Mets Merized Online

In a sign that Mets shortstop Jose Reyes might be out closer to eight weeks rather than two weeks, the Mets are reportedly looking at Cristian Guzman as a possible temporary replacement.

Rich Coutinho of ESPN reported via  Twitter,

The Mets may be looking for another SS since Reyes could be out a few weeks- I am hearing the name Cristian Guzman has been discussed.

I like Guzman and he’d be an obvious upgrade over both Ruben Tejada or Alex Cora, but of course it all depends on what the Mets would have to give up to get him from the Nationals.

Guzman hit .284 with six home runs, 74 runs and 52 RBI for the Nats last season, but made 20 errors at shortstop in 135 games. However, he gets to many more balls than Alex Cora who doesn’t have good range.

To begin, catcher Rod Barajas passed his physical today and will report to Mets camp tomorrow morning. According to Jon Heyman, he is guaranteed $500K, and then gets $400K for making the Opening Day roster. He can earn another $1MM with easily attainable incentives.

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Jason Bay arrived to camp today and spoke to reporters. Kevin Kernan of the NY Post relays that Bay said he is a “lead by example’’ guy.

“You won’t see me on the top step waving a towel,’’ he said. “But that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to be a leader. I’ll kind of feel my way around, but I think by the time that we leave here, I’ll be pretty comfortable in that role.’’

Bay sounded very confident and said he is not intimidated by Citi Field and will not tinker with a swing that has averaged over 30 home runs per season in the last six years. I think he’s gonna be just fine.

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Michael Baron of MetsBlog is reporting that second baseman Luis Castillo is happy, has lost some weight and feels completely healthy. It must really suck for Castillo to deal with all the constant trade rumors and reading all the negative comments in the last two offseasons. He said he can’t control what the team wants to do, but will continue to work hard for the Mets. Jerry Manuel singled Castillo out today and said he expects him to step up defensively. Maybe the weight loss will help him gain some additional mobility and range in the field this season.

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In other news, Jon Niese and Jenrry Mejia both threw live batting practice today and the coaching staff came away very impressed. Yesterday, Jerry Manuel said that Mejia is a candidate for the setup man role. Alex Cora plans to slide feet first this season which should make Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez very happy. There’s a rumor circulating that the Mets have signed veteran infielder Alex Cintron to a minor league deal, but the club has not confirmed that, so try and contain your excitement.

That’s all folks!

Check back tomorrow evening for another complete recap of all the Mets rumblings from Port St. Lucie, as we continue to keep you on top of everything Mets!

The New York Mets currently have four catchers on their 40-man roster with Chris Coste, Omir Santos, Henry Blanco, and Josh Thole, but apparently the Mets are still interested in yet another catcher.

According to MetsBlog the Mets appear to be interested in former Toronto Blue Jays backstop Rod Barajas, who hit 19 home runs and had 71 RBIs last year.

Barajas is, of course, the backup plan to Yorvit Torrealba, who ended up signing with the San Diego Padres after the Mets supposedly couldn’t come up with the right amount of cash to convince Torrealba to come to the Big Apple for two years.

Hall of Fame writer Murray Chass, is saying that Mets GM Omar Minaya and his employees apparently couldn’t deal with more than one free agent at a time this offseason, telling agents that they were interested in players but needed to deal with other players first. No agents were willing to wait for the Mets to finish up things with the people in front of them. One agent said his client had the Mets at the top of his list but didn’t want to wait and see if it worked out.

Another day, another catcher for the New York Mets. I don’t see the logic with yet another move to obtain another catcher that we obviously do not need.

Although I do like Barajas’ hitting ability in a park such as Citi Field, I still don’t feel as though he should be a priority. We need pitching, pitching, and more pitching!

Even if we do get Barajas’ you wouldn’t be able to throw him into a trade later in the season, because if he’s still available at this point in the off-season, than nobody cares too much about his services anyway.

Update 4:55 PM – According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, Fernando Tatis is in fact re-signing with the Mets.

“Fernando Tatis will be rejoining the Mets, so Carlos Delgado will have to sign elsewhere. Scouts see him only as a DH.”

This isn’t as bad as some may think. Tatis hit .282 in 340 at bats for the Mets last season, with eight HR and 21 doubles. The 13 double plays was a fluke. 

Tatis could be a good compliment to Daniel Murphy at first base, and between the two of them we might get a season that looks like: .278 – 20 HR – 85 RBI – 80 RS 

That’s not so bad, and if we get the power upgrade from Bay in leftfield and a return to form by Wright, we still have a very productive lineup.

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According to Mike Puma of the NY Post, the Mets are close to re-signing utility player Fernando Tatis.

Omar Minaya is deep into negotiations with Fernando Tatis for a return engagement, and could have a deal complete within a matter of days, according to a baseball source. That development would seem to eliminate the possibility of Carlos Delgado returning to the Mets next season, because Tatis has been told by Minaya that he is wanted as part of a first-base platoon with Murphy.

Tatis made $1.7 million last season and I’m curious if the Mets are going to overpay him more. I guess we’ll see.

So basically, Alex Cora, Omir Santos, Angel Pagan and Fernando Tatis will once again man the bench in 2010.

What’s that saying? Oh yes, I got it. If you keep doing the same things, you’ll keep getting the same results.

