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Brett Myers

Mets Considering Dotel, Downs

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The Mets have discussed relievers Octavio Dotel and Scott Downs, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  John Harper of the New York Daily News reported yesterday that the Mets scouted Downs and Kevin Gregg over the weekend.  The Mets agreed to terms with free agent reliever Chad Cordero earlier today.

The FOX writers say the Mets are now more focused on relievers than starters.  While they maintain interest in Ted Lilly, they've cooled on Jake Westbrook, Ben Sheets, and Brett Myers.  Speaking of Myers, ESPN's Adam Rubin learned that the Mets and Astros have had very little conversation.

Dotel came up through the Mets' system more than a decade ago and was traded in December of '99 to the Astros with Kyle Kessel and Roger Cedeno for Derek Bell and Mike Hampton.  That deal was engineered by Steve Phillips and Gerry Hunsicker back when Dotel was a starter.  If Hunsicker had been able to give the Yankees a window to negotiate with Hampton before his walk year, imagine how New York baseball history would've been altered. 

This year as the Pirates' closer Dotel sports a 4.62 ERA, 10.9 K/9, and 4.1 BB/9 in 37 innings, with five home runs allowed and 20 saves in 25 attempts.  He has a 2.60 ERA since May 4th.  Still, as ESPN's Jerry Crasnick implies, Dotel's stats suggest he should be a righty specialist.  By the way, Dotel's 2011 club option becomes mutual if he's traded. 

Morosi noted on Twitter last night that the Pirates are also getting calls on Joel Hanrahan, "but the price remains very high."  Armed with a 95.6 mph fastball, Hanrahan has 56 strikeouts in 40.6 innings.  His 12.39 K/9 ranks behind only Carlos Marmol, Billy Wagner, and Brian Wilson in the National League.

Mets Less Likely To Trade For A Pitcher?

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The Mets were enamored with Cliff Lee but lost out on the lefty when they wouldn't include Ike Davis in a deal, and now Andy Martino of The New York Daily News hears from "people familiar with the team's thinking" that they are less likely to make a trade for a pitcher now than they were last month. The team believes that R.A. Dickey's success has reduced the urgency to add an arm.

Dickey, 35, has a 2.63 ERA in 11 starts for the Mets, stymieing hitters with his knuckleball. Martino says the Mets maintain interest in Ted Lilly, Jake Westbrook, Brett Myers, and to a lesser extent Roy Oswalt, and they are still open to making a move if the opportunity presents itself. They are not optimistic about adding an impact reliever though, and consider the overall market for bullpen help to be underwhelming.

The Mets were reportedly in on Lilly, but they have concerns about his drop in velocity following a shoulder injury. The Cubs are getting serious about making trades and moving cumbersome salaries, but Lilly's market isn't limited to just the Amazins. They shouldn't have trouble finding another suitor.

Omar Minaya's payroll situation and ability to take on salary are unclear, though a team official told Martino that the Mets will be able to add payroll if needed. Those decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis. Myers is the most affordable option, with just $1.37MM or so left on his contract this year and a $2MM buyout of his $8MM mutual option for 2011.

Olney’s Latest: Hamilton, Trades, Myers, Sherrill

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In today's blog post on ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney spoke to Rangers' GM Jon Daniels about Josh Hamilton's torrid streak (.374/.404/.683 since May 12th), which has coincided with the team's run to the top of the AL West. 

Here are Olney's rumors…

  • A number of executives expect there to be a "fairly robust" trade deadline. "I don't think there's going to be a lot of big names on the move," said one GM, "but I think you've got a lot of teams looking to fill specific needs, and there are a lot of conversations going on."
  • All of the executives Olney spoke to agreed that there are very few teams willing (or able) to add payroll, so many deals will include salary relief, similar to the $2.5MM the Mariners sent the Rangers in the Cliff Lee trade.
  • The Astros have not yet indicated to other teams what they would like in return for Brett Myers.
  • Olney wonders if the recently outrighted George Sherrill could land with the Phillies, given their interest in him last year.

