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The Mets’ Asking Price For Jose Reyes

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MONDAY, 9:12am: The Mets' internal discussions about trading Reyes were just "normal due diligence," reports Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, and he's more likely to stay with the team for 2011.

WEDNESDAY, 4:37pm: Jose Reyes is available, but the Mets want three or four players in exchange for their shortstop, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). Reyes, 27, earns $11MM in 2011 before becoming a free agent. He hit .282/.321/.428 with 30 steals and 50 extra base hits in 603 plate appearances last year.

There's no indication that Mets GM Sandy Alderson is actively shopping Reyes, but there would be a market for him. Earlier today, Schulman reported that the Giants are focusing on finding a shortstop. Along with the Cardinals and Padres, they have interest in free agent Miguel Tejada. Tejada, Juan Uribe, Cesar Izturis Jason Bartlett, J.J. Hardy, Marco Scutaro and others are potentially available, but in general the shortstops available via trade or free agency aren't overly appealing.

Berkman Names Interested Teams

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Add the Cardinals, Pirates, and Blue Jays to the list of teams known to have at least kicked the tires on free agent Lance Berkman.  The first baseman/outfielder named those suitors in a conversation with Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle recently.  Berkman had already referenced the Athletics, Cubs, and Rockies in a November 23rd Ken Rosenthal article.  Berkman said at the time that eight teams had checked in.  The Astros don't have a spot for him, and the Rangers won't unless Vladimir Guerrero departs.

Berkman told Rosenthal he won't rule out a full-time DH job like the one the A's have open, but he'd prefer to return to the National League as a first baseman/outfielder.  Berkman plans to re-establish himself in 2011, blaming his power decline on his injured knee.

Berkman, who struggles against lefties, doesn't seem to be the ideal match for the Pirates.  Back in September, GM Neal Huntington talked about adding a right-handed first base bat who beats up on southpaws.  On the other hand, the Pirates aren't necessarily committed to Garrett Jones and that plan.  The Cardinals would be one club that could only offer an outfield corner for Berkman.  The Blue Jays have a crowded outfield but could use Berkman at first base or DH depending on where they like Adam Lind.

Week In Review: 11/21/10 – 11/28/10

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Time to review the week that was, with the Winter Meetings just less than eight days away…

Odds & Ends: Vazquez, Nationals, Yankees, Werth

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Links for Sunday…

MLBTR Originals: 11/21/10 – 11/28/10

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Let's recap the original content produced by the MLBTR crew this week, shall we?

This Date In Transactions History: November 28th

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Not one, but two trades involving big-name starting pitchers have taken place on November 28th in the not-too-distant past. Let's review…

  • The Rays and Twins completed a six-player swap on this date in 2007. Tampa received Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, and Eddie Morlan while Minnesota received Delmon Young, Brendan Harris, and Jason Pridie. The move looked like a steal for the Rays initially, especially after Garza and Barlett helped their new team to its first World Series in 2008, but Young started to even things out with a big season in 2010.
  • While that was going on, the Reds signed Francisco Cordero to a four-year, $46MM contract on the same day. He's pitched to a 3.13 ERA with 113 saves in his three seasons in Cincinnati, helping get the team back to the playoffs this year.
  • Four years earlier, the Red Sox acquired Curt Schilling from the Diamondbacks for Casey Fossum, Brandon Lyon, Jorge de la Rosa, and minor leaguer Michael Gross. Schilling helped Boston to World Championships in 2004 and 2007, and other than Lyon (4.03 ERA in 232 IP), Arizona didn't get much out of this trade.
  • The Astros dealt Pete Harnisch to the Mets for two players to be named later on this date back in 1994. Harnish pitched to a 4.33 ERA in two-plus seasons in New York while neither of the players Houston received, righties Juan Castillo and Todd Beckerman, played in the big leagues after the trade. 
  • The Mariners signed a young slugger out of the Dominican Republic by name of David Arias in 1992, and eventually traded him to the Twins four years later. Seattle had incorrectly listed his name after signing him, but everyone knows him by his nickname now: Big Papi.
  • Some other players involved in transactions on this date: Chad Bradford, Adam Kennedy, Randy Wolf, Gregg Zaun, Rickey Henderson, and Dennis Eckersley.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Kevin Gregg