Tatis batted .282 with eight homers and 48 RBIs last season, and led the team by hitting into 13 double plays.

This pretty much locks in Murphy/Tatis as our first base tandem this season.

Latest Update 12:00 PM: Jon Morosi of Fox Sports as well as WFAN is reporting that reliever Brian Stokes is the player going to the Angels to complete the Gary Matthews Jr. deal.

It’s a good move and gives the Mets a strong backup to Angel Pagan who will start while Beltran is out. It also keeps F-Mart in the minors, where he belongs.

The best part is that the Mets are paying Matthews about $2 million over two years, or $1.0 MM annually. You can’t argue with that.

Latest Update 11:10 AM: There’s speculation that a third team could be involved like the Reds and the Angel Pagan may be involved somehow in a trade for Bronson Arroyo. This is all speculation at this point and comes from Baseball Digest on Twitter.

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According to a recent tweet from Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Mets are on the verge of acquiring outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. from the Angels.

Matthews, 35, has hit just .248 since signing a five-year, $50 million contract with the Angels in 2007.

Heyman believes the Angels will pay most of the $24 million due to Matthews during the next two seasons.

Hmm…

I assumed this could involve current Mets second baseman Luis Castillo, but now I hear that he is not involved in the deal.

Heyman also says Beltran will return in late April, but that the Mets are worried.

Details to follow…

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.

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.

The Mets have finally gotten an early Christmas gift, as the hunt for Jason Bay was dropped by one team Friday when the Mariners traded for Milton Bradley. The only thing left for the Mets now is to come to a final agreement with Bay and bring him to Citi Field for the 2010 season.

Long before Bradley was dealt to Seattle, the Mets were without a doubt Bay’s primary suitors. The team is reluctant to drastically improve its offer of four years for about $65 million until the Mets believe another team is in the running.

“We’re still close to that,” a team insider said Friday night. “Everything’s pretty much the same.”

Even though this Jason Bay saga continues to unfold, we can now breathe easier. There was no doubt in mind that the Mets would sign Bay it just continues to be a matter of when, how many years, and how much money he will need.

I have a good feeling that Bay will be ready to sign before Christmas. We will hear much more about this here on Mets Merized Online throughout the weekend, so stay optimistic!

Bay Watch Redux

The Jason Bay saga continues for yet another day as both sides continue to hold firm on their positions. The Mets of course, are yet unwilling to budge from their original 4 year offer, while the Bay camp insists it will take a deal longer than 4 years for them to agree. Adam Rubin of the Daily News writes,

The Mets continue to hold to their position that they don’t need to significantly improve their offer of four years for approximately $65 million, at least not until they are convinced that the 31-year-old Bay has a better alternative.

My biggest fear is that as long as the Mets remain in this holding pattern, some team can still swoop in, make a substantially better offer, and pull the rug out from under the Mets. Ken Davidoff of Newsday reported that the Mets expected to hear back from Jason Bay today. Hopefully, this could lead to some sort of resolution. 

Mets Get Their Setup Man

The Mets finally made it official and announced the signing of Japanese reliever Ryota Igarashi to a two-year, $3 million dollar deal. Igarashi will essentially replace J.J. Putz and become the Mets’ setup man for closer Francisco Rodriguez.

The 30-year-old righthander went 3-2 with three saves and a 3.19 ERA in 56 games last season.

“We’ve had an interest in Ryota for two years,” GM Omar Minaya said in a statement “He’s got a power arm and an outstanding split-finger .”

From all accounts, this looks like a great signing for the Mets and at reasonable cost as well. Igarashi was considered the hardest thrower in Japan and features a mid-nineties fast ball among his repertoire.

A National Treasure?

Jayson Stark of ESPN.com believes the Mets and Phillies are among several teams who are interested in the recently on-tendered relief pitcher Mike MacDougal, formerly of the Nationals.

MacDougal, 32,  was 20 for 21 in save opportunities last season after joining the Nationals. The right hander has a career ERA of 4.09 with 70 saves in 314 games.

He has a very heavy fastball that sits at around 96-97 mph, along with a plus slider, and an average change-up and curve ball. He has been plagued with control problems throughout his career.

I’m not sure what the interest is here… With Igarashi already on board, as well as right handers Sean Green, Brian Stokes and Bobby Parnell, I don’t see the logic in adding another RH reliever, especially one that will probably get a multi year deal averaging a minimum of $3 million annually.

Mets Still Interested In Cuban Free Agent

Jorge Arangure of ESPN says that 21 year-old Cuban free-agent Aroldis Chapman threw about 50 pitches for dozens of scouts representing about 15 MLB teams in Houston.

Arangue’s report suggests that the results of the exhibition were somewhat inconclusive. Due to bad weather the workout took place indoors. Chapman wore sneakers, and threw about 40-50 pitches off a wooden mound reaching as high as 97 mph, though mostly in the 92-93 mph range. He did not face any live batters.

According to Buster Olney of ESPN (via MetsBlog),

“Some evaluators view Chapman as a left-handed Stephen Strasburg, who was the No. 1 pick in the MLB draft last year.”

You had me at Strasburg… Chapman is young, has electric stuff and is left handed… All qualities that would keep me very interested and engaged. If he is really a “number one overall” caliber talent, the Mets should make every attempt to reel him in.