Daily Archives: February 10, 2010
In an interview with WFAN tonight, SI.com’s Jon Heyman said it is not likely the Mets will sign free-agent C Rod Barajas, who could, instead, end up signing with the Mariners.
Instead, he says the team is comfortable going in to the season with Omir Santos and Henry Blanco behind the plate.
Later, Heyman said the Mets liked Jon Garland better than free-agent LHP Jarrod Washburn, ‘yet they never got in the mix for Garland,’ and so he doesn’t think they’ll make an offer to Washburn either.
…the Mets dropped the ball with Joel Pineiro, it’s that simple…
…they clearly wanted him, and needed him, and they made a two-year offer, he wanted to pitch for the Mets, and, according to reports from Buster Olney and Ken Rosenthal, the Mets took too long to get back to him and so he ended up signing with the Angels… garland and washburn were always rumored to have no interest in pitching in New York… the Mets really wanted John Lackey; but, like so many other teams, they would not take the same risk on his contract and elbow that Boston did… and so, if pineiro was the guy they wanted, and the guy they could have had, they should have made the extra effort, in terms of dollars not years… i mean, at least call the guy back…
The Braves offered free-agent OF Johnny Damon a one-year deal, according to the Associated Press.
The 36-year-old Damon hit .286 with 24 HR, 82 RBI and 12 stolen bases for the Yankees last season.
…i guess he’d bat leadoff and keep 20–year-old OF prospect Jason Heyward in the minor leagues a bit longer, which is surprising, since he’s one of the most touted prospects in baseball at this point… but, he is 20… in the end, i have to think the Tigers and damon will figure something out, but the Braves have had interest in him for years, talking to the Yankees about him last off season as well…
Ken Davidoff of Newsday believes the Nationals will guarantee $2 million to free-agent RHP Chien-Ming Wang.
This morning, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe said Wang had decided to sign with the Nationals, though Bill Ladson of MLB.com later said nothing is close between the two sides.
Updated at 10:50 am:
According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, Wang will decide between to signing with the Nationals and one other team within 10 days.
Last night, Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com said the Dodgers were lagging in their pursuit of Wang, “and the Mets are further behind.”
In a post to Mets Merized Online, Joe D talks with MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch about his days running MetsOnline.com back in 2002, before it was shut down by MLB.
In regards to the current state of the Mets blogosphere, Hoch said:
“I’m a big fan of what Matthew Cerrone has done with MetsBlog.com, having seen him launch it and grow it into something great. Knowing Matthew a little bit online and later when he came to write for me at Inside Pitch Magazine, I know he’s just as serious and devoted to what he’s doing as I once was. It’s fantastic that he has latched on with SNY and that the Mets organization is now so receptive and aware of the influence blogs and the Internet carry among the fan base. He really has become a must-read for fans of baseball.”
… to me, bryan is like the Christopher Columbus of the Mets online world… what’s more, i am forever grateful to him for all of his support, and for giving me the opportunity to write for Inside Pitch, which i grew up reading… i grew up a Mets fan, and i enjoy being a Mets fan more today than ever… in fact, it was hoch’s work in 2003 on Always Amazin, a blog run by the Star-Ledger, which was my inspiration for starting MetsBlog, when asked to do a project in school on digital media… his blog is what i showed my professor, as an example of what i’d be working on… i’m glad to know bryan is still a fan of MetsBlog.com, just like i am a fan of his work on MLB.com…
Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Mets have signed free-agent 1B Mike Jacobs to a $900,000 minor-league deal, though he can earn another $1.15 million through incentives.
Heyman says, “He’s got a shot to win that job over Daniel Murphy/Fernando Tatis.”
Original Post at 1:23 pm:
Today on Baseball Digest Live, Mark Healey wondered if the Mets were signing Jacobs to be a catcher, not just a left-handed power bat for the bench or first baseman.
Jacobs played 309 games at catcher in the minor leagues with the Mets. In his final season with Double-A Binghamton, in 2005, he played 43 games at catcher and 54 games at first base.
Martin Z. Braun of Bloomberg wrote yesterday:
“The credit rating on $695.4 million of municipal debt issued to finance a new baseball stadium for the New York Mets was cut to junk by Standard & Poor’s because of losses suffered by an insurance company that provided a surety bond.”
