12/15/09
Jeff Francoeur isn’t worried [Quotes]
Links: Pineiro, Chapman, Igarashi
-According to Buster Olney, via MLBTR, free agent Joel Pineiro is likely seeking a four-year deal. Pineiro is looking at Randy Wolf’s deal from the Brewers and believe he is worth more than that.
He probably is, but how much will he suffer when he’s not under the watchful eye of Dave Duncan in St. Louis? Teams should be wary, though I like him over Jason Marquis.
-Aroldis Chapman threw a side session for teams today, but the Mets were not in attendance.
-Jon Morosi tweeted that the Mets are showing “some interest in hard-throwing reliever Ryota Igarashi.”
Does Boston know something the Mets don’t?
The Boston Red Sox and Mike Cameron look to be finishing up the details on a two-year contract. That, along with yesterday’s signing of John Lackey, takes the out of the market for Jason Bay.
Bay, who turned down a four-year, $60 million offer from Boston, now only has one formal offer on the table. That offer is from the New York Mets, worth $65 million over the same amount of time.
Most reports indicate that Bay really, really wants a fifth year, and the team that offer it to him may be able to snag him quickly. With the top free agents quickly flying off the shelves, the Mets may have to spring and offer that extra year to land him.
But why didn’t the Red Sox offer another year?
Do they know something no other team does? Is there an injury they know about, or at least some nagging pain?
Do they just not like his defense? (But they’re an AL team and could slot him into the DH spot if need be.) Or did they just not want to go five years, like the Mets are hesitant to do.
I don’t have a definitive answer, just something to munch on this Tuesday morning.
Added – 10:23 a.m.: From the Boston Herald…
Reports early yesterday suggested the Red Sox had enough medical red flags to justify not going five years for the outfielder, who had shoulder surgery in 2003 and knee surgery in 2007. According to the source, those concerns have not been echoed by other teams that have examined Bay’s medical records.
Thanks to Ian from Sox and Dawgs for this link.
12/14/09
Hubbuch: Escobar offered minor-league deal with Mets [Update]
Update – 8:11 p.m.: Hubbuch has edited the post. It now only says that Escobar was offered a deal, not that he signed one.
Original Post: According to Bart Hubbuch, Kelvim Escobar has signed a minor-league contract with the Mets.
Escobar missed all of 2008 and nearly all of ‘09 with shoulder injuries. His last full season came in 2007 with the Angels. He went posted a 3.40 ERA and 1.267 WHIP. He struck out 160 and walked 66 in 195 2-3 innings. He surrendered 11 home runs.
Escobar will likely work out of the bullpen due to his injuries.
Twitter Poll: Mets fans react to Halladay in Philly
With Roy Halladay-to-Philly looking more and more like a definite, I asked my Twitter followers for their reaction to the deal.
Here are some responses…
soxanddawgs (A Red Sox fan): very happy he's out of the AL East
JeffWilponNYM: When did this happen?
darknova306: It makes them slightly better, but they already had the NL East wrapped up before the trade. If they get a short extension…
darknova306 continued: for Halladay, then they've come out a little more ahead. Either way we wouldn't have gotten him, so meh.
gmo418: Phillies 2010 NL East champs (again) and citi will be fairly empty this year.
ncampione: I didn’t think we are gonna win the division anyway so this move just ensures that we will not win
TheRealHoov: upgrade from Lee, but is it minimal? could be great, but its risky to an extent
scratchbomb: seems worse than it is. the trading off of Lee in the same deal makes it a lateral move, in my opinion
YaGottaBKiddnMe: All the Phillies basically did was rename Cliff Lee. This season he'll be called Roy Halladay. So what...
dances_w_vowels: Over a single season, Halladay is probably more consistent but Lee can be a damn good pitcher. It's almost a wash.
Your thoughts?
Bay’s decision coming soon
Both Ed Price and Ken Davidoff report that a decision from Jason Bay is expected sometime this week, possibly in the next few days.
If he agrees to a deal with the Mets, this gives them a lot of time to focus on the rest of the holes they need to fill. If he declines or signs elsewhere, I guess that means they still have a lot of time, but with another hole.
Report: Mets make offer to Kelvim Escobar [Twitter]
As a bullpen arm, Escobar could be a good low-risk, high-reward player, something the Mets will probably see a lot of in spring training.
Lackey to Boston? What it means for the Mets
As Ed Price first reported, John Lackey will be undergoing a physical with the Boston Red Sox. This, as I’m sure you can deduce, means that they are close on a deal.
What does that mean for the Mets?
Obviously, this throws a wrench into the possibility of signing the top-tier pitcher for the Mets.
As I wrote today, the Mets shouldn’t be counted out of Lackey and Jason Bay, so it should be the same for the Red Sox. Though they could so it, they probably won’t.
This leaves the Mets as the top suitor for Bay. A mystery team has supposedly offered a five-year deal to Bay. Some say it’s the Mariners.
If Bay is being bid on by only two teams, that might mean it won’t cost a bidding war over Bay and he might be able to sign for a “bargain.”
But if Bay goes elsewhere, and Lackey signs in Boston, where does that leave the Mets?
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