Mets Merized Online

According to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News, Angel Pagan and the Mets avoided arbitration and have agreed to a one year contract that will pay the center fielder $1.45 million.

Pagan had originally requested $1.8 million whereas the team filed for $1.275 million. Therefore, they are paying him a little bit under the arbitrary midpoint.

Last season, Angel had a fine season despite suffering an injury that sidelined him for a couple of weeks. In 88 games, the 28 year old hit .306 and six home runs along with eleven triples.

In other news ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick is reporting that the team is close to an agreement with Mike Jacobs. The deal would be a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Back in October I had suggested that the Mets pursue Jacobs this off-season to platoon with Daniel Murphy at first base. He may not be ideal, but he did hit 32 home runs in 2008 and 19 in 2009, which is more than any member of last year’s team hit.

Unfortunately, he is horrendous against left-handed pitching. Nonetheless I am intrigued to see how he will perform this spring and whether or not he will make the team.

Djean Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette believes that the Pirates are interested in signing right fielder Ryan Church.

Church, 31, hit .273 with four home runs and 40 RBI’s while splitting time as a member of both the Mets and Braves last season.

This news is somewhat surprising as it was rumored for weeks that the Pirates were looking to sign another free agent outfielder by the name of Rick Ankiel.

However, as Kovacevic notes that Ankiel’s agent, Scott Boras, is still touting his client as a starting outfielder.

Last season, Ankiel hit for a dismal .231 average and hit only 11 home runs, which is nearly half the amount he hit in 2008 (25).

While Ankiel may have a more powerful bat, the Pirates do not want to put themselves in a position of having to block one of their top prospects, Jose Tabata, when he gets called up from the minor leagues.

I think Ryan Church would be a solid pickup for any team, especially for the role of a reserve outfielder. He brings to the table a strong arm for the outfield and a bat that could potentially hit 20 home runs.

Just hours after we found out about a deal being in the works to bring Jason Bay to Flushing another significant free agent signing is being reported.

ESPN Radio’s Rich Coutinho is reporting that the Mets are close to signing catcher, Bengie Molina, to a two-year deal. Financial terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed.

Last season with the San Francisco Giants, the 36 year-old Molina hit .265 with 20 home runs and 80 RBI’s.

Despite what some analysts have said I believe that this is a solid signing by Omar Minaya as it gives the Mets some much needed power behind the plate that they haven’t had since the days of Mike Piazza.

Next on the agenda for Minaya and the Mets will hopefully be a starting pitcher, but I must say that these two signings are definitely a step in the right direction.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have come to terms with reliever, Bob Howry, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic [Hat tip MLB Trade Rumors].

Terms of the deal are not immediately available, however it includes an option for the 2011 season and is rumored to be worth somewhere in the ball park of $2 million to $3 million.

Last season with the San Francisco Giants, the Arizona native appeared in 63 games and pitched to an ERA of 3.39. His K:BB ratio was 2:1 (46:23).

Throughout his eleven year career, Howry has an ERA of 3.66.

This is a pretty solid signing for the D’Backs in my opinion as it gives them a viable setup man to help strengthen a bullpen that includes ex-Met Aaron Heilman and Chad Qualls.

Although the Mets were never publicly connected to Howry, I think that these are the types of players they should be targeting. Although Howry’s numbers are not earth shattering he is a very consistent pitcher.

Various news outlets are reporting tonight that the New York Mets have signed Kelvim Escobar to a one year Major League contract.

The 33 year-old right hander has pitched for two teams throughout his big league career; first with the Toronto Blue Jays and most recently with the Los Angeles Angels.

During his career, Escobar has amassed a win/loss record of 101-91 and compiled an ERA of 4.15.

His best season came in 2007 when he made 30 starts and compiled a record of 18-7 and maintained an ERA of 3.40.

Strangely this deal is not a minor league contract, as was suggested a couple of days ago, instead it will be a major league one.

As Newsday’s Ken Davidoff points out, the fact that the Mets handed him a major league contract ” shows how enamored the Mets (and others) are by the guy’s arm, when healthy”.

Another interesting note to point out is that according to the NY Post’s Joel Sherman, the team intends to use Escobar as a setup man for Francisco Rodriguez.

This is rather confusing as mutliple reports suggested that newly signed, Ryota Igarashi, was to be the new eighth inning pitcher.

All in all, I really like this deal for the Mets and I think it is one of the few things Omar has done right this season, despite the fact that Escobar has only logged five innings since 2007.

Provided Minaya did not guarantee a ridiculous amount of money to the veteran pitcher, this signing could turn out to be a beneficial one for the team.

Lastly, Merry Christmas to everyone, who celebrates the holiday. For those who do not celebrate, take today as an opportunity to enjoy a good movie and perhaps some Chinese food.

UPDATE: According to the terms of the deal. Escobar will be used exclusively as reliever so as to preserve his arm strength. This was done at the request of Kelvim.

Ok so the title of my post maybe a bit deceiving, no this feature will not last 80 days, but I thought it would be a cool project to go around the league and connect with bloggers from the other 29 MLB teams and have them weigh in on their teams.

