Daily Archives: January 26, 2010
According to Ken Davidoff, from Newsday, the Mets never made an offer to Ben Sheets, who signed today with the A’s; nor did they make an offer to Jon Garland, who signed today with the Padres.
Davidoff says the Mets were aware of the going rates for both pitchers, ‘and deemed them to high.’
However, he believes the Mets are still in talks with free-agent RHP John Smoltz.
… i’m going to assume free-agent LHP Jarrod Washburn isn’t a possibility, based on reports linked to in a previous post… this means the Mets will be left to choose from a pretty broken-down group of pitchers, if they intend to add someone to the starting rotation… from the list, i am not sure any one player will be better than Jon Niese or Fernando Niese… and so, where does that leave us, 18 weeks since the final game of last season…
… Ted Berg and i, as well as others, have been saying all off season that the team’s goal should be to not make any stupid mistakes, so the team can be in good position for future moves, which will allow for real, significant changes this summer and the subsequent two off seasons… and so, so far so good…
… the problem, however, is they made only one major addition to the roster, in Jason Bay… but he will hopefully be replacing Carlos Delgado’s production, so it’s not technically an upgrade, it’s just replacing one bat with another…
…to be honest, i am not sure what the team’s game plan was at the start of the off season, when Jeff Wilpon told WFAN they had just two or three holes on the roster, all of which could be filled through a combination of free-agent signings and trades… which was the same day he said Ownership would give Omar Minaya the resources he needed to put a Championship team on the field… which was the same day omar said he feels it is always easier to win when playing ‘National League baseball,’ complete with strong pitching, speed and defense… and so, 18 weeks later, where are the strong pitching acquisitions, and how exactly does bay fit in with speed and defense…
… nevertheless, the Mets did not go out and give crazy contracts to John Lackey, Joel Pineiro and Bengie Molina, and they didn’t give an eight-year deal to Matt Holliday, all of whom they were wise to avoid; and the other pitchers they passed on, such as Jason Marquis and Randy Wolf, are just so-so talent, making more money than they’ll probably deserve… yes, the Mets were calm and cool and did not make a move just for the sake of making a move… and that’s great… i admire that… but, if restraint was the strategy, i still don’t know what the plan was to improve… or, was the plan all along to just add a bat, monitor the pitching markets for a bargain, spend if it was a player worth spending on, and, in either case, regardless of who was or wasn’t acquired, pray really, really hard for the health of Johan Santana, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and the returning players from last year’s roster… because, in the end, no one acquisition will be as important as having their own stars return to form… i have no idea if that strategy will pay off, but it seems we might soon find out…
By the way, to follow Davidoff on Twitter, go here.
The Cubs will sign free-agent 1B Chad Tracy to a minor-league deal, according to ESPN.com.
…thanks to Dan C for the link…
Last week, Anthony McCarron of the Daily News said the Mets had brief discussions about Tracy, who has not played 100 games in a season since 2006.
The last three years, Tracy missed time with a rib injury, knee tendinitis, knee surgery and an oblique injury, during which he hit around .250, with roughly seven HR, 45 RBI, and 15 or so doubles.
Tracy has also played third base, and seven games in left field, during his career.
Jon Heyman of SI.com believes free-agent 2B Orlando Hudson is choosing between the Nationals and one other team.
Buster Olney of ESPN.com says the Rays also have interest in Hudson.
…well, that would be two teams, neither of which play in Queens…
Original Post at 7:11 pm:
Bill Ladson of MLB.com believes Hudson would like to sign with Nationals.
Last week, Ladson said the the Nationals are only willing to give Hudson a one-year deal, worth around $3.25 million for the season, though he is seeking $9 million per year.
…i still think that has to be the total deal, i.e., say, roughly $3 million in guaranteed money and around $6 million in incentives, which is what his deal looked like last season…
As such, Ladson believes the Nationals also have interest in free-agent 2B Adam Kennedy, who, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Mets and D-Backs have shown interest in as well.
…frankly, if hudson’s market is really that weak, and his demands are that low, and if the Mets really want him, because they think he can significantly upgrade their infield defense and thus help bring confidence to the pitching staff,i think they should just sign him – or kennedy for that matter – and put castillo on the bench…
The 34–year-old Kennedy, who bats left-handed, hit .289 with a .348 OBP, 11 HR, 29 doubles and 63 RBI in 129 games for the A’s last season.
Kennedy has played all four infield positions, plus left and right field, during his career.
He is a career .249 hitter in 1009 at bats against left-handed pitching.
…he would be a very, very interesting player for the Mets… he’s significantly better in the field, at second, then he was earlier in his career… in the box, he strikes out a lot and doesn’t walk enough, but he puts the ball in play and can move runners around pretty well… plus, if the Mets were to bring him in to spot luis and Daniel Murphy from time to time, as well as sliding him in to the outfield, he and Alex Cora, plus Angel Pagan, could essentially cover the entire bench…
John Morosi of the FoxSports.com believes free-agent LHP Jarrod Washburn would like to play for the Twins and Mariners, “and the list may not be much longer than that.”
According to Morosi, citing a one source with knowledge of the market, six teams have asked about Washburn.
In early January, Jon Heyman of SI.com said the Mets and Royals had shown interest in Washburn, who, according to the Star-Tribune, turned down a one-year, $5 million deal from the Twins.
