Daily Archives: January 12, 2010
According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the Pirates have agreed to a one-year deal with free-agent OF Ryan Church.
Kovacevic says the deal guarantees Church $1.5 million, and he can earn an additional $1.32 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances.
Thank you for submitting questions.
I was sent roughly 150 questions for each player, more or less equally dispersed, which I found interesting.
Thank you, again, I appreciate it.
According Tim Kurkjian of ESPN, a source says if negotiations continue to progress with the Mets and free-agent C Bengie Molina, the Mets can sign him in the next 48 to 72 hours.
Earlier today, Jon Heyman of SI.com said the Mets were sticking to their guns of a one year offer with a vesting option, and could turn their attention to Rod Barajas or possibly Yorvit Torrealba.
Original Post at 2:18 pm,
by Matthew Cerrone:
John Morosi of FoxSports.com believes Molina has lowered his asking price, “raising the likelihood of a long-expected union with the Mets.”
According to Morosi, Molina is now willing to accept a two-year deal.
The New York BBWAA picked Mets OF Jeff Francoeur for this year’s Good Guy Award, according to David Lennon of Newsday.
In a post to his blog for the New York Times, Mets reporter Ben Shpigel wonders about the future of Fernando Martinez, concluding, “After this critical year the Mets will have a better sense of whether to make room for him in 2011 - or perhaps begin making plans without him.”
Mike Silva of NY Baseball Digest explains why Aroldis Chapman was not worth signing for the Mets and Yankees.
According to these stats from Sam Page at Amazin Avenue, the Mets, as currently constituted, are an 83–win team, and could be better with certain moves.
The Marlins have to spend more of your money to be better, according to the Biz of Baseball.
SNY’s Ted Berg answers questions from readers on TedQuarters.com about the Jason Bay negotiations, Jarrod Washburn an Citi Field, and, of course, Taco Bell.
Lastly, Anthony Lafaman of the Daily Stache asks, ‘Why is Luis Castillo still on the Mets.’
According to MLB.com, “Astros owner Drayton McLane has entered into an exclusive 30-day negotiating window with a New York investment banking company interested in purchasing the franchise he has owned since 1993.”
…from what i have been told, a former manager of the Mets had been in talks about being an investor, or might actually be in this current investment group…
…it’s a total guess, but assume that means either Art Howe or Bobby Valentine, since both have a history in Texas, and seem like the types who would be involved in something like this… man, i wish him the best, but, i hope it’s isn’t bobby, because that would mean him never returning to the Mets…
“The Cubs will be among the teams watching Ben Sheets,” writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com, “but his reported contract demands do not appear to fit into their budget.”
Original Post at 8:53 am:
According to Paul Rogers of the Chicago Tribune, “The Cubs plan to make a run at Sheets, who will work out for teams later this month.”
Last week, in a post to his blog for the New York Post, Joel Sherman said the Mets are leaning towards wanting sure innings from whomever they acquire for the starting rotation, as opposed to a more talented reclamation project, such as Sheets or Erik Bedard.
Sullivan believes Sheets is seeking a two-year deal, worth around $12 million per season, “but the Cubs believe they have a good shot at landing him with an incentive-laden deal.”
Bill Ladson of MLB.com says free-agent 2B Orlando Hudson is asking for $9 million next season.
…well, i think we all want a lot of things that will never happen, and apparently hudson is right there with us… good luck with that, orlando…
According to FoxSports.com, the Nationals are willing to make him a two-year offer.
…the buzz in baseball has been, because of other free-agent second baseman on the market, and so few teams with an opening, or demand for their services, a player like hudson will likely be forced to accept a deal similar to what he made last season, i.e., one-year, $3 million guaranteed, $6 million in incentives, which would equal the $9 million he is seeking… of course, ladson doesn’t say if he wants the $9 million guaranteed… the thing is, if that is the annual salary, i am not sure why he would sign on for two full seasons… as much as he probably hates to do it, it might be best to just sign another one-year deal, like last year, and see what’s up again one year from now…
Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes several teams are interested in free-agent 1B-OF Xavier Nady, ‘who might be too pricey for the Yankees.’
The 31–year-old Nady had season-ending Tommy John surgery last summer to repair his right elbow for the second time in his career.
In an interview with WFAN in November, SI.com’s Jon Heyman said, from what he understands, Nady will not be 100 percent healthy and ready for Opening Day.
…i would love for the Mets to bring back nady, but not in a prominent role… from what i can gather, the Mets discussed nady early in the off season, as a potential left fielder, had they been unable to sign Jason Bay… i don’t know if he’s being considered as a right-handed hitting platoon partner for Daniel Murphy, but he should be… he actually makes a lot of sense, in that he could be signed, he can work out, and by the time the Mets have an idea about murphy, say, May, nady will be getting ready to return… as we know, as Mets fans, from having watched him from a few years ago, his a right-handed bat that can hit left-handed pitching, and he can hold his own in the field, and so he fits quite well, since he could also be a power bat for the bench, and a fill-in for all three outfield positions, all on a short-term, low-risk contract… the problem is, the Braves, Yankees, Pirates and Cardinals have all shown interest in nady as well, and so there is competition for his services…
Jose Reyes has been doing his rehab at a facility near his home on Long Island.
From what I can gather, he’s doing well, hitting, fielding, and getting ready to begin sprinting and doing more intense agility drills.
There had been talk of Reyes playing a game or two in Winter Ball, so to ease every one’s mind about where he is at, but at this point he might just travel early to Port St. Lucie.
Man, I’m so nervous and excited for Reyes. His return will be the big story line this spring, no question… as it should be. The Mets need Reyes, not just because of what he does on the field and on the bases, but because he is a big part of their identity.
I missed watching him play, and found watching the Mets to be a bit less fun without him; and, though the losing probably had a lot to do with that, his energy was clearly missed, not just in the stands, but also in the dugout.
According to SNY’s Ted Berg, at TedQuarters, “Luis Castillo, as solid as he was with the bat in 2009, was a terrible defender,” as he ranked last among qualifying second basemen in UZR and third to last in plus-minus.
…ted is right, if the Mets intend to lean on Mike Pelfrey, and sign Joel Pineiro, both of whom rely a lot on their infield’s defense, it might be smart to just sign Orlando Hudson, who, at this point, if he will just cost $3 million for one year, might be the least expensive way to help pelfrey and pineiro…
…plus, like berg points out, Jose Reyes will be returning from a major leg injury, and so who knows where his defensive range will be at… David Wright had a weak year in the field, as well… and, while i was impressed by Daniel Murphy’s ability to play first base, it was for half of a season, and i had low expectations going in, and so my take on his talent may not be accurate… murphy with castillo, or, worse, Carlos Delgado and castillo, plus the unknown reyes, could end up sabotaging pineiro and pelfrey before they even throw a pitch…
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