8
2012
Mets In Trade Talks With Rockies
An article by 
Ramon Hernandez
Reports are circulating that the Mets are trying to trade for Rockies veteran catcher Ramon Hernandez when he comes of the D.L. soon. He is currently on a rehab assignment coming back from a hand injury. Hernandez is expendable because Wilin Rosario has taken over as the Rockies everyday catcher. Hernandez, 36, is hitting .215 with four homers and 15 RBIs in 93 at-bats. Hernandez has $3.2 million salaries this year and in 2013.
Sources are reporting that Sandy Alderson is trying to get lefty reliever Matt Reynolds added to the deal. The Rockies had tried to acquire Justin Turner last year, and may still have some interest. The Mets would not have to part with any top prospects to make this deal, but some B-level prospects names have been bandied around. Players like shortstop Wilfredo Tovar, right-handed fire-baller Domingo Tapia, center-fielder Matt den Dekker, and lefty reliever Josh Edgin.
Reynolds is a 6’5″ lefty who is currently 3-0 with a 3.38 ERA in 37.1 innings pitched, with a 35/9 K/BB ratio.
LGM!
About the Author: Peter Shapiro
The first time I went to Shea was not for a Mets game, it was for the Beatles concert there in August of '66. My first Met game was '67, a guy named Salty Parker was the interim-manager then. My first pennant race was 1969. As a 12 year-old that summer and fall, I managed to get to the park for 3 games. The first was the beginning of the Miracle which actually started on Tuesday July 8, 1969 with a day game against the Cubs. I was there a lot in '73. I saw games 3 & 5 of the 1973 NL Playoffs against the "Big Red Machine", from the upper deck behind home plate. It was from there that I witnessed the fight between Bud Harrelson and Pete Rose, and the mayhem that ensued. And that sweet victory in game 5! I saw a couple of WS games at Shea that year against that legendary Oakland A's club. I was there in 1985 for every single game Dr. K pitched including his two 16 strikeout performances, and the day he one-hit the Cubs on an infield single and the Mets won 1-0. I loved being a Met fan in those days. Hopefully we are once again preparing to emerge from the darkness.
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they can have den dekker and turner
I’ve been saying that Ramon Hernandez would be a perfect fit for the Mets for years now! I really hope that they get him and Reynolds for a guy like Tovar or Tapia.
If they could deal one of the backup middle infielders in the process or would solve multiple problems at once.
‘…for years now’. Agree, but at this point, he’s 36 – usually an age for catchers they start breaking down for good. I’d still welcome this trade but don’t want to part with too much to get him at this point.
Glad to see though the FO is serious about getting a catcher.
I would really like to keep Den Dekker, especially since we don’t have very many quality OF options down low.
But if that’s what it took then I guess I would do it. We need a quality hitting catcher with some pop and a veteran guy like Hernandez would be a great fit.
Thole has not hit and there would be a chance Hernandez would even take over a the starter
Ramon Hernandez worries me since he is getting up there in age and his offensive numbers have taken a hit despite playing in Colorado.
I’m sure Colorado would love to get rid of him though and Matt Reynolds’s numbers away from Coors Field are excellent.
I’d rather them re-call Rob Johnson…
It’s not all about the bat, though I share your concern with the age.
With a couple of young SPs, and some in the BP now like Beato – I’d really like a veteran catcher who calls a good game and has some decent defense as well.
we have a veteran catcher that is good defensively in Nickeas and Johnson is supposed to be one as well. I just don’t see the point in giving up anythng for Hernandez when he is barely hitting better than Nickeas…
I’d rather see them call up Johnson since he batted .300 in his short tenure here…
if they trade tapia, we will no longer talk about the scott kazmir trade, we will talk about the domingo tapia trade. it will be tht bad.
Kazmir was a top 10 prospect in all of baseball. Tapia is not even in the top 100
I wouldnt compare Tapia to Kazmir at this point but it would be foolish for the Mets to give up Tapia in a package for a injury prone 36 yr old catcher who is in his last leg and a marginal at best LHP reliever.
The kid is only 20yrs old 6’4 186 lbs and throws 100mph with no effort. And to this point in his career he has been successful and doesnt walk a lot of batters. No way I include him in a deal for Hernandez not worth it.
