This is an absolute must-read for Mets fans.
James Kannengieser from Amazin’ Avenue takes those that think the Mets “only sign Latin players” to task.
Please, for the love of all Mets fans’ sanity, read this and keep this in mind anytime someone else brings up this insane argument.
Thank you, James. You’ve done quite a service to fans everywhere.
According to Shi Davidi, the Toronto Blue Jays have signed Lance Broadway to a minor-league deal.
Pair that with Ramon Castro also signing with the Jays, and the pair that was traded for each other could be in the same battery next season.
Update – 12:09 p.m.: Here are some of my tweets, with updates from his chat…
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
Original post: Head over to MLB.com (or enter the chat room right here) for a live chat with Jeff Francoeur at 11 a.m.
The Mets are really putting Francoeur in the spotlight. First he’s Santa, now he’s chatting with fans. They love them some Frenchy.
Thanks to Kerel Cooper for the link.
According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Mets have tweaked the offer to Jason Bay.
“Minaya is thought to have offered a five-year deal (at slightly lower dollars per year than the original four-year offer for close to $65 million), but with Bay still believed to be seeking a six-year deal from them,” Heyman writes.
The deal for Bay might have to be worth $75 million over five years.
With Bay now looking like less of a bargain, the Mets might rethink getting in on the Matt Holliday discussion, according to Heyman.
(It should be noted, as it is very much so on Twitter, that Heyman and Holliday’s agent, Mr. Scott Boras, are quite close. This could be an inside job to create a bigger market for Holliday. No one else is reporting that the Mets are in talks with Boras for Holliday.)
Buster Olney of ESPN writes that the Mets are “monitoring the Matt Holliday negotiations, but are not actively involved.”
Update – 9:26 p.m.: A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press the Mets and Igarashi are closing in on a two-year deal.
My head is spinning. Seriously, does anyone have a read on this?
Update – 9:00 p.m.: Head over to Fonzie Forever for a translation of the Japanese report that has the Red Sox in the lead for Igarashi.
Update – 6:40 p.m.: Adam Rubin talked to Igarashi’s agent, who said they “are in serious discussions” with the Mets.
Update – 6:33 p.m.: According to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker, a Japanese report has the Red Sox in the lead for Igarashi, as they are willing to offer a deal worth $2-3 million in total.
Original Post: According to David Waldstein in the New York Times, the Mets are close to signing a two-year deal with Japanese relief pitcher Ryoto Igarashi.
Igarashi, 30, has pitched in the Japanese Central League since 1999. He holds the joint record for fastest pitch in the JCL at 98.75, which he threw in 2004.
He has gone under the knife for Tommy John surgery, missing all of 2007, according to NPB Tracker.
“Most of those scouts projected him as an effective late-inning reliever at the major league level,” Waldstein writes.
Last season, with the Yakult Swallows, Igarashi was 3-2 with and 3.19 ERA in 56 games. Over 53 2-3 innings, Igarashi struck out 44.
According to NPB Tracker, control has been an issue for Igarashi. In 517 1-3 innings in the JCL, he’s tossed 42 wild pitches and issued 221 walks. He has struck out 586 in his career.
If signed, he could be a possible set-up man for Francisco Rodriguez.
Also, according to this site, his blood type is Type A. No, seriously.
Here’s a video of him striking out the side last season…
Go here to watch some video from today’s holiday party, hosted by the Mets.
Jeff Francoeur played Santa and Jon Niese (feeling much better), Jose Reyes (also feeling much better), Bobby Parnell and Angel Pagan played the elves.
I guess Reyes missed the striped shirt memo.
Francoeur is front a center. The Mets really like this guy, don’t they?
-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.”
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.
