NEWSFLASH: Mets, Perez Reach Agreement; Guardado To Texas
Joey Matschulat
Texas is reportedly close to re-signing free-agent southpaw Eddie Guardado (pictured).According to FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal, the Mets have reached an agreement in principle with free-agent left-hander Oliver Perez on a three-year, $36 million contract, presumably removing them from the discussion for Perez's free-agent counterpart, Ben Sheets.
We think.
Both Sheets and free-agent left-hander Randy Wolf represented fallback options for the Mets in the event of Perez rejecting their most lucrative offer to date; had that happened, we can surmise that New York would have severed talks and summarily redirected their attention to Wolf, with whom the Mets had made a "little progress" over the weekend.
Rosenthal, for what it's worth, suggests that Sheets could still end up with the Rangers, but "only on the club's preferred terms." According to a baseball source, talks between Sheets's agent, Casey Close, and Texas have apparently lost some momentum over the last 10 days, but the fact that no other teams have publicly expressed even moderate interest in Sheets still bodes well for the likelihood of a deal ultimately being completed.
It also insinuates that the state of his pitching arm is perhaps far more lamentable than any of us actually realize.
Additionally, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is reporting this morning that the Rangers have reached a preliminary agreement with free-agent left-hander Eddie Guardado on a non-roster deal (MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan first wrote that the Rangers were close with Guardado on Monday afternoon), which is significant in that it protects the Rangers' 40-man roster flexibility by leaving one roster spot open in the event that a deal is still consummated with Sheets:
"Eddie is a guy we'd like to have back," general manager Jon Daniels said Monday. "We like Eddie's ability, he's left-handed and what he brings to a team. The way he pitched last year, he wasn't just a specialist, he pitched well against both left-handers and right-handers. He's someone we remain interested in."
Guardado could ultimately bank in excess of $3 million if he makes the major league roster and achieves all of his performance incentives; the deal could also include some form of no-trade protection. Arguably the club's second-best reliever behind only Frank Francisco in 2008, the 38-year-old southpaw posted a 3.65 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over a 49.1-inning span with the Rangers last season before being dealt to the Twins in late August for right-hander Mark Hamburger (who celebrates his 22nd birthday on Thursday).
Reader Comments (18)
All that I can say is that I'm glad Perez finally signed with the Mets. Hopefully this really will mean that everyone else will start to sign. I don't think I'll be able take it if everybody else waits on Randy Wolf.
I still remain guarded about any expectations of the Rangers signing Sheets, but I hope they can get it done.
This really has me wondering what exactly is on Sheets' medical record. I am starting to doubt if he will ever be a Ranger now. Funny how the Rangers can know so much about Sheets, yet not know much about Hurley, and Benoit until it is too late; sounds like we need to get a better medical evaluation staff if the Rangers are so sure on Sheets medicals, yet are having trouble evaluating and assessing their own.
I was almost convinced last week that the Rangers were really trying to sign Sheets, but now I'm wavering again. I'm starting to think (again) that it's just a game of chicken, and the Rangers are trying to see how low Sheets' value will plummet - and they'll then try to swoop in with a rock-bottom offer.
Exactly JDolla$, I agree... except another team will probably beat us to the punch. I've already read ramblings were Sheets said he has interest in Detroit. I don't get it, that report (Sheets' medical) must be bad. I'm also growing tired of all the Jason Jennings talk, didn't we already try that? How many failed bits do the Rangers have to go through before we finally land a true ace? I can understand it with young pitchers, but not with the likes of Jennings. The Rangers have a chance to fill up the park with fans by bringing in an ace, and the growing excitement over these youngsters, signing an ace sounds like a no brainer to me. For once the management has finally been making sense, this is a step back in my opinion.
I agree with you, but cautiously, regarding Sheets, C'mon, but not about Jennings. In fact my very fear about Sheets parallels my optimism for Jennings. Jennings' success has neither lasted as long, nor been as profound, but he can be excellent.
They are the same age. Their injuries, I think, are almost identical. Last year we paid Jennings to recover from his. Now some team may well start reaping the benefits, and seeing the pitcher he was in Colorado. Next year we might be paying Big Ben to recover from his injury, and only start reaping the benefits in2010, if we have and exercise that option.