…it reads like washburn wants to pitch some place near his home in Wisonsin… i have not actually seen in print the Mets connected to washburn, nor have i heard any person connected to the team mention his name… this is not to say he is of no interest to them, because, following today’s events, if they weren’t interested before, they probably are now, but it does suggest he was never at the top of their list by any means…
The 35–year-old Washburn was 9–9 with a 3.78 ERA in 28 starts for the Tigers and Mariners last season, during which he struck out 99 batters, while walking just 49, in 177 innings pitched.
According to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com, free-agent LHP Noah Lowry, who has not pitched in the big leagues since 2007, will hold a private workout for interested teams next Tuesday in Phoenix.
Crasnick believes the Reds, Red Sox, Cardinals, Braves, Astros, Dodgers, Mariners, Cubs, Nationals and Mets are among the teams expected to be in attendance.
In 2007, he was 14–8 with a 3.92 ERA in 156 innings.
…i have always been intrigued by lowry… but, he accused the Giants of misdiagnosing a forearm injury, then he had surgery to remove a rib… and so, basically, he’s had some major medical issues, to say the least… it’s too bad, because, when healthy, he’s got a big, looping curve ball and he knows how to command an inning… he’s a smart pitcher, and, if under the guidance of Johan Santana, i think he’d be an interesting signing…
The Padres have signed free-agent RHP Jon Garland, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com.
This morning, in a report for FoxSports.com, Ken Rosenthal said the Mets had not been aggressively pursuing Garland.
… most every person i talked with said garland would eventually sign with a team on the West Coast, and, given the direction of the Padres, i’d say this proves it… i’m guessing the Mets knew he wasn’t going to sign with them, and so, that was that…
The 30 year old Garland went a combined 11-13 with a 4.01 ERA for the D-Backs and Dodgers last season, allowing 225 hits and 24 home runs in 204 innings pitched.
He’s has made at least 32 starts each of the last nine seasons, during which he averaged a Quality Start more than 50 percent of the time.
In case you’re wondering, and I’m willing to bet you are, the following pitchers are still free agents: Erik Bedard, Mike Hampton, Braden Looper, Noah Lowry, Pedro Martinez, Brandon Backe, Mark Mulder, Odalis Perez, John Smoltz, Chien-Ming Wang and Jarrod Washburn, among others.
This morning, on MLB Home Plate, Jim Duquette said he would be surprised to see Bedard pitching in the big leagues before the All-Star Break, as he recovers from shoulder surgery.
…thank you to Adam M for the duquette-bedard information…
…in talking with people around baseball, there seems to be a lot of concern about bedard, because he’s working back from shoulder surgery… i sense teams are far more willing to gamble on a repaired elbow than a repaired shoulder…
That said, Bedard was 5–3 with a 2.82 ERA in 15 starts last season, during which he struck out 90 batters in 83 innings, while opponents hit .212 against him.
The Dodgers and free-agent 2B Ronnie Belliard agreed to a one-year, $825,000 deal, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
Belliard was traded from the Nationals to the Dodgers last summer, where he hit .351 with a .398 OBP, five HR and 17 RBI in 24 games, during which he replaced Orlando Hudson as the team’s starting second baseman in September.
…belliard is a nice player, far from anything special… he doesn’t have great range, but he’s smart in terms of where he sets up, as he must know the hitters and his pitching staff pretty well… hudson is a much, much better player in the field… and so, it makes me wonder, if belliard couldn’t crack a million dollars, what is the market for hudson at this point…
In addition, the Dodgers signed free-agent C Brad Ausmus to a one-year, $850,000 deal, which has a mutual option for 2011, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
…hey, Rod Barajas, how you doin…
Ken Davidoff of Newsday confirms with the player’s agent that free-agent 1B Carlos Delgado is done playing in Winter Ball because his team, Carolina, was eliminated from the post-season.
…that may be, but, from what i understand, delgado was not selected in the open draft, which allows players from eliminated teams to join teams that are still competing… yes, you read that right…
Nevertheless, Jorge Arangure of ESPN.com talked to Mets GM Omar Minaya, who said there is still mutual interest between the Mets and Delgado.
In talking with the people connected to the Mets, I don’t believe the team ever made an offer to free-agent Ben Sheets, because they did not feel he was ‘worth the risk.’
The Mets seem more willing to pay for consistency, and reliability, such as for free-agents Jon Garland or Jarrod Washburn, than gamble on upside, like with Sheets.
I have no idea how free-agent John Smoltz fits in to this, since, I bet there is just as good a chance I make 32 starts for a major-league team this season as there is that he will… but, all signs indicate the Mets are serious in their pursuit of Smoltz, who is said to prefer pitching for the Cardinals.
Last month, I was told the Mets had interest in him to pitch in the bullpen, and be a reserve starter, but it appears he has other ideas, instead holding out for a job in a starting rotation.
In the end, though it’s a lot of money, I think I would have rather had Sheets, Jeremy Reed and Orlando Hudson for a total of around $15 million, and with Luis Castillo on the bench, and Jon Niese and Fernando Nieve waiting in the wings; as opposed to having Garland or Washburn and Smoltz, and Gary Matthews Jr. and Alex Cora on the 25–man roster, all of whom will also likely earn around $15 million.
I believe even 15 starts from Sheets, with Niese and Nieve in queue, would have been worth the risk, because it would have meant having one of the best 1–2 punches of any rotation in baseball for at least a few months, if not more.
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