Olney On Mets, Phillies, Fielder

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Yesterday, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported that the Mets have interest in Brett Myers. Today, Olney explains part of the reason the Mets are considering him over the many other options available. Here are the details and the rest of Olney’s rumors:

  • The Mets don’t anticipate having much financial flexibility, so Myers’ $3MM salary has appeal.
  • Myers’ former team, the Phillies, would like to add a starter, and they have discussed pursuing difference-making pitchers.
  • Executives are divided on whether the Brewers will trade Prince Fielder this July. A team that acquires Prince now would have him for two pennant races before he hits free agency at the end of the 2011 season. GM Doug Melvin won’t find many bidders for his first baseman now, but could attempt to engage more teams by marketing Fielder this winter. No matter what you think of Prince's value, we can safely say that the Brewers will have a hard time keeping him after 2011.
  • The White Sox, Rays and Angels could be fits, but rival officials doubt the White Sox would have enough to offer the Brewers unless they offer Daniel Hudson and Gordon Beckham. As MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk pointed out last night, the Angels find themselves in a similar situation.

Mets Notes: Myers, Bay, Tatis, Francoeur

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Some notes from the Big Apple's NL representative…

  • Buster Olney of ESPN.com tweets that Brett Myers is one of the pitchers that the Mets "are considering" in trade options.  As MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith noted in his look at the trade market for starters, Myers' solid numbers and reasonable contract will draw the eyes of several teams, but he must particularly intrigue New York due to his experience pitching in the NL East.  Myers has an $8MM mutual option for next season that can be bought out for $2MM.
  • Jason Bay talks about his underwhelming season with Steve Popper of The Bergen Record.
  • Popper also tweeted that Fernando Tatis' shoulder surgery on Wednesday might hasten the end of Tatis' career. The veteran utilityman has a career .265/.344/.442 line and his versatility has helped the Mets given their multitude of injuries over the last few seasons.
  • ESPN The Magazine's Matt Meyers thinks New York should give up on Jeff Francoeur.

Phillies Prioritizing Starting Pitching Depth

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The Phillies are prioritizing starting pitching depth this trade deadline, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter). They are looking to add a middle-of-the-rotation starter, probably someone better than Jeremy Guthrie. Few available starters short of Cliff Lee– the Phillies' biggest 2009 acquisition- and Roy Oswalt are definitively better than Guthrie, but arms like Fausto Carmona, Edwin Jackson and Brett Myers could be fits – at least in theory.

It seems unlikely that the D'Backs would trade Jackson in the near future, since he no-hit the Rays over the weekend. Myers is having an excellent season in Houston, but there's no guarantee that Ruben Amaro Jr. would be interested in bringing him back to Philadelphia so soon after the sides parted ways.

Another former Phillie, Pedro Martinez, plans to pitch in 2010, but he wouldn't be ready for major league action without weeks in the minor leagues. The Phillies maintain that they're not close to bringing Pedro back. 

Roy Halladay has been one of the best pitchers in the National League, Cole Hamels has pitched well, though he has been homer-prone and Jamie Moyer has been reliable. Joe Blanton pitched well against the Twins and Indians in his last two starts, but he and Kyle Kendrick have been Charlie Manuel's least reliable starters in 2010.

Odds & Ends: Hall, Lowell, Myers, Valentine, Lee

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Some links for Thursday as Rangers GM Jon Daniels decides exactly how he wants to dye his hair…

Discussion: Carlos Lee

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Since their team won the NL pennant in 2005, Astros fans have had reason to feel frustrated.  A roster that has included the likes of Lance Berkman, Wandy Rodriguez, Roy Oswalt and future Hall-of-Famer Craig Biggio has averaged just under 79 wins per year since that World Series appearance. 

