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Fausto Carmona

Mets Have Discussed Carmona, Not With Indians

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The Mets have discussed Fausto Carmona internally, but have not yet approached the Indians about acquiring the right-hander, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. (all Twitter links). Carmona, who is enjoying a resurgent season, makes a guaranteed $8.9MM through 2011 at which point the Indians have three consecutive club options. As Olney notes, the affordable options through 2014 make Carmona appealing as long as he is pitching well.

That has certainly been the case so far in 2010. The former 19-game winner has a 3.31 ERA in 92.1 innings with 5.1 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. Carmona has always been a ground ball pitcher, rather than a strikeout pitcher, and he has a robust 57% ground ball rate that has helped him keep the ball in the park (six homers allowed).

The Mets are looking for top starters, but are unsure that Carmona will adjust smoothly to the pressures of playing in New York, according to an article Olney wrote over the weekend. If they prefer to acquire a veteran on the brink of free agency, they could look to Carmona's teammate, Jake Westbrook, or others such as Kevin Millwood and Ben Sheets.

Olney On Lee, Carmona, Rockies, Torre

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In his newest blog post at ESPN.com (Insider-only link), Buster Olney tells the story of a phone call Michael Young made to Rangers GM Jon Daniels last summer. Just before the trade deadline, Young dialed up Daniels to tell him the players were happy with the young talent on the roster, suggesting that giving up the farm for someone like Roy Halladay wasn't necessary.

"Do what you have to do," Young told Daniels. "But don't do something just to appease us down here."

Here are Olney's other hot stove notes:

  • The Mariners have yet to shop Cliff Lee, but will soon make a decision about his availability (Twitter link).
  • The Mets are interested in Fausto Carmona, who is under contract beyond this year, unlike many of the oft-mentioned pitchers on the trade market. Olney warns that the "Oliver Perez factor" is in play, meaning that if the Mets acquired Carmona, it's unclear how he'd adjust to pitching in baseball's biggest market.
  • A hitter like Aaron Hill or Dan Uggla would fit very nicely in Colorado right now, though neither the Blue Jays or Marlins have indicated yet that they're willing to sell. Olney figures that the Rockies will try to avoid making a trade, moving forward with their current roster until Troy Tulowitzki returns.
  • As we heard earlier in the week from SI.com's Jon Heyman, Joe Torre appears unlikely to manage the Dodgers next season. "There are a couple of folks in power who are ready to turn the managerial page," according to Olney.

Mets Seek Top Starter

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The Mets would like to add a top starter and their ability to absorb payroll will help them acquire an arm, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney. Few teams appear willing to take on significant salary, according to Olney, and that could position the Mets to acquire a pitcher for the stretch run.

Roy Oswalt would pitch for the Mets, but they don’t like the $26.8MM remaining on his contract. That price tag would make any team pause and the Mets know the Astros would want prospects, too. Olney hears that the team would prefer to take on salary than give up prospects.

Some within the Mets organization want to make a serious run at Cliff Lee, who would certainly cost top prospects. The Mariners are hesitant to deal Lee at this point, but most expect that to change.

If the Mets sidestep Oswalt and Lee, they could turn to Jake Westbrook, Fausto Carmona, Ben Sheets or Kevin Millwood (who is open to pitching in Queens). Westbrook, Sheets and Millwood all make $10MM-plus, which could limit the number of bidders and give the Mets an edge.

Indians Notes: Draft, Carmona, Westbrook, Choo

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Here's some news out of Cleveland that has nothing to do with Tom Izzo…

  • Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Tribe has signed draft picks Jordan Cooper (9th round) and Diego Seastruck (14th). 
  • Fangraphs' Matt Klaassen looks at the Indians as a whole and examines their trade options.  He notes that the reasonable contracts of Fausto Carmona and Jhonny Peralta make both men attractive to other teams, with Carmona being Cleveland's top piece of trade bait.  Kerry Wood and Jake Westbrook's ages and injury histories keep them, in Klaassen's view, from having "much value on the trade market."
  • In regards to Westbrook, Anthony Castrovince writes in a mailbag for MLB.com that the Indians love the experience that he brings to their rotation.  If Westbrook is dealt at the deadline, Castovince thinks the team might try to re-sign him in the winter.  The veteran right-hander is in the last year of a contract that pays him $11MM for 2010.
  • Castrovince also notes that Shin-Soo Choo and his agent Scott Boras may be looking for an extension over Choo's three arbitration years, but not a deal that would cover any of his free agent years.  Choo isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2013 season.