Reynolds? Yes. Hernandez? Pass. Heard the Mets were interested in Shoppach too. I’d rather acquire him than Hernandez.
Please dear god what is the point here?
What is it about lower BA that this FO loves so much that they consistently trade away decent players for low hitting crap?
The guy has a career .269 BA!
Thole has a career .274 BA!
All they are going to accomplish here is replacing Nickeas for a season, two at best!
The reliever ok I have no real issues with him, he fits a need, is a lefty, but he’s not an actual left specialist as lefties hit him better than righties do!
They want to make this trade then send them Bay and pay some cash as he might just find his power in Mile High City and we at least get rid of the logjam that will stop Kirk from playing everyday!
As far as giving away kids? Well I sure wouldn’t trade away my best RH bat with runners on for either of those guys and Den Dekker may be the bridge CF until Nimmo finally arrives here.
The other names I have no issue with other than giving them away for an old guy who hits worse than a guy whose hitting we don’t think much of we already have.
I havent looked much but i inagine this would be to push nickeas off not thole..i think they’d feel more comfortable sitting thole v lhp with hernandez over nickeas.
Yes I agree but to lose a kid for the priviledge of a minor upgrade over Nickeas still seems dumb.
I’m fine with the reliever but I don’t see how hernandez is going to get up to speed and learn our starters to have any good impact here.
I feel you have to be careful with catchers as your not just affecting that position but the rotation as well.
But I will say I have less problem with who we might be getting than I do with who they might give away to get it.
I see this as the perfect opportunity to dump bay myself.
Eat the money, (It was lost years ago) and it might actually be a good deal for the Rockies in that he would be much more like himself in the launchpad!
(Well maybe not I just checked his 2011 splits he hit .091 there! LOL)
The only names that concern me is Den Dekker and Turner…
The last thing we need right now is to lose Turner’s hot RH bat with MOB.
I would give them Cedeno in a heartbeat instead.
Metsie: If the Mets feel a guy like Hernandez can help Thole in his game calling and help work with young pitchers the Mets have and may call up this year, then couldn’t you argue the price of a mid level spec is worth it?
It’s not investing in Hernandez, it’s investing in Thole, Gee, Niese, Mejia, maybe Harvey, Edgin etc.
Good to see the puppet prove that he is a total hypocritical entity. jessup should be telling us this is exactly like the fish getting Lee, a n upgrade at a position that is totally pathetic and even an old guy with quickly deteriorating skills is better for the stretch run but no jessup the total puppet gives us a line of BS that could only come from the arrogant ivy league cheat sandy alderson. thanks for totally proving that you are just an alderson tool jessip.
I’m not sure what Carlos Lee has to do with anything? I said Carlos Lee wouldn’t turn the Marlins around and it was a move for the sake of making a move. They need other things, and tossed aside an all star 1B and used him as a scapegoat for their troubles rather than lets say a certain $100m SS? Or overpaid closer?
What about me not thinking Lee is what the Marlins needed to do is relevant to anything we’ve discussed here?
Oh and by the way. While you mock the Ivy League, most likely because you resent people smarter than you… you also praise the Marlins for a move they made. Their GM Michael Hill?
Graduate of Harvard University.
No and I will tell you why…
He sure can’t help him IN game…And he can’t help him when he is playing himself…
So there is no need to use a roster spot or kid to get him to do what your thinking he is going to do here.
You could do it just as easily by hiring a coach to mentor him who could even call signs if they wanted to.
But most of all the truth here is Thoile will be the one mentoring him on how our pitchers like to work and what has succeeded for them so far this season.
So it’s not going to have the intended affect anyone thinks it might have on Thole and no reason to give away any kids who could be added to some other package for something else we really DO need much more than a Catcher who calls a better game.
Get me the Phillies Catcher for that role and I would buy the argument and change my tune.
Cause at least he has the experience calling two former Cy Young pitchers and THAT is the kind of mentoring I would want talking to Thole AND the young pitchers we will be counting on the next two years.
But you are not getting him anytime soon….
well hernandez is still good for 15 homeruns a season
Only if he plays every game and thats not likely coming here.
