According to an unnamed source, Bill Ladson for MLB.com reports that free agent 1B Mark Teixeira is interested in playing for the Washington Nationals, which is near where he’s from in Maryland.

“[Maryland] is his home,” said the source. “In some instances, I think players often tend to look at that in a different light than other franchises.”

The report goes on to mention that Tex is likely to look for a contract that’s better than the Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera’s 8-year, $153.3 deal.

Although “a person familiar with Teixeira’s thinking” could mean absolutely anything, this is an interesting little nugget.  Like I wrote yesterday, if the Nationals manage to get both Tex and Orlando Hudson, that lineup all of a sudden gets a boost.

In a report for MLB.com, Bill Ladson states that the Washington Nationals are very interested and big players for free agent 1B Mark Teixeira and free agent 2B Orlando Hudson.  Ladson quotes the O-Dog as being interested in playing for Washington:

“I have interest in any Major League team that has interest in me,” Hudson said. “The Nationals are a good young club. They have a lot of energy. … I would definitely be comfortable if I was over there. We’ll see how things go. I don’t know.”

Hudson’s one of those names that we’re going to hear on Mets’ fans wishlists until the very moment he signs with someone else, and he very likely will sign with someone else.  If the Nats manage to get both him and Tex, their lineup would be getting a huge boost.  However, I doubt they manage to wrangle Mark, while I do believe the O-Dog is a realistic possibility for them.  Allow me to lose focus for a moment, though, and admit that if Hudson does end up in DC, I reserve the right to whine every time he gets a hit against us and every time our very own Luis Castillo slaps himself into another groundout against them.

FoxSports.com Ken Rosenthal is reporting that major-league sources are telling him that the Red Sox are interested in AJ Burnett. Length of contract sought by Burnett will determine the extent of Boston’s interest.

Rosenthal is also reporting that agent Scott Boras will seek “a Barry Zito type contract” for his client Derek Lowe, seven years, $126 million

Zito signed that deal at 28 years old. Lowe will be 36 on June 1.

Rosenthal added that the Mets would like to pick up a right-handed bat but have no interest in Phillies free agent Pat Burrell:

The Mets want to add a right-handed bat in addition to a closer and a possible replacement for free-agent left-hander Oliver Perez. Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are switch-hitters, but after David Wright, Fernando Tatis is their biggest right-handed threat. The Mets are not high on Burrell, and free agent Raul Ibanez, a left-handed hitter, is not an ideal fit. Though Ibanez hit lefties better than righties last season, his career batting average against lefties is 25 points lower

I am glad to hear the Mets are not considering Burrell. I see him in my mind’s eye as a Phillie and the only way I can look past that is if the player in question is Chase Utley good. Not a butcher like Pat Burrell.

Plus, Ed Ryan at his always informative blog Mets Fever has put out an A.P.B. for fan favorite Daniel Murphy who, by Mike’s account, has vanished. If you are curious where Murphy might be Ed has five options for his readers to ponder.

ESPN is reporting that the Cubs and free agent Ryan Dempster have agreed on a 4 year 52m dollar contract, with an option for a fifth year. Dempster was in the Cubs rotation this year after serving as their closer from 2005-2007.

Dempster went an impressive 17-6 with a 2.96 ERA in 2007.

I see a bit of risk in this move for the Cubs, as this was only Dempster’s first year starting in four years. He was very impressive this year, but I’m not sure I can see him going 17-6 with a sub 3 era again.

In other news..

The NYPost is reporting that the Yankees are in serious pursuit of free agent fireballer AJ Burnett, and could offer him a deal in the 5 yr 80m dollar range.

Burnett went 18-10 with a 4.07 ERA for the Blue Jays in 2008.

Burnett is really intriguing, but if we go after KRod I feel that the price tag will be too high.

Undoubtedly, two of the best acquisitions Omar Minaya has made were for Oliver Perez and John Maine.  For players that turned out to be quality starting pitchers, he acquired them at below market rates with the only valuable piece leaving in either of those deals being Xavier Nady. 

