Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Mets offered Heilman to Rockies for Street
Even before Aaron Heilman said that he wanted to become a starting pitcher, possibly with another team, the New York Mets had been shopping Heilman around.
The Mets offered Heilman to the Rockies for Huston Street just after Colorado acquired him from the A's, according to a report Tuesday in the New York Post, though talks cooled after the Mets balked at including Pedro Feliciano in the deal.
That's not to say that the Mets aren't still interested in Francisco Rodriguez or Brian Fuentes — they are. The team finally received K-Rod's medical information on Monday and plans to talk to his agent, Paul Kinzer, at some point before Thanksgiving. But if the Mets are willing to give up enough talent, they could still potentially land Street as a setup man.
Pols want new name for Mets home: Taxpayer Field
Two New York City Council members say that Citigroup should show its thanks for a federal bailout by sharing the naming rights to the new Mets ballpark in Queens.
The struggling bank is slated to pay $400 million over the next 20 years to name the stadium Citi Field.
The bank made the commitment years ago, when it was flush with cash. Now that Citigroup is getting billions of dollars in federal aid, Staten Island Republicans Vincent Ignizio and James Oddo say the ballpark’s name should be changed to Citi/Taxpayer Field.
Citigroup and Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon have been saying that they have no plan to alter the naming-rights deal for the ballpark, which hosts its regular-season opener April 13.
Wilpon and Citigroup spokesman Steve Silverman said they had no comment on the proposal.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Rafael Furcal’s tenure with the Dodgers could be over
The free agent shortstop told El Caribe that he would return from his native Dominican Republic to the United States on Monday to sign a contract –- and judging by what he said, it sounds like he could be joining the Oakland Athletics.
Furcal revealed that he has been offered a four-year, $48-million contract by the A’s that includes incentives that could push its value to more than $50 million. Furcal said he has also received a substantial offer from the New York Mets, who want him as a second baseman.
“The offers made by the Athletics and the Mets of New York are tempting, but we’ll make a decision after I meet with my lawyer because there are various factors that we have to evaluate,” he said. “But my general feeling is that every offer that’s been made is important, which is why we want to make a decision that’s well thought out.”
Furcal’s agent, Paul Kinzer, said last week that he thought his client would sign a four-year deal.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Minaya says Castillo won't be trade this winter
Here's news that should warm the hearts of New York Mets' fans this winter. Second baseman Luis Castillo, who was booed so unmercifully by Shea Stadium faithful that manager Jerry Manuel hesitated to use him, will most likely not be traded.
The gimpy Castillo, who was ailed by a number of injuries from spring training through the end of the season, is considered a bad contract.
"We expect him to come in healthy and to be the productive player he's been for a long time,'' said Mets general manager Omar Minaya.
Thursday, November 19, 2008
Report: Heilman wants to start or be traded
Pitcher Aaron Heilman is apparently not happy with his role with the New York Mets.
Boo-Hoo!“The object the entire time has never been to get out of New York,” Heilman’s agent, Mark Rodgers, told the newspaper. “The object is to get out of the bullpen.
“The most success he’s ever had as a pitcher has been as a starting pitcher. He was drafted by the Mets as a starting pitcher.”
Heilman made 25 starts for New York from 2003-05, going 5-13 with a 5.93 ERA. The 30-year-old Heilman has spent the past 3 1/2 seasons in the team’s bullpen. The righthander went 3-8 with a 5.21 ERA and three saves in 2008.
Selected 18th overall in 2001, Heilman is 22-33 with a 4.24 ERA and nine saves during his six-year career - all with the Mets.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Will Mets re-sign Pedro Martinez?
Pedro Martinez, something of an afterthought in this year's free-agent pool, definitely plans to continue his career. And, according to his agent, he could do so back in the New York Mets' rotation. Fernando Cuza, Martinez's agent, detailed the 36-year-old right-hander's plans in a phone interview with SI.com.
Pedro Martinez"He's definitely coming back," Cuza said. "He's got all the baggage behind him. He's ready to go get it. It'll be fun to see the old Pedro again."
That "old Pedro" hasn't been seen for three years, since he went 15-8 in 2005, the first season of the four-year contract he signed with the Mets as a free agent. Martinez went 17-15 in the last three years of the deal, beset by numerous physical and personal setbacks.