…this sounded bad to me… of course, i have a difficult time balancing my check book, so i reached out to a good friend of mine, who holds a prominent position with an international accounting and consulting firm, not to mention he understands investing and finance as well as any one i know… here’s our exchange:
Matthew Cerrone: Is this bad?
Friend: It depends on your perspective. Being downgraded means that the interest rate at which you can borrow is higher (because you’re not as good a credit). So for companies that need to refinance their existing debt, or want more debt, it’s bad because now that debt will be more expensive (more interest). But if, like Citi Field, you have no need to refinance or need for more money, it pretty much doesn’t matter. It matters a lot to anyone who holds that debt an an investment (i.e., you could have bought those bonds). For the holders of these bonds, their value goes down a lot when it’s downgraded. Reason being that the bonds were issued assuming a certain quality of credit and the interest rate associated with it was based on that. So let’s say 10 percent. Now, the credit worthiness has gone down, so the bond should really pay 13 percent. But it doesn’t. So the 10 percent bond’s value comes down because it doesn’t pay an appropriate level of interest… Does that all make sense?
Matthew Cerrone: So, it’s bad for the investors (the bondholders), not necessarily the Mets?
Friend: Exactly. Unless Mets/Ownership need access to the bond market for borrowing any time soon. But given they already have a nice shiny new stadium, that shouldn’t be an issue. It’s also likely a bad thing for someone like the Nets going out to raise money for their new stadium. Again, the only way it’s bad is if you will need to go back to the market for more borrowing, either for new projects or to refinance your existing debt. Aside from those scenarios, you’re still paying the same interest payment as you used to. It’s the bondholder that’s getting screwed, as they are locked into your low rate compared to what’s fair given your downgrade.
John Morosi of FoxSports.com lists the Mets among five teams interested in free-agent OF Endy Chavez.
According to Morosi, Chavez, who had major surgery on his right knee, could be ready to play in May, perhaps even April, according to the most optimistic projections.
Chavez hit .267 for the Mets in 2008, then was traded to the Mariners, where he hit .273 with a .328 OBP and six extra base hits in 54 games before injuring his knee.
…he can run the bases well, he puts the ball in play – with very little pop – and he plays and outstanding outfield defense… he would certainly be able to handle the spacious outfield in Citi Field, that’s for sure…
Tommy P: I can’t believe the Mets are not bringing back Carlos Delgado. Why not sign him to a minor-league deal? They’re going to miss his leadership.
Matthew Cerrone: I disagree. I actually think him leaving opens the door for others to step up and lead. Delgado isn’t a ‘cancer in the clubhouse,’ at least not in the sense that he’s a bad guy causing trouble. Sure, he’s a bit prickly with reporters at times, but he’s serious about baseball, he treats it like his job, and I sensed he didn’t appreciate being questioned by people who never played the game, all of which could just as easily be viewed as a positive depending on your perspective.
In the end, like someone with the team once told me, Delgado was great when the team was winning, he’s smart and can help keep people on track; but, when the team was losing, he just wanted to do his job and go home. What’s more, any time I asked a Mets player to tell me who the leader was in their clubhouse, you’re right, they said Delgado. To me, that’s a problem. I believe, so long as Delgado is in the clubhouse, players like Jose Reyes, Johan Santana and David Wright will never be able to re-shape the clubhouse in their image. Delgado’s stature is too big. Wright, Reyes and Santana are young, aggressive guys, who hate to lose, but all of whom have fun playing the game, and it shows and fans appreciate that. I want the team’s youngest players to follow their example, not Delgado’s. It’s nothing against him personally, but the Mets are in a place right now where, I feel, his absence will be better for the team going forward, as opposed to hanging around camp on a minor-league deal.
By the way, according to the Miami Herald, the Marlins are interested in Delgado, who is still looking for ‘substantial money and playing time.’ And so, Enrique Rojas from ESPN.com says, “Delgado will consider retirement if he does not receive an adequate offer to play next season.”
He writes, “I know Met fans feel beaten down right now but the organization may ultimately benefit from not making a deal for overpriced and overrated talent this off-season.”
... obviously, i agree, rich… though, time will tell...
In regards to Mets RHP Jenrry Mejia, he says, “If he can harness his control and develop a third offering, his ceiling is that of a front of the rotation stud. Without a third pitch he still could become a lights out closer.”
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