MLB Fastball 11.30.07: Minaya Assures Reyes Staying In New York
Posted by Neil Borenstein on 11.30.2007
With the Johan Santana saga heating up, the offers to get one of the best pitchers in the game are sure to include top-end talent. The New York Mets, however, will not be including their All Star shortstop in any deal for Minnesota’s ace, according to general manager Omar Minaya. In this edition of MLB Fastball, Neil Borenstein discusses José Reyes’ status with the Mets and looks at what other options the Mets have in order to patch up the holes in their starting rotation.
Minaya Not Trading Reyes
Mets GM Shuts Down Trade Rumors About All Star Shortstop
José Reyes, one of the Mets' franchise players, will not be included in trades this offseason, according to Omar Minaya.
New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya has put one of the most shocking rumors in quite some time to rest. The Mets will not trade their star shortstop, José Reyes – not even for Johan Santana.
"Jose Reyes is one of our core players," Minaya told the Associated Press on Thursday. "I don't see us trading Jose Reyes for one of those guys being mentioned. It just doesn't make sense for us."
The Mets seem to be the dark horse in the race for Santana. While the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox lead the pack in trying to acquire the 28-year old's services, the Mets don't have the young arms Minnesota can get in return from either the Bronx Bombers or the defending World Series champions. They have some good talent that could persuade Minnesota to look their way. Mike Pelfrey and Philip Humber might pique the interest of the Twins. But those two names pale in comparison to the likes of Philip Hughes and Ian Kennedy of the Yankees and Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester of the Red Sox. Plus, the Twins seem to be coveting Melky Cabrera and Jacoby Ellsbury much more than they would Carlos Gómez or Lastings Milledge of the Mets. That's why it might be a necessity for Minaya to consider tossing Reyes into the mix in order to beat out the other competition for Santana.
Fortunately for the Mets, this AP story proves Minaya has not lost his mind. While Santana is one of the best pitchers in baseball and lord knows the Mets could use a front-end starter for their rotation, it would be absolutely foolish for them to trade away Reyes. Reyes is not only one of the most popular players in baseball and one of the elite shortstops in the league, but he is a cornerstone in the future plans of the Mets.
Currently, the most important players in the Mets franchise are third baseman David Wright and Reyes. They are both young and absolutely first class when it comes to representing their franchise. Pending injuries, both players have at least another 15 years left in the Majors before it comes time to call it a career, meaning there is plenty of baseball left for Wright, 25, and Reyes, 24. Keeping the duo intact should be a priority for the Mets, and thankfully Minaya realizes that.
Reyes ranks very high in Major League Baseball at his position. While he won't wow the crowd with power stats, he is a phenomenon on the base paths. He led the league last season with 78 stolen bases, ranked seventh in runs with 119 trips to home plate and was third in legging out those triples (12). Plus, after signing Reyes to a four-year contract extension at $23.25 million in August 2006, the Mets have him locked up at a fairly cheap rate of $5.813 million on average per season until at least 2010. Considering his talent and value to the Mets, that is truly a bargain. Why would they want to deal that luxury away for a pitcher that will cost them over $13 million in 2008 and at least $20 million a year in a contract extension past next season?
Instead, the Mets have rightfully turned their attention to Oakland. They might not have the tools to lure the Twins' attention away from the Yankees' and the Red Sox' offers. However, the Mets do have enough to spark discussion with Athletics' GM Billy Beane to alleviate their starting pitching concerns.
Beane has never shied away from dealing players, even the best players on his team. Tim Hudson, Jason Giambi, Barry Zito, Miguel Tejada and Mark Mulder are just a few of the names Beane has dealt or lost via free agency because the Athletics simply don't spend like other teams in the MLB. That doesn't mean the A's aren't successful. It just means Beane thrives through his moneyball strategy.
This year, Oakland's most coveted assets are starting pitchers Dan Haren and Joe Blanton. Since there isn't any necessity for Beane to move either of these players, the asking price will likely be significant. And there isn't even any concrete evidence to show Beane is actually dangling these players out on the trade market. But I'm sure he's listening to offers, and many of them are coming out of the Mets' camp.
What the Athletics want for Haren or Blanton is unknown. Haren is a solid pitcher with ace quality stuff that was an All Star last season. Blanton is a good No. 3 option in any rotation around the Majors with 15-win potential every year. Obviously the asking price for Haren will be more than Blanton, but I think Beane would be stingy with either player. While he's undoubtedly willing to listen to offers, Beane has the leverage since there's no urgency in moving either player.
Unlike the Santana deal, the Mets' chips in both pitching and outfield options could be enough to land Haren or Blanton. With Aaron Heilman, Pelfrey, Humber, Milledge and Gómez at the disposal of Minaya, there has to be some sort of combination that can lure one or both players out of Oakland. Haren's asking price should be more, and might need to include Pelfrey or Humber and Milledge or Gomez in any kind of deal, along with one or two other minor league prospects. Blanton should come a bit cheaper than Haren and might only command Heilman and some minor leaguers. Either way, the Mets can get something done with Oakland. With Santana a real long shot at this point, the Mets should seriously consider getting into deep negotiations with Beane about acquiring one or both of his starters. And the best part of the negotiations will be the fact that Minaya doesn't need to include Reyes in either deal. The impact might not be as significant as Santana coming to New York. But Haren and/or Blanton would be really strong improvements to the Mets starting rotation, which sorely needs help right now.
If the Mets look elsewhere, there are some other starting pitchers they could pursue. Erik Bedard of the Baltimore Orioles is being dangled a bit. He has not been exactly been placed on the trade block and Baltimore doesn't really want to deal him. But with what the Orioles could get in return for him, they might be swayed to let go of their ace, especially since negotiations over a contract extension have come to a screeching halt.
Lets be honest, it's not as if the Orioles are making the playoffs in 2008. They'll be lucky to finish fourth in the AL East. If they can acquire a strong, young batter and maybe a pitching prospect or two for Bedard, the Orioles should probably jump on it since signing Bedard long-term doesn't seem to be working out all too well for them.
Surprisingly, the Mets are still interested in Freddy García. Garcia is the guy that everybody in Philadelphia hates since he missed most of the 2007 season and only won a single game in 11 starts. The 31-year old's best days might be over and injuries could plague his career from this point forward. But García could still be a 12-14-game winner and a good No. 3 option in the Mets' starting rotation. And the best part is that he is a free agent, meaning the Mets don't need to give up anything but the money in the contract required to sign García.
I think Liván Hernández also has a strong possibility of coming to the Mets. He is a free agent and is an inning-eater, which the Mets really want in their rotation. His production has tailed off a bit and I would not rely on Hernández to win anything over 12 games a season. Like García, though, Hernández could be a really good No. 3 in the Mets' starting rotation.
Whoever the team pursues, Minaya has realize that for as good as Santana is, there needs to be a limit on what the Mets offer to get him. There are other strong starters on the trade market and some decent role starters for mid-to-late rotation duty on the free agent market. Offering Reyes in a deal for Santana, which would probably be necessary considering what the Yankees and Reed Sox can offer, would be handing over a franchise player. It would be a huge mistake that will hurt the future of the organization. Minaya's comments on Thursday signifies that he realizes his All Star's worth and won't be shipping him to Minnesota when it's not absolutely needed for his organization.
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