Stark On Oswalt, Braves, Carmona, Yankees

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Astros scouts haven't been told to watch specific teams or players, so Roy Oswalt doesn't need to start preparing for life after Houston just yet. ESPN.com's Jayson Stark has the details on Oswalt and more rumblings from around the major leagues:

  • Oswalt has told friends he'd love to play in St. Louis and it's believed that he would be interested in joining the Dodgers and Braves.
  • We've heard lots about the $29MM remaining on Oswalt's deal, but the Angels have some money, according to an official Stark spoke to. The Nationals may be "the one team that would pay the whole freight on the contract."
  • GM Andrew Friedman says he wasn't sure how Rafael Soriano's National League experience would translate to the American League East when the Rays dealt for him last offseason. Needless to say, the Rays have been pleased with Soriano's dominant start to the season.
  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. tells Stark that other teams offered Jose Contreras "much more money" last winter.
  • Braves GM Frank Wren says he's pleased with Eric Hinske's play and notes that teams probably don't pay enough attention to their benches.
  • Wren says the Braves would not have interest in adding a starting pitcher. Besides their current rotation, they have the injured Jair Jurrjens and Triple A pitcher Chris Resop.
  • GM Jon Daniels says the Rangers saw "a guy with major league ability and pedigree" when they scouted Colby Lewis in Japan last year.
  • One scout says the Blue Jays are definitely tracking Fausto Carmona and have watched his last 12 starts.
  • The Red Sox have tried trading Mike Lowell unsuccessfully, but they aren't eager to eat the $8MM-plus remaining on his salary. 
  • Rival clubs say the Yankees haven't decided what their trade deadline needs are, though they're showing some interest in versatile outfield bats.

Largest Contracts By Service Time

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When Brewers ace Yovani Gallardo signed his five year, $30.1MM extension earlier today, it marked the largest contract ever signed by a pitcher with less than three years of service time.

Let's look at the richest contracts by service time, in terms of guaranteed money…

Less Than One Year
Position Player: Ryan Braun. Eight years, $45MM
Pitcher: C.C. Sabathia. Four years, $9.5MM.

One To Two Years
Position Player: Chris Young. Five years, $28MM.
Pitcher: Fausto Carmona. Four years, $15MM.

Two To Three Years
Position Player: Hanley Ramirez. Six years, $70MM.
Pitcher: Yovani Gallardo.  Five years, $30.1MM.

Three To Four Years
Position Player: Albert Pujols. Seven years, $100MM. 
Pitcher: Scott Kazmir. Three years, $28.5MM.

Four To Five Years
Position Player: Miguel Cabrera. Eight years, $152.3MM.
Pitcher: Justin Verlander. Five years, $80MM.

Five To Six Years
Position Player: Derek Jeter. Ten years, $189MM.
Pitcher: Jake Peavy. Three years, $52MM. 

Six-plus Years
Position Player: Alex Rodriguez. Ten years, $275MM.
Pitcher: C.C. Sabathia. Seven years, $171MM.

Some thoughts…

  • The most regrettable deals were signed very early in the player's career, Young and Carmona. Might be a lesson in using up those pre-arbitration years before taking the plunge.
  • The largest contract signed by a position player with less than one year of service time after Braun's deal is Evan Longoria's, which will pay him just $17.5MM over six years. Is Braun overpaid, or is Longoria underpaid? I think the answer is clear.
  • Sabathia's four year, $9.5MM deal nearly tripled Roy Halladay's three year, $3.7MM deal with Toronto, which was the previous record for a pitcher with less an a year of service time.
  • One only of the above contracts has expired.

Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.