For my first stop of the tour, I check in with Daniel Moroz, founder of Camden Crazies, which is an excellent blog dedicated to the Baltimore Orioles.

In addition to providing up to date information surrounding the ball club, Moroz uses sabermetrics to showcase in-depth analysis of each member of the Orioles roster.

In the interview Moroz discuses a wide range of topics, including the team’s interest in both Matt Holliday and Carlos Delgado, as well as a look at some of the Orioles most prized youngsters.

Without further adieu here is my interview with Daniel Moroz of Camden Crazies:

PH: Obviously last season much of the talk surrounding the Orioles revolved around rookie catcher Matt Weiters. How would you rate Weiters’ rookie campaign in terms of a letter grade? Did he live up to your personal expectations?

DM: I took a more in-depth look at Wieters’ season here, but I thought he’d hit .275/.344/.438 (he actually hit .288/.340/.412) and gave a lot of weight to his being a catcher (and thus needing more transition time).

I was largely disappointed with the below average plate discipline – especially given his strong walk rates in the minors – but he’s still young and learning, and already a pretty good hitter for a catcher at his current level. I’d give him a C relative to expectations (which largely weren’t his fault), but a B- overall.

PH: Last year the Orioles made a very substantial offer to then-free agent, Mark Teixeira. This year it is rumored that the Os are in contact with Matt Holliday’s agent.  In your opinion how likely is the team to land the free agent slugger?

DM: I would be very, very surprised to see the O’s sign Holliday.

The guy’s a great player, but in order to get him to come to Baltimore, the O’s would need to really beat the Cardinals’ offer and I don’t think they’re in a position as a team to spend that kind of money right now. If all goes according to plan, they should be able to make a splash for a big-time free agent next off-season.

PH: While still on the Matt Holliday subject, some have suggested that the Orioles are not very serious in their pursuit of Holliday. What’s your take on this? Do you feel that the team sincerely believes that they have a chance at signing him?

DM: I think that they’d love to have him – all 30 teams would – but once the price-tag went above a certain level they weren’t going to stay in the bidding. It was worth asking, but the team isn’t in serious pursuit.

PH: Another bright spot on the Orioles team last year was the emergence of Nolan Reimold, who was called up early last season and proceeded to produce rather nicely before being shut down with an injury to the Achilles tendon. Do you have an update on his condition and will he be ready for the 2010 season?

DM: Last I checked with Will Carroll (injury expert at Baseball Prospectus), he should be good to go to start the season.

The injury may have negatively affected his range in left-field, which wasn’t too good and held down his total value to the team despite his impressive bat. I’m expecting a rebound with the glove while largely maintaining his offensive production in 2010.

PH: The Orioles have an impressive amount of young talent on their roster. Who in their farm system is closest to being major league ready and are there any hidden gems that haven’t been publicized much?

DM: Jake Arrieta is probably the next starting pitcher to be called up – he’s ended ‘09 in Triple-A. Third-baseman Josh Bell (acquired in the George Sherrill trade) and first-baseman Brandon Snyder should be ready at some point in 2010.

The guy I like best who hasn’t gotten as much attention thus far due to the presence of Tillman and Matusz, is lefty starting pitching prospect Zach Britton. The guy gets a ton of groundballs and upped his strike-out rate this year, and he might be climbing up top prospect lists soon. I ranked him #1 (well, #2 if you count Matusz) recently myself.

PH: Recently, the Orioles signed free agent reliever, Mike Gonzalez, to a two year contract. How do you feel about the deal considering Gonzalez’s spotty health and where does he fit into the Orioles bullpen?

DM: Given the price-tag, he’ll certainly be the closer. I don’t really like the deal, because Gonzalez is a good but not elite relief pitcher (when healthy) and the Orioles aren’t in a position to overpay for a closer right now.

The difference between 75 wins and 76 isn’t really a big deal, and certainly isn’t worth $6-8 M a year as well as a draft-pick. I’m just hoping Andy MacPhail can spin him off for quality prospects at some point. More on Gonzalez here.

PH: The team also recently picked up former Colorado Rockies star, Garrett Atkins. What’s your take on this particular signing? Do you feel that he will be able to bounce back for a dreadful season last year and contribute to the club?

DM: He’s been going down-hill for a while now – and I don’t love the deal at $4.5 M – but I do think he should be able to bounce back some (maybe .265/.335/.425).

Leaving Coors Field and moving to the tougher AL won’t help though, and his defense isn’t stellar. I think there’s a fair chance that Atkins will be slightly underpaid, but it’s not without downside risk and isn’t a straight bargain. More on Atkins here.

PH: The Orioles President of Baseball Operations, Andy MacPhail, has suggested that he is not done making moves this off-season. What area of the team do you think needs to be addressed next?

DM: Bringing in a guy like Carlos Delgado to hold down the fort at first-base would be nice. I’d like to see Luke Scott – who can’t really be used optimally by the team right now given the presence of Reimold and Pie – traded for a solid return (a B prospect maybe).

Other than that, I would really like to see some international prospects brought into the system. The development of the team at this point has a lot more to do with the progression of the young players already on the team than any move Andy can make at the moment.

