Ben Zobrist going to the Cubs per Ken Rosenthal via MLB Network!
The deal is for four years and $56 million dollars and is pending a physical.
What a disappointment, but at least the agonizing is over… Onward and Upward…
Memo to Mets: Stop these twice daily pressers and telegraphing every single thing on your mind to the media. Just stop it…
We miss Sandy and his Stealthiness.
7:00 PM
It’s now down to between the Cubs and the Mets according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports via MLB Network.
“The Cubs did not just jump in,” says Rosenthal, “They have been involved all along, but they chose not to trumpet it and stayed in the shadows instead monitoring and staying close to situation.”
Al Leiter says Zobrist’s closeness to Joe Maddon could be an X-Factor. Chicago’s proximity to Zobrist’s home could also be a factor.
5:45 PM
The Chicago Cubs are making a last minute push for Ben Zobrist according to Ken Rosenthal and Buster Olney.
Both of them agree that the Cubs would need to make other moves in order to open up a spot for Zobrist in the infield. And the Mets say they knew the Cubs were interested in Zobrist.
However, there is buzz about the Cubs potentially dealing a young infielder or two for starting pitching. And also, that Starlin Castro to the Yankees for Brett Gardner swap is back on the table.
Previous Report
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. the Mets offer to Ben Zobrist is a three-year deal and not the four-year contract he is looking for.
However, it is also reported that the Mets would go to four years if they have to. Although, Mets assistant GM John Ricco did qualify that somewhat yesterday.
“We certainly have a kind of level where we think the value is,” Ricco said Monday. “And, if it gets beyond that, then we’ll go in another direction. We’ve been willing to push the envelope, but we’re not going to stick to unrealistic numbers if they don’t make sense.”
Obviously, the Mets have concerns about offering Zobrist a deal that will pay him through his age 38 season, but Ricco believes he is one of those athletes that will age well.
“He keeps himself in shape. A lot of what we talked about with him was his workout regimen, his diet, all those things you want to hear from a player if he’s going to have a chance to play later in his career that would tell you he has a chance to do that,” Ricco said. “This guy is going to give himself a chance to play at a high level as long as possible, so we were pretty happy with those conversations.”
As one of my writers pointed out yesterday, the goal for the Mets is to get back to the World Series, and they have a better chance to reach that goal with Zobrist as Plan A at second base than with either Daniel Murphy or Dilson Herrera as Plan A under normal circumstances.
Herrera still makes for a great Plan B – in case of a not too unlikely David Wright injury that would force Zobrist to shift to third base. The odds Wright starts in more than 120 games seem slim.
Another key factor to consider is that the Mets will not have to forfeit a draft pick to sign Zobrist.
Are there concerns? Of course there are concerns anytime you sign a player on the other side of 30, but for a team like the Mets who are built to win now thanks to a young and dominant rotation, it’s a risk they have to take.
Sherman also said the Mets could finalize a deal with Zobrist as early as today. While it’s certainly possible, I think Sherman is getting a little ahead of himself.
The representatives for Zobrist have already made clear that they will meet with the Nationals today and that they will spend Wednesday and Thursday reviewing all their offers and making the best choice for Zobrist and his family.
Zobrist reportedly has narrowed down his decision to three teams: the New York Mets, Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants.
However, we learned a couple of things on Monday. First, Zobrist doesn’t want to play left field, and second, he prefers to stick to one position – preferably second base – and doesn’t want to serve in a utility role capacity per se.
That would seemingly take the Giants out of the equation, but it also reduces Zobrist’s value somewhat which stemmed from his versatility. Still, the Mets don’t view that as an issue as second base is wide open.
“He mentioned to us that at this stage, although he’s versatile, it’s easier to have a place to go on a semi-regular basis, then move around from there. We know what we have available and certainly see him as a guy who can play second base for us, then provide versatility,” Ricco said. “From our perspective that’s a great fit and kind of lines up with what he’s looking for. Ultimately, he’ll have to decide how important that is to him.”
So stay tuned.