The biggest similarity between Perez and Maine is that they are fly ball pitchers, who undoubtedly benefited from the transition to a pitcher friendly ballpark in Shea Stadium.  While it’s difficult to predict how a ball park will seem prior to actually playing games in it, Citi Field will probably favor pitchers according to its dimensions and design.  A spacious ball park specifically favors fly ball pitchers, because while Ryan Howard my hit some home runs that are easily out in Citizens Bank Park, they are caught on the warning track of many other stadiums. 

Of the elite SPs available, Ben Sheets serves up the most fly balls.  According to Fan Graphs, Sheets has a fairly equal ground ball-fly ball ratio, unlike some pitchers like A.J. Burnett or Derek Lowe who both live off ground balls.  While ground ball pitchers are great, they benefit less from a spacious stadium.  Sheets is also moving from pitching half his games in Miller Park, which is usually considered to be either fair or hitter friendly.

Most people would agree that Sheets is extremely talented, and arguably an ace - when healthy.  However, I think it is important to review the specific injuries before being overly cautious.  More often than not, his ailments have not involved his arm - generally a good sign when trying to evaluate if his injuries will hamper him in the future.  These injuries include a bulging disc in the back, and an ear infection that resulted in dizziness and balance issues.  So, if you’re worried about his arm for the future he is generally in good shape (even though he has had some shoulder tendonitis and a current forearm strain).  Because of this injury concern, currently from the lingering forearm strain, the Mets can probably sign him at a discounted price.

Minaya should learn from his prior successful moves in Maine and Perez and look to sign Sheets as his main off season free-agent acquisition.  Sheets can join Maine, Mike Pelfrey and Johan Santana in anchoring a potentially stellar Mets rotation for the future.    

There is a girl in professional baseball!

In Major League Baseball? No.

In the minors? No.

In the Japanese Leagues? Well, not the league that players like Ichiro came from, but. . .

According to the AP, a newly formed Japanese independent league, which will have its first games in April, held its draft and the Kobe 9 Cruise selected a 16 year old girl. 

The girl, Eri Yoshida, is a 5′2″ right handed pitcher that weighs 114 pounds.  She features a side-arm knuckleball, that kept male batters hitless in tryouts. 

Pretty neat, eh?  Just thought I’d try and add some humor to what always becomes a monotonous winter filled with rumors and speculation. 

“I think the Mets are a possibility. They know him better than most,” said Pedro Martinez‘ agent Fern Cuza while speaking to SI.com about Pedro’s chances of returning to the Mets next season. But in the same report by Jon Heyman Pedro’s agent also said:

…multiple teams already have checked in about the Hall-of-Fame-bound righthander.

Cruz also added that the things that troubled Pedro last season, the death of his father and his injuries are behind him:

“He’s definitely coming back,” Cuza said. “He’s got all the baggage behind him. He’s ready to go get it. It’ll be fun to see the old Pedro again.”

Like I wrote in a post last week I hope to see Pedro back in a Mets uniform next season. Pedro is a prideful athlete and I think he would retire if he had nothing left. The Mets
invested a lot in him and it would hurt to see him pitching elsewhere next season. I think he’s worth a shot. Expectations would not be high and he may surprise some.

According to a report for The Daily News, the Mets are concerned about Francisco Rodriguez’s dip in velocity from 95-96 MPH a couple of seasons ago to 91-92 MPH this year.

By the way, the apparently rapidly deteriorating K-Rod got 62 saves this past season, breaking the single season record.  Note however that strikeouts are down, from 98 in ‘06 and 90 in ‘07, to 77 for the 2008 season.

Of course, you never know when “heavy use,” as the quoted source put it, will catch up to you.  A legitimate concern in the front office, or a transparent bargaining ploy?  You decide…

To add to it all, there’s apparently a failure to communicate between K-Rod, his agent, and the media.  Was he in New York, was he not in New York?  Was he getting a physical in advance of a Mets signing, or not? Did the Mets make an offer to the man?  Not everyone seems to think so.