Cuza said several teams have already inquired about Martinez. While not identifying the Mets as one of them, the agent said, "I think the Mets are a possibility. They know him better than most. They know the condition he's in. They know about the personal problems that affected him last year. When Pedro's healthy, he's one of the best, and he's healthy."
Even after his struggles the last three seasons, Martinez has a career record of 214-99.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Mets, K-Rod deny reports of pending deal
The New York Mets and the agent representing Francisco Rodriguez have discredited a report in a Venezuelan newspaper that the free-agent relief pitcher had traveled to New York for a physical examination, a routine, procedural step these days when a club is about to sign a new player according to MLB.com.
Francisco RodriguezA club official, who preferred his named not be used, characterized the report in El Universal as "Not true," and agent Paul Kinzer said his client was in Venezuela and that the report was inaccurate.
Mets general manager Omar Minaya didn't respond to a telephone call.
"Unless I know nothing about it, there's no truth to it," Kinzer said via cellular phone from the Atlanta area. He said he had spoken with his client, who had told a reporter in Venezuela of the need for a flight for business purposes. "But it wasn't for a physical," Kinzer said. "It didn't involve this."
The Mets official acknowledged the club had been in contact with Kinzer, but the agent said no offers had been made by any club for the 26-year-old closer who established a big league record for saves, 62, in the 2008 season. A delay in sending medical information to the clubs interested in Rodriguez, Kinzer said, had slowed the process.
El Universal based its report on an unnamed source who was quoted in the report as having said "The Mets have made the best offer so far, though I know [Rodriguez] wanted more money than what was offered."
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Mets Wright: Fuentes as good as K-Rod
David Wright insisted the New York Mets won't be getting a second-rate closer if they pass on the No.1 reliever on the free agent market, Francisco Rodriguez, and sign Brian Fuentes according to the New York Daily News.
"I think Fuentes is right up there — the same caliber," Wright said Wednesday night at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square, where he served as host for the fourth annual Do the Wright Thing charity event. "You've got a guy who's got overpowering stuff."
K-Rod blew just his second save of 2008 against the Mets on June 18 in Anaheim during interleague play, when Wright's ninth-inning single scored Jose Reyes with the tying run. Nevertheless, Wright was full of praise for Rodriguez as well. And given the lack of big-market teams bidding for closers, there's certainly a chance K-Rod's demands could drop to a point that would entice the Mets.
Teams can start bidding on other teams' free agents at midnight Thursday, the 16th day after the World Series.
"I think the numbers speak for themselves," Wright said about Rodriguez. "He's a guy that can throw two or three pitches in any count. You don't see too many pitchers have the faith and the trust in two or three pitches to throw in any count. Obviously, he knows how to win. He's been one of the most dominant closers in the game. You can't say enough good things about him."
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
David Wright says Mets need 'facelift'
With the New York Mets coming off consecutive September collapses, David Wright is ready for a few significant changes.
David Wright needs help.That's why the All-Star third baseman is prepared to do whatever he can to help this winter.
Make a recruiting call? Sure thing. Show a free agent around town? Say when. "I live here most of the offseason, so if the organization wants me to be a tour guide or make a phone call, I'll be more than happy to do that," Wright said at his Hard Rock Cafe charity event in Times Square.
The Mets led the NL East by a season-high 3 1/2 games with 17 to play, only to go 7-10 down the stretch as Philadelphia charged past them on the way to a World Series championship. New York was knocked out of playoff contention with a home loss to Florida on the final day of the season for the second straight year.
In 2007, the Mets were up seven games with 17 remaining before finishing 5-12 in one of baseball's biggest meltdowns.
An ineffective bullpen was largely to blame for this year's flop, and All-Star closer Billy Wagner is expected to miss all of next season following elbow ligament replacement surgery.
So the Mets are extremely interested in acquiring an elite closer. Francisco Rodriguez is a free agent after setting a major league record with 62 saves for the Los Angeles Angels.
"I think the numbers speak for themselves. But he's a guy that can throw two or three pitches in any count," said Wright, who hit a tying single off K-Rod with two outs in the ninth inning on June 18.
New York went on to win that game in 10 innings, giving manager Jerry Manuel his first victory after taking over when Willie Randolph was fired. Still, Wright has plenty of respect for Rodriguez.