So at best he’s good for 7 when you consider his projected playing time.
I agree with jessup (damn twice in a day!) that this is about Nickeas not Thole.
I think this front office values a vet catcher to be with thole and the young pitchers. Nickeas brings nothing to the table as a backup.
Plus the arm is an add bonus
I don’t have a problem with them valuing the veteran…Like I said the problem might be on HOW MUCH they value him and give away.
Turner is not acceptable to me and Den Dekker even less because of the shortage of decent OF we currentlt have and will have until Nimmo get through the system.
Of course it’s about Little Nicky. Also having Ramon to mentor Thole as well as be a RH bat off the bench could never hurt.
Truth be told it’s going to be Thole mentoring Hernandez on how to catch Dickey…
I don’t see where hernandez can teach him anything different about calling a game and even if he did the rotation has been good why mess with it?
Defensively Thole isn’t quite as bad as we make him out to be. His FP suffers due to the Knuckler he has to catch every 5 days more than anything else.
what does Thole have to do with anything? The reason they want another catcher is for the games Nickeas plays. That way Thole doesn’t have doesn’t have to play against lefties…
I don’t really want to give up den Dekker…
Same here, unless it’s for a bigger prize (J. Upton).
I’d be willing to part w/ den Dekker if it was a deal for Justin Upton and Carlos Quentin too
I put Den Dekker on my untouchable list somewhere in another thread…
We have plenty of other good prospects we have little to no use for we can trade instead.
No matter what side of the prospect coin you are on in the evaluation of Den Dekker, we can use him a lot more than some of these other guys and if De Dekker is the guy who can get you what you want we have a ton more AS GOOD as him to give them in trade that have no room to play here!
Reports and sources? Come on at least include the names and links. Let them get credit for their work.
Dude, it’s all over the freakin internet. Who broke what? What actually broke anyway? This is all rumor and speculation. You want the source? The source of what exactly?
Come on Petey, you are a better author than that. I know who the sources were they were Rubin and Sherman. Why wouldn’t you include them with links in your article?
It’s not a story my friend, it’s a rumor, and it’s unsubstantiated. The only reason we chose to list it here was to promote discussion among fans, not to steal anyone’s credit. This may never even happen so who gets credit for what exactly? Who cares exactly? Not me.
That’s those guys jobs Petey. They report rumors for their company and views of them are how they get paid.
What are you the rumor police?
Hey you run a blog and have the same ability to find your own sources to file your own report!
Or did you just want Pete to reveal his sources so you could say you got an exclusive?
LOL
You want to know the source of these things when no source is cited?
It’s your Front Office, who has as much problem leaking as the Titanic does!
They keep secrets as good as the Exuctive branch of government does!
Tis is their way of showing the Fans “See? We are busy trying to make moves here!”
Which says to me this isn’t a real deal just something they thought about and putting out there to gauge fan Reaction to the terms.
I already knew the sources. Rubin and Sherman reported it. I am just saying that Petey should have included a link or gave them credit for the rumor.
Then whats your problem here and why are you asking for his sources if you KNEW who they were?
Or is his source the same source that gave it to Rubin and Sheman?
You have proof of that?
Get over it already and if you wish to be a bastion of responsible journalism you have it within your power to lead by example on your own site!
I dont understand the problem. “Reports are circulating” is wrong to say in blog post? Why is that an issue when the intent is not who said what, but what they are saying so it can be debated on a baseball blog. Especially when is just speculative or bogus like 90% of most rumors. I see no problem here. WFAN didn’t report Rosenthal or Heyman when they said there were reports Mets might be interested in Hernandez. They just said it almost exactly as it was written here, that’s where I first heard this rumor this morning. And they said it like that 3-4 times on their 20/20′s.
You might want to look on MLBtraderumors
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/07/mets-interested-in-ramon-hernandez.html
That’s right, and that’s exactly what this is, a rumor that may never happen, so when and if it becomes an actual trade, then there will be plenty of time for including all kinds of cool links.
So if someone took one of your great articles and did not link to it but just reported the information with no credit to you it wouldn’t bother you at all?
So what are you trying to say Pete stole your thunder?