This unimpressive stretch of play has led some fans to argue that club should give up on its hopes of contending over the next few seasons and focus on re-stocking its minor-league system.  However, as MLBTR's Tim Dierkes pointed out in his Offseason Outlook piece last October, this is a team that "could contend with the right free agent additions."  In the wide-open NL Central, the Astros seem to be perpetually just a player away from a playoff berth.  Even in 2006, when the club finished 82-80, they still finished just 1.5 games behind the eventual World Series-champion Cardinals.

This winter has provided the same mixed message from Houston, following its 74-88 record in 2009.  Owner Drayton McLane spoke about the importance of developing young talent in an interview with The Houston Chronicle's Richard Justice last June, but the Astros' offseason moves (trading for reliever Matt Lindstrom and signing free agents Brett Myers, Brandon Lyon and Pedro Feliz) make it seem like Houston is once again reloading rather than rebuilding.

If the Astros ever did commit to a rebuild, however, the most obvious candidates for a deal would be their three biggest contracts: Berkman, Oswalt and Carlos Lee.  Houston has $2MM buyouts on Berkman's contract in 2011 and Oswalt's contract in 2012, but most people agree that these two iconic Astros seem destined to retire with the franchise. 

That leaves Lee, who is owed $18.5MM per season through 2012.  The outfielder has performed well in his three years in Houston (.305/.354/.524) but may be showing signs of a decline.  His 26 homers and .831 OPS last season were his lowest totals in each category since 2002 and 2005, respectively.  MLB.com's Brian McTaggart says that between Lee's big contract, poor defense (a -4.6 UZR/150 according to Fangraphs), full no-trade clause and a desire to stay in Texas due to his ranch business, Lee is "about as untradeable as they come."

Let's speculate, for a moment, that Lee could be persuaded (probably through a cash bonus) to leave the ranch behind and agree to a deal.  Houston would almost surely have to eat at least half of Lee's remaining contract in any trade, but for a big-market AL team that could afford to pick up the other half, Lee would be an intriguing DH option.

Perhaps the best fit is Chicago.  Much has been written about Ozzie Guillen's DH-by-committee plan for the upcoming season, and the White Sox seem committed enough to the idea to pass on signing Jim Thome.  But if the Sox find themselves in a pennant race and their platoon of designated hitting options (Omar Vizquel?  Really?) isn't working out, then they could make a play for an everyday DH.  Lee would fit that bill and, since he spent the first six seasons of his career with the White Sox, might be amenable to waive his no-trade clause to return to a familiar location.

This scenario is, admittedly, a longshot.  It's much more likely that, no matter if the Astros choose to keep aiming for contention or commit to a proper rebuilding process, Lee will be a constant in the Astros' outfield.  You could say that Lee is Houston's answer to Vernon Wells — an unwieldly contract that is too big to trade and also takes up enough of the payroll to hamstring the team from making other moves.

Odds & Ends: Giants, Yost, Red Sox, Blue Jays

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Wednesday linkage…

Astros Sign Brett Myers

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The Astros officially signed Brett Myers to a one-year, $5.1MM deal today.  His contract pays $3.1MM in 2010 and has an $8MM mutual option/$2MM buyout for '11.  ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick first tweeted that the Astros were talking to the right-hander about a starting job and MLB.com's Brian McTaggart followed up with a couple Tweets of his own, first indicating that the Astros had signed Myers, then passing the specifics along.  Alyson Footer tweeted salary details today.

Myers' ERA and hit rates have risen for two consecutive seasons and his strikeout rate dropped for the second straight year in 2009. His average fastball lost velocity and his slider lost effectiveness. To his credit, Myers lowered his walk rate last year and allowed a disproportionately high homer total.  He was sidelined for much of the season due to hip surgery.

The Astros are hoping that Myers can recover his 2005-06 form. The 29-year-old made 30 starts in both seasons, keeping his ERA below 4.00. Myers joins Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez in a rotation that will likely include two of Brian Moehler, Bud Norris and Felipe Paulino.  The Astros have committed over $28MM this offseason to Myers, Matt Lindstrom, Pedro Feliz, Brandon Lyon, Jason Michaels, Geoff Blum, and others – more than they were thought to have available.

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