PH: The Orioles have struggled quite a bit this past decade; however they have seemingly put together a solid core of young talent. With the roster set as of today are the Orioles contenders in 2010?

DM: Of course – and I think they’ll sweep the season series with the Yankees and Red Sox too.. Seriously though, a .500 season probably isn’t in the cards for 2010 at this point.

I would just like to see some improvement from Tillman, Matusz, Reimold, Wieters, and maybe 75+ wins. It’s a process, and I’m fully aware of that. In a realistically ideal world, they win ~83 games in ‘10, and then vault into contention with 93+ wins in 2011 and beyond. Boy, wouldn’t that be nice.

Once again I’d like to thank Daniel for being apart of this feature. For more on the Orioles make sure to check out Moroz’s site, Camden Crazies. Also be sure to follow Moroz on Twitter.

Now MLB fans, it’s your turn. I’m interested in your feedback to this new series, and whether or not you would like me to continue these interviews.

ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark is reporting [hat tip to MLB Trade Rumors] that at the winter meetings earlier this month, the New York Mets were involved in a four team trade proposal with The Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels.

Had the deal of went through here is how things would have panned out:

New York Mets Trade: Luis Castillo
Tampa Bay Rays Trade: Pat Burrell
Chicago Cubs Trade: Milton Bradley
Los Angeles Angels Trade: Gary Matthews Jr.

New York Mets Receive: Gary Matthews Jr.
Tampa Bay Rays Receive: Milton Bradley
Chicago Cubs Receive: Luis Castillo
Los Angeles Angels Receive (Presumably): Pat Burrell

However, as Stark points out the deal fell threw for an unknown reason. I’m merely speculating here, but when dealing with such large and huge contracts it probably came down to money.

Last season with the Angels, Matthews hit .250 with only four home runs and 50 RBIs in 316 at-bats. Those numbers are rather unimpressive to say the least and to be honest I think the Mets are better off holding onto Castillo.

According to a report in today’s New York Daily News, New York Mets shortstop, Jose Reyes, visited a scrutinized doctor, Dr. Tony Galea, numerous times.

Galea is a physician based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who is noted for using a technique called blood spinning to help athletes recover from injuries more quickly.

As described in the article, the blood spinning technique, “involves putting a patient’s blood in a centrifuge to separate the platelets then injecting the blood back into the patient”.

In addition to Reyes, Galea’s past and present clients include; professional golfer Tiger Woods, NFL quarterback Chris Simms and current free agent first baseman Carlos Delgado.

There has been a bit of controversy surrounding Dr. Galea as of late. Other medical professionals, such as the former medical director of the New York Road Runners, Dr. Lewis Maharem, have questioned the effectiveness of his methods of treatments.

Clearly, the doctor’s efforts in healing Jose Reyes’ injured hamstring proved ineffective, as the star would later undergo surgery in October to repair the injury.

Additionally, the doctor is under investigation by the Canadian authorities after it was found that one of his former business associates was carrying human growth hormone, as well as the doctor’s medical bag.

While on WFAN yesterday, when the topic of HGH use was brought up, Reyes was quick to point out:

No, no, no, nothing like that, said Reyes. He treat me. I went there. He just did like, PRP treatment for me. It was my own blood.

I have to admit that I am very concerned when I read about current Mets players being tied to what appears to be a questionable doctor.

I don’t understand what the allure was to trying unproven treatments when in fact there were more traditional methods available.

Had Reyes have pursued other forms of medical treatment sooner, he potentially could have recovered more quickly and could have had more time to gear up for the 2010 season.

For more information on Dr. Galea and his medicinal practices check out this article in the New York Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2009/12/16/2009-12-16_untitled__2doc16m.html

While things may be quiet in terms of Mets activity, the Orioles are wasting no time in building their club up for the 2010 campaign and beyond.

Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun are reporting that the Orioles have inked former Colorado Rockie, Garrett Atkins, to a one year deal.

Atkins, who was non-tendered by the Rockies last week, is coming off the worst full season performance of his big league career. He hit only .226 with 9 home runs and 48 RBIs with on OBP of .308.

These numbers are down significantly from the year prior where he hit to the tune of .286 to compliment 21 home runs and 99 RBIs and an OBP of .328..

However, with Atkins’s track record I think he would have been a solid pickup for the Mets to possibly platoon at first base.

For what it’s worth, Bill James predicts that he will rebound in 2010 and hit roughly .285 while slugging somewhere in the ball park of 15 home runs and 70 RBIs.

That was not Andy Macphail’s only acquisition of the day. He also signed free agent reliever, Mike Gonzalez, to a lucrative two year contract worth somewhere between $12 and $16 million.

Last year Gonzalez was rock solid, posting an ERA of 2.42 in 74.1 innings pitched. Additionally he struck out 90 batters, while only walking 33.

With such impressive numbers, Gonzalez projects to be the team’s closer heading into next year.

However, I’m not as high on this acquisition as I was about Atkins. While Gonzalez is lights out when healthy, his ability to stay healthy is questionable.

Although if Gonzalez can prove me wrong than the Os will have made two very significant, in my opinion, acquisitions that will help turn this club into a winning team.