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The Blue Jays declined their option(s) for closer Kevin Gregg earlier this month, making the right-hander a free agent for the second time in as many offseasons. Let's review his stock…

The Good

  • Gregg has always been a strikeout pitcher, posting at least an 8.8 K/9 in three of the last four years. His ground ball rate has settled in close to 42% over the last three seasons.
  • With at least 23 saves in each of the last four seasons, Gregg has experience late in games and would be able to step right into the ninth inning for an interested team.
  • He's never been on the disabled list.
  • Gregg is a Type B free agent, so it doesn't matter that the Jays offered him arbitration. A team will not have to surrender a draft pick to sign him.

The Bad

  • All of those strikeouts come with a healthy amount of walks. Gregg has walked 4.2 batters per nine innings over the last three season, and that doesn't include intentional free passes.
  • He can be prone to the long ball, surrendering one homer for every nine innings pitched over the last three seasons.
  • Gregg is 32 (33 in June), so the prime of his career could be in the rear-view mirror.

The Verdict

Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos has kept in touch with Gregg this offseason, and the Rockies are expected to have some interest as well. Although he's obviously a notch below Rafael Soriano, Gregg is a solid free agent option for a team looking to shore up its late-game bullpen at a reasonable cost. 

Frank Francisco Likely To Accept Arbitration

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Free agent right-hander Frank Francisco is likely to accept the Rangers' offer of arbitration according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. As a Type-A free agent, a team would need to surrender a high draft pick to sign him, something many clubs won't be willing to do for a reliever.

To make matters worse, the 31-year-old Francisco missed the last month of the season (as well as Texas' playoff run) due to a strained rib cage. He's certainly a quality reliever, striking out 10.9 and walking just 2.9 batters unintentionally for every nine innings pitched over the last three seasons. He saved 25 games for the Rangers last season, but was usurped as closer by Rookie of the Year Neftali Feliz early in 2010.

I examined Francisco's free agent stock late last month, noting that he could accept arbitration and receive a $4MM or so salary in 2011 (he earned $3.265MM in 2010). Earlier today we learned that the Rangers have explored the idea of signing a closer and moving Feliz into the rotation, a move Francisco could help facilitate.

Dodgers Interested In Juan Uribe

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With the starting rotation solidified, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said his focus has turned to among other things, a bat. MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports that the Dodgers are now targeting infielder Juan Uribe, a pickup that would serve the double-purpose of helping LA and hurting the rival Giants.

Uribe, 31, hit .248/.310/.440 with 24 home runs this season, then hit a pair of huge homers in the playoffs to help the Giants to their first World Championship in San Francisco. He's spent considerable time at second, third, and short during his career, and UZR has nice things to say about his defense at all three spots. Uribe earned $3.25MM in 2010, his third straight one-year deal. As a Type-B free agent, he would give the Giants an extra draft pick if he signed elsewhere, though his new team would not have to give one up.

Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explained why Uribe would make sense for the Dodgers.

Rockies Interested In Brandon Webb

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Let's add the Rockies to the ever-growing number of teams interested in free agent right-hander Brandon Webb. Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets that Colorado has expressed interest in the sinkerballer, who would be a nice fit in Coors Field if healthy.

The Cubs, Pirates, Twins, Rangers, and Nationals are already in on Webb, who is a big unknown at this point. He hasn't been on a big league mound in close to 21 months because of shoulder problems.  Two weeks ago, Webb's agent Jonathan Maurer gave MLBTR his take on Webb's September/October instructional games.  Maurer said Webb is expected to prepare at a normal pace and is ready to make 30-plus starts in 2011.

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

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