Olney On Carmona, Trades, Heath Bell

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A few notes from ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider required)…

  • Is it hasty to consider the Indians sellers for 2010?  Olney writes of rave reviews for Fausto Carmona, who he believes could transform the team's pennant hopes.  An above-average offense, good years from Jake Westbrook and Justin Masterson…you never know.
  • Olney hears there's "only a trickle of trade talk going on."  One GM believes that's because there's not much money available and there are still a few decent free agents out there.
  • Olney spoke to execs who believe the Padres will wait to trade Heath Bell, to drive up the price and give the team a shot at winning early.  Something to consider about Bell: MLBTR reader Jeff Hainey recently reminded me that while Bell is under team control for two years, his 2011 salary could potentially approach $10MM.  That second year of control wouldn't be terribly appealing to the Twins, who will be paying Joe Nathan $11.25MM.

Indians Explored Moving Carmona To Afford Hudson

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The Indians have had perhaps the quietest offseason in baseball so far, their biggest move being the December 1st Kelly Shoppach–Mitch Talbot swap.  Mark Shapiro's only big league free agent contract went to backup catcher Mike Redmond for $850K.  The inactivity seems to fit with their rebuilding plan – if the Indians wanted to contend in 2010, they probably wouldn't have traded Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez.

The Tribe's inactivity also stems from a lack of cash, based on a report from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Rosenthal says the Indians "explored the idea of trading right-hander Fausto Carmona to clear money for free-agent second baseman Orlando Hudson, but the possibility is unlikely to come to fruition." 

The implication is that the Indians don't have $4-5MM in the 2010 budget for Hudson, despite shedding the $16.7MM that would've been owed to Martinez and Lee.  They do have a handful of increasing salaries for '10, Carmona's included.  Carmona has two years and $11MM remaining; his contract is a rare example of a regrettable arbitration buyout deal.  In terms of dumping contracts, the Indians would benefit greatly from big first halves from Jake Westbrook, Kerry Wood, and Jhonny Peralta.

Cafardo On Red Sox, Hudson, Garland

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In his latest column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe speculates about where "old hands" such as Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz could land. Here are some of Cafardo's other notes:

  • The Red Sox "are debating whether they’ll go for it and pay luxury tax money," as their payroll approaches the $170MM mark.
  • If the Sox wanted to sign Jason Bay, they could offer a low, one-year base salary with three heavily backloaded option years. With as much as $48MM coming off their books next winter, they would be better equipped to pay Bay after 2010.
  • Baseball executives think that plenty of good values will be available by mid-January, with some established major league players having to sign minor league contracts. One NL GM says "the Pirates will load up" on this type of player.
  • The Mets are still the team most interested in Orlando Hudson, but would have to find a way to move Luis Castillo.
  • A market is starting to form for Jon Garland, and the Rangers seem to be the early frontrunner.
  • Other Rangers notes: The team might prefer Jermaine Dye to Vladimir Guerrero, since Dye can still play the outfield (albeit not particularly well, according to UZR/150). Texas and Minnesota could also be good fits for Miguel Tejada.
  • The Indians aren't saying Fausto Carmona is available, but baseball execs feel that the club would have to listen on any offers.

Indians May Look At Pavano As Backup Plan

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If Jake Westbrook isn't fully recovered from Tommy John surgery in time to start the 2010 season, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer proposes that the Tribe might turn to a familiar face — free-agent starter Carl Pavano.

The Indians want at least one veteran to anchor their young starting rotation, and if Westbrook comes out of his Puerto Rican winter league starts at less than 100 percent, that will leave the combustible Fausto Carmona as Cleveland's default ace.  By signing Pavano, the Tribe would be bringing back an experienced arm who had a 3.83::1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 21 starts in Cleveland last season before he was traded to Minnesota on August 7.

Hoynes noted that Pavano made $4.35MM after reaching several incentive clauses in the one-year contract he signed with the Indians last winter, and will be looking for at least that total in guaranteed money for next season.  This might make Pavano too expensive for the Tribe, though his agent Tom O'Connell told Hoynes that Pavano would talk to the Twins and Indians first, as Cleveland was the team who gave Pavano a shot after his disastrous, injury-plagued stint in New York.

What do you think, Tribe fans?  If Westbrook can't go, do you think it would be a good move to bring Pavano back into the fold?

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