To try and understand just what is going on, head on over to Metsblog.com and check out Matt Cerrone’s write-up of the whole situation.

It’s going to be a fun offseason if we’re going to have to deal with all these red herring reports.  And by fun, I mean headache-inducing. To me, this is a no-brainer signing, and we’ll forget about all this craziness once we see him holding up his Met jersey at a press conference…hopefully….

We’ve come a long way from frozen sausage and peppers at Shea. The Danny Meyer and CitiField partnership press release follows…

METS AND ARAMARK TEAM UP WITH DANNY MEYER’S UNION SQUARE HOSPITALITY GROUP TO CREATE ALL-STAR DINING EXPERIENCE AT CITI FIELD

Unprecedented Partnership Brings “Best-of-Best”

New York Food and Hospitality to New Mets Home Opening in 2009

USHG Brings Blue Smoke and Shake Shack Outposts

Plus Taquería and Frites to Citi Field

The New York Mets and ARAMARK – a world-class leader in professional services and the Mets’ food and beverage provider – today announced an unprecedented partnership with Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) to transport its culinary talent and expertise to Citi Field, the new Mets home opening in 2009. Through this collaboration with one of the world’s most renowned restaurant groups, Citi Field will set a new industry standard for the guest dining experience in sports and entertainment venues.

Among the dining choices USHG will offer at Citi Field are the enormously popular Blue Smoke and Shake Shack, as well as two new food concepts – a taquería and a Belgian frites stand. In addition, USHG will provide all food and beverage services at Citi Field’s Sterling Club, the premium seating area for 1,600 guests on the Field Level directly behind home plate. Through this collection of innovative dining options, USHG will showcase its award-winning cuisine with unparalleled hospitality at Mets games, non-game day events, and other functions throughout the year at Citi Field.

Read the rest of this entry »

If there is one thing Omar Minaya learned this past off-season it is that patience may be a general manager’s greatest virtue. The way the market played out last year, Minaya was both rewarded for his patience and punished for a quick decision.

On November 19th of 2007, Omar Minaya opted to beat the market for second basemen by securing Luis Castillo to a 4 year, $25 million. At the time, the Mets had faced stiff competition for Castillo’s services from the Astros, Nationals and Cubs (all expressed interest in Castillo) even though the 32 year old Castillo had been battling leg problems. Other second basemen on the market included Marcus Giles, Tadahito Iguchi, Kaz Matsui and David Eckstein. Eckstein, in December of 2007, received a one year deal only a month after the Mets were discussing a multi-year deal for the “pest.” (I would not have been able to handle him in a Mets uniform). The point is, had Omar waited for the market to develop, he would not have had to invest four years in the injury riddled Castillo. It appears that every other second basemen on the market got a 1 year deal. (Note: Hindsight is 20/20).

Omar Minaya wanted Johan from Day 1 of last year’s offseason. Minaya, however, was patient. Instead of sweetening the offer in November, Minaya waited out the market and was able to pick up Santana for a reasonable package. Imagine if Omar had pulled the trigger in November with Fernando Martinez, Pelfrey and Carlos Gomez (and others) headed to Minnesota.

That brings me to this off-season. Right now, free agents such as Oliver Perez and Francisco Rodriguez have lofty demands. Who knows what these demands will be in January if teams are reluctant to give in. Hopefully Omar utilizes the “Johan Technique” and lets the market play out before making rash decisions (as long as he doesn’t let the market pass him by).

MLB.com is reporting that the Dodgers have pulled their 2 year 45m dollar contract offer to Manny Ramirez off the table, but they are still open to negotiating with the highly coveted free agent outfielder. Ramirez is seeking a four or five year deal at 20m per season.

Ramirez hit .332 with 37 homers and 121 RBI in the 2008 season with the Red Sox and Dodgers. However, he hit .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBI in 53 games after being dealt to the Dodgers at the deadline.

Obviously, for a guy his age, Manny is on another planet talent wise. It is all about whether Manny will be motivated at the tail end of that contract, or will he dog it and be a pain for the organization that signs him. That being said, I’d welcome him with open arms to Queens, because the guy can flat out rake.

