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Offseason Thread


Blue Jeans

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Link?

 

ESPN... on cable. It was on a baseball extra.

 

i just read in the post: milledge, heilman, owens for peavy. if the pads make that deal im turning in my padres hat. not a rumor, just something suggested by joel sherman

 

Yeah, what a dream.

 

Owens may amount to something sometime or another... Milledge should be a good player in this league and Heilman is pretty coveted by a few teams but you just don't trade a pitcher that could be the ace of just about any team in the majors.

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Mets Interested In Edwin Jackson

Renewing an interest they've had for a while now, a source tells me the Mets hope to acquire Edwin Jackson from the Devil Rays for bullpen help. They feel that they can fix some mechanical flaws in the 23 year-old righty.

 

Not sure if the Mets would hope to acquire Jackson as part of a trade of Aaron Heilman. As you may have read in the papers, Tampa Bay has interest in Heilman as a starter.

 

I say we stay away from trying to fix anymore of Tampa Bay's pitchers.

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Interesting Mets Related ESPN Insider Rumors:

 

Mark DeRosa

Rangers

 

Phillies?

Cubs?

DeRosa drawing attention

Nov 3 - According to ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney, Phillies GM Pat Gillick met with DeRosa as he considers his third-base options.

Also, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that DeRosa may be the leading candidate to play second base for the Cubs.

DeRosa, 31, had a career year for the Rangers in 2006, hitting .296 with 13 home runs, 74 RBI and a .357 OBP. He split time mostly between right field, second base and third base.

 

 

Akinori Iwamura

 

Padres?

Red Sox?

Indians?

Phillies?

Swallows posting Iwamura

Nov 6 - According to JapanBall.com, the Yakult Swallows have filed the necessary paperwork with the Japanese baseball commissioner's office to have posted Iwamura, giving major-league teams an opportunity to bid for his services.

The Philadelphia Daily News recently reported that the Phillies have considerable interest in the 27-year-old third baseman, a left-handed hitter who batted .311 with 32 home runs, 77 RBI and a .389 OBP in 2006.

Along with the Phillies, other teams expected to bid for Iwamura are the Indians, Red Sox and Padres.

 

 

Mark Loretta

Red Sox

 

Mets?

Mets like Loretta

Nov 6 - According to the New York Post, Loretta's agent said the Mets have shown more interest in the veteran second baseman than any other team so far.

Agent Bob Garber said "there's been about three phone calls" from the Mets and that there's "mutual interest."

Loretta, 35, hit .285 with five home runs, 59 RBI and a .345 OBP for the Red Sox in 2006.

 

 

Mike Mussina

Yankees

 

Mets?

Two more years for Mussina?

Nov 7 - The Yankees and Mike Mussina are close to striking a deal that would pay the veteran right-handed starter as much as $25 million over the next two years, Newsday reports.

The contract, according to the newspaper, could be finalized this week.

 

 

Guillermo Mota

Mets

 

Mets?

Big Apple of their eye

Nov 8 - According to Newsday, the Mets still have significant interest in re-signing Guillermo Mota, despite last week's revelation that the reliever will miss the first 50 games of 2007 after failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs. The club was impressed with the accountability Mota exhibited for his transgression.

Mota will be eligible for only the final 112 games of the 2007 season, so the reliever's asking price has dropped considerably. If the Mets' ideal plans worked out, Mota would become a low-priced, Memorial Day pickup.

 

 

New York

 

Calling all arms

Nov 8 - According to The New York Times, the Mets' top priority is a No. 1 starter. They could sign a free agent (Barry Zito?), they could win the Japanese lottery (Daisuke Matsuzaka) or they could make a trade (Dontrelle Willis?).

GM Omar Minaya wouldn't snub a top-flight free agent, but he prefers trading for a player over signing him. Willis, then, would most likely be his No. 1 choice. He tried to persuade the Marlins to trade him last season, and he will certainly try again.

The Padres' Jake Peavy could be another target.