"Obviously, he knows how to win. He's been one of the most dominant closers in the game. So a guy like that, you can't say enough good things about," Wright said.
Another option could be left-hander Brian Fuentes, a three-time All-Star who had 30 saves and a 2.73 ERA with Colorado this season.
"I think Fuentes is right up there with the same caliber," Wright said. "You've got a guy that's got overpowering stuff and two or three plus pitches as well. And I think that's why they’re as highly touted as they are, because they're not a one-pitch pitcher. They've got two or three different pitches they can get you out with."
Wright anticipates aggressive general manager Omar Minaya will make a major move, as he did last winter for Johan Santana.
"Being in a big market, you always expect that. And the way the seasons ended the last couple years you expect that," Wright said. "He's always making phone calls. I can vouch for that because I’m at dinner with him sometimes where his phone’s ringing off the hook. So it's something where he goes out there, he's extremely active and he's going to bring us some pretty good players I'm sure.
"I'm very interested in what’s going on, not only with us but with other teams," he added. "I've always been a huge fan of high-character players. I love a player that puts winning before everything else. I'd take a guy that maybe has a little bit less talent, but a guy that has a desire to win."
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Batter up! Piazza to write memoir
Baseball great Mike Piazza, a home run slugger and 12-time All Star widely regarded as the best hitting catcher in history, is working on a memoir.
Remember when Piazza shattered his bat on a Clemens pitch, and the jagged barrel of the bat dribbled out to the front of the mound. Clemens proceeded to field the bat and throw it at Piazza in the 2000 World Series.
Financial terms were not disclosed for the memoir, currently untitled.
Piazza, who retired earlier this year after a career spent mostly with the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers, had a .308 lifetime batting average, 427 home runs and 1,335 RBIs. Along with his many triumphs, he will also write about such controversies as pitcher Roger Clemens throwing a shattered bat at him during the 2000 World Series between the Mets and New York Yankees, and the 2002 press conference in which he denied rumors he was gay.
"He will also talk about the personalities and players from his days with the Mets, including Bobby Valentine, Pedro Martinez, and Rickey Henderson and many others," according to Simon & Schuster. "In the book, Piazza will describe how he matured as a ballplayer and a man over the last decade."
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Mets planning to gut dismal bullpen
Pedro Feliciano, Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoeneweis are available for the taking according to Newsday. The New York Mets hope to either clear payroll to make a run at free-agent relievers or trade some of their own relievers for other teams' bullpen guys.
Heilman should be gutted.Minaya is willing to deal from his minor-league system, and closers such as the White Sox's Bobby Jenks, Seattle's J.J. Putz and Oakland's Huston Street could be had. Jenks and Putz will require considerable packages in return, but Street is coming off a subpar 2008. Free agency seems the most likely route for the Mets to acquire their new closer.
Heilman, the lightning rod for fan discontent, has long had admirers around the industry. Among the teams that could be interested are Oakland, Tampa Bay and Texas. The Mets have interest in the Rays' Edwin Jackson.
To unload Schoeneweis, the Mets might have to pay some of the $3.6 million owed to the lefthander in 2009. But the Mets think Schoeneweis will have value on the trade market because of his success against lefthanded batters. In 2008, Schoeneweis limited lefthanded hitters to a .520 OPS (.243 on-base percentage, .277 slugging percentage).
Asked Friday if the Mets could turn within the organization for their closer - a youngster such as Eddie Kunz or Bobby Parnell, for instance — Minaya said, "That is not Plan One."
Willie Randolph hired as Brewers bench coach
Willie Randolph's path to his latest job - he was hired as the Brewers' bench coach Saturday - began in an unusual way. Randolph called his old minor-league teammate, Ken Macha, last month to offer congratulations when Macha beat him out for the Brewers' managerial gig.
Four hours later - not at midnight on the West Coast - Macha called Randolph back to offer him a job. "He had what you'd call a brainstorm, I guess," Randolph said yesterday in a conference call with reporters.
For the 54-year-old Randolph, it is a return to baseball nearly five months after he was axed as Met skipper. It was the wee hours of June 17 that Randolph was canned in Anaheim after the Mets began last season 34-35 on the heels of their historic 2007 collapse.