Baseball Prospectus is giving three months of free access to their premium content if you can come closest to guessing what C.C. Sabathia signs for.

Head over to BP and make place your bets.

Speaking of Baseball Prospectus, unless you’ve lived in a cave the last few months, you would know that BP’s Nate Silver has become something of a political celebrity with his website FiveThiryEight.com, that has done a tremendous job analyzing and predicting the results of the past voting season. We’ve been big fans of Nate’s work at BP for a long time and are enjoying seeing all the success he’s been having.

Today we received word in the New York Observer that Nate has signed a book deal for what is reported to be worth about $700,000. Congrats Nate, and keep up the great work!

Buster Olney is reporting that the Yankees have officially tendered an offer to C.C. Sabathia. The offer is expected to be six years in length and worth more than the Johan Santana’s six year, $137.5 million contract. Additionally, Olney is reporting that AJ Burnett and Derek Lowe are also on the Yankees’ radar.

It should be interesting to see how the CC Sabathia situation develops. Sabathia has indicated a preference to play both in the National League and on the west coast. The Yankees possess neither of these characteristics but appear dead set on making a return to the American League too profitable an opportunity to turn down. Among the National League teams that could potentially pursue CC, no one can match the Yankees’ financial firepower. The Dodgers would seem like a good fit but they seem more willing to put superstar money into a little known 36 year old leftfielder. As long as the Yankees block a Cole Hamels-CC Sabathia one-two punch I would be fine with Sabathia donning pinstripes. While a one-two punch of Johan and CC is nearly irresistible, I sincerely doubt the Mets would be willing to give CC a Johan-esque contract.

At this point, I would prefer the Mets give Burnett a four year deal. A four year deal may not be realistic, but with Pedro off the books, I have no problem with the Mets making a four or five year investment in the 31 year old Burnett at about $16 million a year. While Burnett’s contract will be expensive, it will not be obscene. Burnett pitched 221 innings last year and picked up 18 wins for the Blue Jays. He would a solid #2 starter behind Johan and would allow the Mets to go out and sign a closer and other missing pieces. The Mets may have the payroll flexibility to do this. Check out my post on the Mets’ payroll flexibility.

In October I was a proponent of the Mets bringing in Derek Lowe. But if Scott Boras insists on a five year deal for the 35 year old starter, the Mets should pass.

It also looks as if Boras’s demands may prevent the return of Oliver Perez. In Boras’s “book” on Perez, he states that Perez “is one of the top 5 left handed starters in baseball” and “dominates on the biggest stage.” (Johan Santana, CC Sabathia, Cole Hamels, Scott Kazmir, Jon Lester, Oliver Perez?) The book does not include chapters on Perez’s career losing record, 4.22 ERA and tendency to walk the ballpark every once in awhile. If Boras is looking for five years for the 35 year old Lowe, I can only imagine what he wants for a 27 year old start who is “one of the top 5 left handed starters in baseball.” Realistically though, I do not anticipate a team overpaying for Perez in this market. Maybe Perez will come crawling to the Mets in February with a reasonable offer.

It is interesting that Oliver Perez does not appear to be on the Yankees’ radar.

“We have moved on,” Braves general manager Frank Wren told FOXSports.com on Friday. “We had our last discussion with San Diego yesterday and let them know that if the final names we were discussing wouldn’t get it done, we would move on to other opportunities, other possibilities.”

Rosenthal reports that the Braves are still in the hunt for Derek Lowe, A.J. Burnett and Ryan Dempster.

The Cubs are the club that appears most interested in Peavy, they’ve also been linked to Randy Johnson.

The Braves were offering a package of shortstop Yunel Escobar, either right-hander Charlie Morton or left-hander Jo-Jo Reyes, Class A outfielder Gorkys Hernandez, plus a fourth player, either reliever Blaine Boyer or a minor league pitcher for Peavy.

Padres general manager Kevin Towers told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Thursday that he could trade Peavy to the Yankees or Angels.

Hat tip to Peter Wade for the news.