks in at No. 5, followed in order by RHP Brad Holt, SS Ruben Tejada, C Josh Thole, OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis and RHP Jeurys Familia.
Hulet writes a statistical break down of each player, and says of Davis:
“He’s a slow-footed player that posted a BABIP of .350 at high-A and .381 in double-A, so we’re likely to see his batting average come down in 2010, especially if the strikeouts rate remains high.”
In regards to Fernando Martinez, Hulet says, despite struggling against left-handed pitching, “He still has a chance to be a very good player.”
…i believe there are players on this list who the Mets will package in a deal to get a legit, under-contract, No. 2 starting pitcher this off season, if they can… other than that, though, the goal should be to retain these players for at least one more year… the Mets have the No. 7 pick in the next draft, if they can sign one of Aroldis Chapman or Yuniesky Maya, and so they can very quickly turn their system around, which will give them options going forward…
To check out Houlet’s review of the team’s farm system, click here.
According to 1050 ESPN Radio, Rich Coutinho reports the Mets are close to signing free-agent C Bengie Molina to a two-year deal.
Earlier today, WFAN’s Mike Francesa said Molina still wants a three-year contract, while the Mets had only offered a one-year deal, with a vesting option for 2011.
Last week, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com said there are indications Molina might be willing to accept a two-year contract.
…in the days following the Winter Meetings, word was molina was seeking a three-year, $20 million contract, which is laughable… but, that would suggest he’s asking for around $6.5 million per season… so, let’s assume the Mets and molina could meet in the middle, say, two years and $13 million… i still think that is way, way too much for a guy who is only marginally better at the plate than what they had last season, but who is significantly slower and 36 years old… yes, i know, i know, he works well with the pitching staff, and the Mets feel he and Henry Blanco can grab hold of Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez and John Maine, in a way that will be worth much of his salary… but, it’s just so difficult to see how one year from now, the Mets aren’t scrambling to try to unload a 37–year-old catcher making $6.5 million for 2011, you know what i mean…
Updated at 3:11 pm:
…earlier today, i said the Mets and Jason Bay likely agreed to a four-year deal, worth around $16.5 million per season…
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the deal is for four-years, $66 million, but also contains an easily-attainable option for a fifth season.
Sherman says the physical might not be a formality, writing:
“There has been a lot of talk in the sport that the Red Sox were hesitant to do a long-term deal with Bay because they were concerned about the health of his shoulders.”
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com believes the vesting option could make the deal worth $80 million.
Updated at 2:26 pm:
…like i said before, word from people around bay has been that he is close to agreeing to a four-year deal… i’m glad to see the Mets did not give in to the fifth year… instead, it seems they goosed up the amount of money per season, from, say, $16 million, to, say, $16.5 million… i also believe the deal will be backloaded, with bay getting around $10 million in the first year, and close to $19 million per season in the final years of the contract…
…i still believe Matt Holliday will prove to be the better player, long-term… but, bay for four years is not bad… especially if it is actually backloaded and still allows the team to fill in with some role players, like i had been suggesting towards the end of last week…
…also, for what it’s worth, in talking with people close to bay, i never got the impression he was uninterested in signing with the Mets… i think that was just a logical conclusion for fans and reporters… in reality, he was simply trying to milk as much money as he could, with so little leverage… i mean, with the Cardinals the only other team looking to pay big bucks for an outfielder, bay’s only leverage was time, and hoping the Mets got antsy, or might cave in to public pressure… that was his only card, and so he used it…
…i don’t think it was personal, or for fear of playing in Queens… he was just trying to get paid as much as he could, using the only tool available to him: time…
Original Post:
WFAN’s Mike Francesa says the Mets will announce the signing of free-agent OF Jason Bay early next week, assuming all goes well with his physical.
…from what i can gather, the deal will likely be for four years, and around $16.5 million…
…so, i guess that’s the news the team is hoping to break soon after the New Year, like i alluded to in the previous post…
He says free-agent C Bengie Molina is still holding out for a guaranteed, three-year deal, but the Mets have so far only offered a one-year contract with a vesting option.
Updated at 1:05 pm:
During the opening monologue of his show, which you can listen to at WFAN.com, Mike Francesa said, “I promised you some Mets news, and I will deliver,” later in the show.
Original Post:
I still have no idea what Mike Francesa is talking about when he says he’ll have a ‘major, major update,’ on the Mets, during his show today on WFAN at 1 pm.
That said, in my conversations with people close to the team, I believe they might be getting close to an acquisition or two, and they are ‘hoping’ to make news at some point soon after the New Year.
Additionally, people close to free-agent OF Jason Bay say he is close to accepting a four-year contract, worth roughly $16.5 million per season, though they’re not being clear with whom he intends to sign.
Of course, those numbers do sound a lot like the contract reportedly offered to him from the Mets. Or, perhaps some other team got in the mix? Though, I can’t believe the Mets would let $250,000 per season get in the way of beating a competing offer, assuming Bay is their primary target. Or, maybe the Mets quietly moved on, and plan to sign someone else? Who knows?
Nevertheless, it seems like something is brewing.
Jon Heyman of SI.com believes RHP Carlos Zambrano is ‘eminently available,’ as the Yankees definitely talked to the Cubs about him before acquiring Javier Vazquez from the Braves.
…in other words, he is very available…
Zambrano, who has a full no-trade clause, will earn roughly $18 million each of the next three seasons, and has a vesting player-option for 2012.
…and that’s the issue: it’s not if he’s available, or even ‘eminently available,’ it’s whether or not he’ll waive his no-trade clause, and word from Chicago is that zambrano has no interest in pitching for anyone other than the Cubs… and so, like i said a few weeks ago, in his case, like it essentially was with Johan Santana and Roy Halladay, the question is: a) does he want to leave Chicago, so much so that he’d waive his no-trade clause, and b) will he waive it to come to the Mets…
The 28–year-old Zambrano was just 9–7 in 28 starts this season for the Cubs, but with a 3.77 ERA in 169 innings, during which he struck out 152 batters.
Zambrano has not ended a season with an ERA over 4.00 since his rookie year in 2001.
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