 

 

Barry Zito

Athletics

 

Padres?

Mets?

Yankees?

Dodgers?

Angels?

 

Halo effect?

Nov 8 - The Angels are targeting Barry Zito, the Riverside Press Enterprise reports. If the Angels are able to sign Zito, it would allow them to trade one of their other pitchers for a hitter, perhaps Toronto center fielder Vernon Wells.

"Certainly the Angels are on Barry's list," his agent, Scott Boras, told the newspaper. "No question, they're a valued franchise in a division Barry has dominated in. Any team in the AL West who has not seen the merits of Barry Zito is hard to understand."

The Angels, along with the Dodgers, Padres, Mets and Yankees, are the front-runners to land the 28-year-old left-hander.

 

 

Alfonso Soriano

Nationals

 

Dodgers?

Mets?

Phillies?

Orioles?

Phil 'er up?

Nov 8 - According to the Philadelphia Daily News, the Phillies will try to sign Alfonso Soriano as right-handed protection for lefty slugger Ryan Howard. "He would be great for this team. He would be great for this city," new coach Davey Lopes told the newspaper. "He would be great in this ballpark."

Teams can begin bidding on free agents Nov. 12. To meet Soriano's demands -- expected to be $15 million to $17 million a year for a five- to seven-year deal -- the Phillies almost certainly would exceed their record $95.5 million payroll in 2005, especially if they cannot trade left fielder Pat Burrell or trade him and pay a sizable portion of his salary. Team president David Montgomery said last month the Phillies expect to remain between the $88 million spent last season and the 2005 mark.

 

 

Mark Mulder

Cardinals

 

Diamondbacks?

Dodgers?

Giants?

Padres?

Devil Rays?

Cardinals?

Mets?

Orioles?

Opportunity knocks

Nov 9 - Mark Mulder plans to test the market before determining where he will call home next season. His agent, Gregg Clifton, already has met with the Cardinals, who may be interested in offering the left-hander something different than the one-year, incentive-laden deal he's bound to receive from other teams. "They were very open and honest about wanting him back," Clifton told the Newark Star-Ledger. "That being said, Mark has worked and waited a long time for the opportunity to become a free agent."

The 29-year-old lefty remains intrigued by the possibility of pitching for the Mets. "Obviously they're very high on his list," Clifton said. "And not just because it's the Mets and it's New York. It's because of his relationship with [Mets pitching coach] Rick Peterson."

Peterson was Mulder's pitching coach with the A's from 2000 until Peterson left to join the Mets before the 2004 season. During their time together, Mulder went 64-34.

Other clubs who have inquired about Mulder include the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Giants, Padres, Devil Rays and Orioles.

Hindered by an impingement in his shoulder, Mulder, 29, finished with a 6-7 record and a 7.14 ERA in 2006. He had surgery on Sept. 12 to repair a partial tear in his rotator cuff. He is not expected to be ready before Opening Day in 2007.

 

 

Rich Aurilia

Reds

 

Dodgers?

Phillies?

Mets?

Yankees?

Mr. Versatile

Nov 9 - The Phillies, looking for a right-handed hitter to share time with Abraham Nunez at third base, have called agent Barry Axelrod to inquire about Rich Aurilia, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports. Philadelphia is also considering Wes Helms, Mark DeRosa and possibly Tony Graffanino from this winter's free agent crop.

Aurilia, 35, hit .300 with 23 homers and 70 RBI for Cincinnati this season. He had a higher slugging percentage (.518) than teammates Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. He played all four infield positions in 2006, so versatility is a selling point for him.

Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is known to be a fan of Aurilia from their days together in San Francisco, so Los Angeles might also be in the mix.

 

 

Tom Glavine

Mets

 

Mets?

Braves?

Weighing his options

Nov 9 - Tom Glavine won't make any decision about his future with the Mets until some time after the Nov. 10 deadline for him to exercise the $7.5 million option on his contract for next season, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. The 40-year-old Glavine, who has a player option for his services and a $14 million team option that the Mets have until Nov. 20 to pick up, is still trying to decide whether he wants to finish his career in New York or Atlanta.

