Daily Archives: January 29, 2010
The Mariners announced today that they have signed free-agent OF Eric Byrnes to a one-year deal.
In his most recent Rumblings & Grumblings column for ESPN.com, Jayson Stark the Royals have let teams know they will consider trading starting pitchers Gil Meche or Brian Bannister during Spring Training.
Stark adds, “Of course, both guys have to prove they’re healthy this spring. And at the moment, the Royals wouldn’t seem to have enough starting-pitching depth to make trading away a starter really feasible. But they still appear intent on listening, especially if they get young pitching back.”
Meche, 31, was 23–24 with a 3.82 ERA in his first 64 starts after signing a five-year deal with the Royals, but he was just 6–10 with a 5.09 ERA in 23 starts last season, during which opponents hit .281 against him.
He is due $12 million each of the next two seasons, after which he can become a free agent.
The 29–year-old Bannister is 28–37 with a 4.83 ERA in 85 starts in the three years since being traded by the Mets to Kansas City, during which he has walked just 152 batters, while striking out 288, in 501 innings.
For what it’s worth, in late-November last year, Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com said the Royals had inquired about Mets OF Angel Pagan.
By the way, Stark says free-agent RHP John Smoltz is in no rush to sign a new contract.
Stark also writes about about the next CBA, the declining number of multi-year free-agent contracts, and the situation surrounding Johnny Damon, among other topics in MLB.
Jon Heyman of SI.com believes the Mets are among three teams pursuing 35-year-old free-agent Frank Catalanotto.
Catalanotto hit .278 with a .346 OBP in just 144 at bats last season for the Brewers, while playing left field, right field and second base.
…i have been waiting for frank to end up on the Mets for years now… i feel like i root for him to end up in Queens at least once every off season… he’s older… and not as good as he once was… but, he’d be a terrific guy to have on the bench, in the clubhouse and in the organization, especially since he is from Long Island, i just don’t know any what he can deliver on the field at this point… he’s very smart and very disciplined, especially at the plate… i remember Mark Teixeira, in texas, and Carlos Delgado, in toronto, both talking years ago about how frank was like having an extra hitting coach on the bench, because he had an uncanny ability to read pitchers and work with teammates…
Jeremy M: I’m nearing a new point of frustration with the incompetence in how this team is managed and run as a business. Mets fans always tend to get dramatic, but this is off-season has me at a new level… If my start-up business, which just raised nearly $7 million in this horrendous economy, was run the way the Mets are, I’d be jobless and unemployable. Why? Because I’d be a liar if I did not follow plans and represent myself and company to the public in a professional manner. So my point is: how can you just sit on the sidelines and not flip out? I know that would probably burn a few hard fought bridges you’ve built in the media and with the team, but when is enough enough? Please, Matt, I urge you, get mad. I want you to go to the window and scream, ‘I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.’
Matthew Cerrone: I don’t think now is the time to be mad, at least not yet. However, if the team is a disaster mid season, in regards to burning bridges, I promise to light my press credentials on fire and use it for smoke signals, if it means helping to get this team back on track.
However, though nobody wants to hear it, if the core group returns to form and stays healthy, regardless of who the team did or did not acquire this off season, the Mets will be in the thick of the pennant race, and so I don’t think it’s fair to overreact emotionally just yet. Next season was always going to be about the return of Johan Santana, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Oliver Perez, etc., etc., and was never going to be solved in acquiring a bat or a new starting pitcher this past winter. The team will only go as far as the current group of core talent will take it.
The reality is, the Mets have talented, young All Stars who can lead this team, and they have three young pitchers who have earned the opportunity to deliver. But, this season has to be their last shot together, because hoping and wishing for people to perform is not a sustainable strategy.
I want to believe, because I genuinely like these players and wish nothing but the best for them, and I want to see them win together. Nothing would make me happier, as a fan, then to see Wright and Reyes hoist up a World Series trophy together. I’m a sucker for a good redemption story, and these guys are prime for such a tale. But, if this year is a bust, again, then things will have to change, from the top down; because if it doesn’t, I can almost guarantee that real change will end up occurring in the stands… if it hasn’t started already.
To see video of Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel on SNY’s Mets Hot Stove show from last night, click here, which will take you to the Video section of MetsBlog.com, which is always accessible in the above tabs.
Perry T: How come Omar Minaya didn’t trade to get Twins C Joe Mauer? He’s going to be a free agent, the Twins can’t keep him and he’d be perfect for the Mets.
Matthew Cerrone: I totally agree, Perry, Mauer would be awesome. But, the Twins love him. Plus, they’re opening a new ballpark soon, and so they’re about to bring in a whole new revenue stream that will allow them to keep players, instead of trading them early.
Also, Mauer LOVES the Twins, he grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, all of his family and friends are there and he’s very much proud and connected to that area. I mean, he lives in a log cabin. Put yourself in his shoes, and imagine you grew up a Twins fan, you love Minnesota, all of your family is there and you play for people who are a playoff contender every single season… would you leave?
There is quiet buzz in baseball suggesting Mauer and the Twins will likely work out a contract extension before the season starts, so to avoid tons of trade rumors this summer. I have heard the two sides could compromise and agree to a reasonable five– or six-year deal that will pay him around $25 million per season, or something like that. They like him, he likes them, they’ll have the money and he’s the best catcher in baseball. I’m sure they’ll find a way to work it out.
The Mets have signed free-agent RHP Josh Fogg to a minor-league deal, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.
Fogg, 33, had a 3.74 ERA in 24 relief appearances last season for the Rockies, during which right-handed batters hit .176 against him.
… like I said yesterday, when i said the Mets were showing interest in fogg, i think heneeds a strong defense behind him to be successful, otherwise, it’ll be a long day… also, he should no longer be considered a starting pitcher, and so i hope he’s being looked at for the bullpen…
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