Are you the first one to report this rumor and here trying to get credit for it?
Get over yourself here!
If there was a solid source to report Pete usually includes it unless they ask him not to!
People steal from me and MetsMerizedOnline every single day, lot’s of times. I can’t say it doesn’t piss me off a little, if I did I’d be lying. But the fact is that it will continue to happen and there’s very little I can ever do about it. So no, I really don’t let it bother me, otherwise it would be a constant pain in the neck for me and I have a life.
Never mind Petey, it’s just a suggestion. This is a very good blog and I found it very unlike you for you not to give credit to those guys. I will move on. Lord knows Metsie has no damn clue what I am talking about so he can go back to his clutch or OBP theories and I will leave this alone.
I see no one in particular that deserved credit for anything involving this unsubstantiated rumor, which is why I chose to refer to the anonymous sources as “sources” I’m sorry if it bothered you so much trs, but I think you are once again trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill.
Hey if you don’t think Sherman or Rubin deserve credit for their work then so be it I guess. I think it would have been just as easy to say “According to Adam Rubin ….” “According to Joel Sherman….”. Like I said it is their careers and they make their money based mostly on views of their sites now.
Moving on.
Trs86 rumors like that circulate nearly simultaneously. Pete said “reports are circulating”, which describes it perfectly. Reports have been circulating all day from various sources.
Pete didn’t try to pass it off as his own. Would you have liked him to list every major Mets writer as a source who reported/confirmed rumors today?
Stop trying to make something out of nothing.
I have already dropped it. I said my piece to Petey and lets move on. Every report I have read on it gave credit to Sherman and Rubin, that’s just normally what you do. It isn’t a big deal. Lets move on.
come on TRS who cares?
It’s an amateur blog not a professional one…
True, this one gets a lot of views though and Petey is a quality guy so…
So why bitch about his not naming the source of a Rumor which in most cases is dead wrong because the sources you cite didn’t START the rumor just reported that one was out there!
Rumors have no sources to cite thats why they are called rumors.
When a source exists it is not a rumour it then becomes a STATEMENT!
You want to know who should most likely be cited for this report?
Sandy or DePodesta who seem to be the guys who leak everything involving the Met’s Future plans!
Yes dear.
trs: This is a Fan Site, we are not reporters. The post was created to discuss possibilities and not to reveal breaking news or break a story etc. I think you knew that and I think your attempt to call Petey out the way you did was pretty bush league.
I disagree and think your attempt to call out my suggestion is bush league… LOL. Damn I thought we dropped this hours ago.
Forget Quentin.
I am against the idea of trading any top prospect unless we are getting a young star or future star in return.
I would much rather see the Mets get a package deal of Huston Street and Chris Denorfia. You fix your bullpen and you get a RH hitting OF that hits LHP very well and is not just a singles hitter. He can also play all 3 OF positions and plays them well, especially RF.
I don’t know what it would cost to get Street and Denorfia although we should be able to without giving up a top prospect. Also they can have Torres and Q as a throw-in since we would be discarding them anyway and they would actually be important players in SD…
I agree but that’s why I don’t want Street either.
Nothing against Street, but I’d rather go with Gregerson.
Just a thought. Maybe they want veteran Hernandez to bring experience to handle a young and up and coming pitching staff and maybe they are afraid of Thole getting injured after seeing that collision at home plate a few days ago.
When I first heard this this morning my first instinct was , oh please no. Now that I was able to look up his stats I think this insane and I wouldnt give up even a b-level prospect for him. If we’re going to dangle a Den Dekker I would certainly hope for someone who isn’t washed up and on the verge of retirement.
I hope they do not give up Den Dekker. The guy is tearing it up this year and he has power and speed!!
In his television interview this afternoon Sandy said that trading for a catcher might improve the offense somewhat but that it could also have a negative effect on derailing the way the game is being called. He also cited he was once burned when trading for a catcher mid season instead of sticking to the one he had.
Maybe as a back up catcher Hernandez would be a welcome relief over Nicky. But his value would be offset if we included Turner in any such deal. Young Justin could be that capable fifth infielder for many years to come while Hernadez is already over the hill, not to mention it would also go against Sandy’s mindset jeopardizing the future with what Turner can do in the long term versus that of a 36 year old catcher batting .215 or so and coming off an injury.