He is making a return of sorts to Milwaukee, where not only has he interviewed for the manager's job twice - this offseason and in 2002, when he lost out to Ned Yost - but enjoyed one of the best seasons of his playing career in 1991 when he finished third in the American League in batting (.327, by far the highest average of his career) and second in on-base percentage (.424).
Friday, November 7, 2008
Minaya says he has laid groundwork for future deals
New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya feels like he has laid the foundation for the deal the team will make during the rest of the winter.
According to the New York Daily News, Mets officials expressed interest this week in top free-agent closers Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes and Kerry Wood. Fuentes appears the clear-cut target while K-Rod's asking price appears to exceed the sum the Mets would find palatable. One Mets official doubted former Nationals closer Chad Cordero, a free agent recovering from July shoulder surgery, could be counted on from Opening Day and pegged him as an option perhaps who would garner only a minor-league contract to be invited to spring training.
On the trade front, team insiders say three potential targets have been identified at closer: Oakland's Huston Street, Seattle's J.J. Putz and Houston's Jose Valverde.
Signing a free agent appears the preferred route. The Mets in the past have found Oakland GM Billy Beane's demands exorbitant. Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik has just been hired and has yet to even hire a manager, so talks regarding Putz don't appear to be on a fast track.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Chad Cordero is an 'attractive' option for Mets
Omar Minaya drafted Chad Cordero while general manager of the Expos. He has tried to trade for him on several occasions. Now that Cordero is a free agent, Minaya is again looking to bring Cordero to the New York Mets.
The former Nationals closer is an attractive option for the Mets even while he is recovering from July shoulder surgery and Minaya is unsure if the 26-year-old righthander would be ready for Opening Day. Reynolds says Cordero is beginning to throw and should be ready to go when the season opens.
"All I can tell you is he's way ahead of schedule right now physically, and the doctors have said nothing but great stuff as far as how he's progressing," Reynolds said. "We're just going to make sure we take our time, because I don't think it's wise to jump into anything too quick when you have a guy who might have a 10- or 12-year career ahead of him."
Scott Boras, who represents Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez (as well as Manny Ramirez, who isn't a target at this point), acknowledged Wednesday morning that he had already met with Mets officials. Craig Landis, who represents Ryan Dempster and Jon Garland, acknowledged "some interest" from the Mets to fill their starting pitching void.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
He’s on first: Delgado happy to be back with Mets
Carlos DelgadoComing off their second consecutive September collapse, the Mets exercised Delgado’s $12 million option last week rather than pay him a $4 million buyout. But while the 36-year-old first baseman is staying put, New York might look to shake things up elsewhere following its latest flop at the finish.
“I would say that we have a great team, great group of guys, great young players that you’re not going to find just like that,” Delgado said on a conference call Wednesday. “We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen. In my case, I’m going to do what I’ve done in the past which is make sure that we’re all on the same page and lead by example.”
Following an abysmal start, Delgado helped carry the Mets back into the pennant race by batting .308 with 27 homers and 80 RBIs in 84 games from June 27 on.
He finished the year at .271 with 38 homers and 115 RBIs, but New York was eliminated from playoff contention with a loss on the final day of the regular season for the second straight year.
Afterward, some teammates acknowledged that upgrading the club’s woeful bullpen was an offseason necessity. All-Star closer Billy Wagner is expected to miss next season following elbow surgery and the Mets must decide whether to pursue Francisco Rodriguez, the biggest prize on the free-agent relief market.
Delgado said he would be willing to make recruiting calls to potential Mets targets if they were players he was “comfortable” with. But he said he doesn’t know K-Rod at all.
After talking it over with his wife, Delgado said he’d like to play at least two more years. He hasn’t spoken with the Mets about a possible contract extension beyond 2009, but he’s OK with that.
“I was glad when they told me I was coming back,” he said. “I know more now than what I knew at the end of the season.”
Delgado is 31 home runs shy of 500, a milestone he would like to reach.
“I’m pretty close so I will try my best to get there,” he said.
And he’d like to play for his native Puerto Rico in next year’s World Baseball Classic, which runs from March 5-23.
“In 2006 I was a little banged up and I didn’t get to play, so this will be a great opportunity to represent my country,” Delgado said.