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Zito Watch 2006:

 

02:43 PM - Buzz: Mets Like Zito, but Not as Ace

 

 

...posted by Matthew Cerrone...

…the early buzz around free-agent LHP Barry Zito suggests he and his agent, Scott Boras, are seeking a contract worth $14 million a year with a guarantee of at least five-years…

 

…in standard boras fashion, he is referring to zito as an ace and a pitcher still in the upside of his career…the thing is, most insiders point to teams viewing zito as a number-two starter, who may actually be on the decline…both sides are full of rhetoric, of course, but the facts remain as follows…

 

…zito is a lefty, he’s under 30, he won a cy-young award just four years ago, he’s been to the all-star game three times, he has post-season experience and 102 career wins under his belt…

 

…this resume will cost a lot of cash, regardless of how you interpret it…

 

…from what i can gather, the mets like zito a lot, though most mainstream reports suggest otherwise…i don’t, however, get the sense they like him at five-years, $70 million, though i am sure once push-comes-to-shove they may see it differently…

 

…also, most baseball experts have long believed zito will eventually sign a deal with a national league team on the west coast, such as the dodgers or padres, who are seen as the market’s front-runners…

 

…in short, i can see a scenario in which the mets make a serious pitch for zito, but do not overpay, instead using the excitement of new york, their young up-and-coming team, the city’s endorsement opportunities, the new stadium, and Rick Peterson, as more than enough extra incentives to sign with them…

 

…for what it’s worth, most people in baseball believe the yankees have no interest in zito…so if chooses new york, he’s choosing shea, i guess…

 

Second Baseman Watch 2006

 

01:07 PM - Buzz: Mets Check In on 2B DeRosa

 

 

...posted by Matthew Cerrone...

At his blog for ESPN.com, Buster Olney writes that the Mets have checked in on the availability of free-agent 2B-3B-OF Mark DeRosa, as have the Reds, Orioles, Red Sox, Cardinals, Cubs, Giants and Phillies.

 

Olney provides a great profile of DeRosa, who has worked hard to improve his hitting and versatility in the field.

 

Last season in 520 at-bats for Texas, DeRosa, 31, hit .296 with 13 HR and 74 RBI with 102 strikeouts and 40 doubles, during which he played first base, second base, third, short and left and right field.

 

…i’m still formulating my prference for second base, but derosa is higher up on the list than you’d think…

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Loretta, Zito, and some more pitching depth for the bullpen and starting rotation would be all I'd need for this off-season.

 

I'm a DeRosa, Zito, and Valentin fan, myself.

 

Looks like Omar got some info from Peterson and thinks that Mulder is a better package than Zito (money, ability, etc.), even after surgery.

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I'm a DeRosa, Zito, and Valentin fan, myself.

 

Looks like Omar got some info from Peterson and thinks that Mulder is a better package than Zito (money, ability, etc.), even after surgery.

For the right price, I'd take him. It could be a steal, or it could be a major bust if we don't sign another pitcher.

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Mets Retain Jose Valentin, sign him to a one year contract extension worth at least 3 million and he has an option for 2008.

 

Great news to hear. Now we can hope for Mark DeRosa to come and he and Josie V can platoon and backup almost anyone on the field.

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Mets signed utility-man Damien Easley, which means we've seen the last of Woody.

I guess so but his stats over the last few years haven't been particularly good. What I am wondering what are we going to do at second base? Valentin is a year older and I am not comfortable with him batting.

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  • 3 weeks later...
I'm a DeRosa, Zito, and Valentin fan, myself.

 

Looks like Omar got some info from Peterson and thinks that Mulder is a better package than Zito (money, ability, etc.), even after surgery.

 

Peterson once had some good info on Zambrano and said he could fix him "in ten minutes"...

 

 

Let's let the GM do the GM's job please, thanks Rick.

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  • 4 weeks later...

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