I don’t think SA said anything this afternoon that we didn’t already know. Don’t know what all the fuss is about from some. If anyone thinks a GM is going to reveal details about the plan going into the trade deadline with the general public during an afternoon game, you’re just setting yourself up for disappointment. Why on earth would any FO do that?
Absolutely right SRT,
What a club might be seeking plus talks going on with others clubs are things that cannot be discussed publicly.
Sandy did advise us the possibility of Wheeler being promoted to AAA after a few more starts and if a spot in the rotation becomes open, Harvey might be ready enough to get the call. I also think he was refreshingly candid stating we should not expect R.A. to have the kind of second half he had in the first. Much as I wish R.A. could, that would also be asking too much of anyone. Hope he proves us both wrong!
Well take it all the way here….
Why on earth would any GM agree to do a Mid Season break interview knowing full well that the questions they would ask would be qurestions you really aren’t interested in answering?
I get what your saying but if nothing is what you want to say then don’t agree to talk in the first place!
LOL
Nothing wrong with that interview. You’re assuming that all Met fans are like those of us here perusing Met blogs all day long, getting the latest and greatest information. When in actuality, we’re a small number.
Still a large number of Met fans that only get their information from SNY, newspapers and possibly WFAN. Two in my own family for instance as they do not do technology or the internet on any level.
No different than the pandering the FOX and ESPN booths do when they do our games. All rehashed information we’ve all heard a hundred times all ready. But they cater to a larger audience then just the die hard Met fans.
Srt, He said he hopes Jason Bay will become his RH Power hitting Bat….
You don’t need to read Blogs to understand how stupid that sentiment is do you?
Follow the quotes and you see nothing but Wish Wash.
Harvey – May bring him up but might not if the need doesn’t rise
Wheeler – About the only thing he was firm on, Not this year!
Trades -Might make a trade but might not if it isn’t a big impact and then goes onto list two positions that won’t fit the big impact and a RH Power Bat who would but would only to say later he still has Hope Bay will be that guy when he comes back!
Chemistry – He admits it is important so much so that he won’
t make any deal unless he knows it will add a positive influence and how can you know that until you get him? You have no idea how the personalities will gel or what dynamics will come about until you put him there so in essence no moves just to be safe!
There is nothing there that informs anyone of anything. Just a ist of what he might do and pre-emptive reasons for why he won’t.
‘Srt, He said he hopes Jason Bay will become his RH Power hitting Bat….’
>>Yes, I heard the interview. And on that point let me just say….hahahaha. Would solve that problem right now but I’ll give Bay about a 10% chance of him being even close to what he was in Boston.
‘You don’t need to read Blogs to understand how stupid that sentiment is do you?’
>> What did you want him to say there? Bay stinks and we don’t think he’s going to help us going forward? Not a doubt in my mind this FO has about as much faith in Bay that 99% of the Met fans do right now.
I don’t care about the ‘wish/wash’ in an interview with the SNY booth. As I previously said, there is no way he’s going to tip his hand like that to the masses.
All I’m saying Srt is if he doesn’t want to open himself up to scrutiny don’t agree to answer question in the first place and if you do agree don’t answer with two answers that seemingly conflict all in the effort of avoiding a question you knew was coming and agreed to comment on.
I get it he doesn’t want to give away his plans, thats fine, DON’T but don’t agree to answer those questions.
He could have said we are being aggressive looking for ways to improve and upgrade the ball club in a way that has the best and greatest impact on this season and for season’s to come.
But to say you won’t make a move unless it makes a great impact and then go onto list two targets first that will have no impact whatsoever he might as well have just said we don’t plan on doing anything just minor deals unless something really good is presented to us.
None of what he said was uplifting, None of what he said actually answered a question posed and the only things he was committal on were things like Valdespin and Wheeler and we already knew what his answer was there he has been saying it since before the season started!
I would love to get Matt Reynolds, but have no interest in the catcher, at least not this one. Reynolds would be a great get.
No way they should give up denDekker for this guy. DenDekker is about the future, whereas Hernandez’ best days are well in the past.