So, knowing little, but having hunches that go way back to our paid healing of Detroit's Justin Thompson-- Wasn't it?-- I fear and hope for the signing of each (Sheets and Jennings) and hope to land ONE solid starter by signing BOTH... with options that might eventually land us two.
The thing about Jennings is that he LOOKS to be done, and he needs a strong campaign to resurrect any value whatsoever. So he could be had for bottom dollar. If you look at his numbers at pre-humidor Coors, he was pretty good. Not saying he will ever recover that magic, but his is young, and guys a whole lot older than him have recovered from arm injuries and after a couple of dead seasons have found their groove again. Everyday Eddie is a great example. So while I wouldn't count on Jennings for anything in 2009, he's the best kind of risk to take. If they strike it big and he performs well, they can always sell him off to the highest bidder at the trade deadline, too - further stockpiling young talent. So I'm okay with them giving Jennings another go.
Jennings, if nothing else, would represent a badly needed rotation contingency plan -- if signed, he would almost certainly land in OKC to begin the season, and after Dustin Nippert (the presumptive sixth starter), there's very little ML-ready starting pitching depth. Luis Mendoza? Yuck.
Plus, why would the Rangers want to put themselves in a position where Holland/Feliz could potentially be forced into a premature promotion? Jennings at least guards against that danger to an extent, if healthy.
FWIW, I'm not hearing particularly great things about Sheets's arm.
More from T.R. this afternoon, which more or less amounts to an affirmation of what we've already know:
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090203&content_id=3794418&vkey=news_tex&fext=.jsp&c_id=tex&partnerId=rss_tex
If a deal ultimately happens, I can't imagine it being an optionless affair by the Rangers' choosing. Unless the Rangers are convinced that Sheets only has one good year left in his arm at most (and if that's the case, I question the wisdom behind signing him in the first place), there's little beneficial about signing him for just one year with no protection in the event that he has a stellar season.
In other news, Joe Sheehan apparently thinks that Texas is the current favorite in the AL West...I don't really see that being the case unless Sheets is signed, holds together for 150+ innings and some other things break right, though the disparity in talent between the Angels and Rangers is not nearly that of what it was just a few months ago, and I think that's what he's trying to emphasize more so than the prediction itself.
I agree with the Rangers protecting their investment, Chan Ho Park, pretty much sealed the deal on that, and rightfully so. I guess that the injury is worse than expected, and Sheets is doing his ample best to get a big payday one more time, if he, in fact could be recovering for ample time.
After reading the article from T.R. Sullivan it makes me wonder how much faith Sheets has in his arm, if he is not willing to take an incentive based deal. I also see Sheets bargaining power slipping because of this, which obviously it has. If he was healthy and had a similar structured contract as Jennings, you would think those would be reachable incentives for a healthy pitcher.
All this makes me ask the question of, why did Sheets come out with his own medical report in the first place?
When we first heard about that, it lead me to believe, he had a better than expected medical evaluation, and everything would be fine. If we do sign him I hope it's an incentive based deal, with options for sure.
Is it possible Sheets stays out the entire year? That's what I'm starting to think. Has he been throwing this off-season? Can he go right now? I assume no to that last question.
Good answers, and more good questions. I imagine before he'd simply sit out a year, Sheets would find someone to pay a few million for a year of pure recovery, with some modest reward, such as 2 team option years thereafter totalling 18 million or so.
In the meantime congrats to JD for convincing first Omar, now Eddie, and soon JD to take Minors or non- guaranteed deals, sparing us the cost of burning player options, since we're sure to trade a few guys here shortly!
Sorry, that 2nd "JD" should read "JJ."
Agreed, Michael, about Daniels brilliant moves so far of convincing Eddie and Omar to take these deals. I'm opening up my optimism about Jennings, if he, in fact can remain healthy. I just hope it is a non-guaranteed deal as well, and if it serves the purpose of added depth for the sake of further development of are minor league gems, like Joey stated above. He just hasn't pitched many innings in a while, and that gives me an uneasy feeling, so hopefully it's a minimal deal.
I have not had too many complaints with Daniels of late, outside of the obvious mistakes, which your gonna hit and miss sometimes, I think he really has been doing an ample job so far.
Well, obviously guaranteed money is always preferable to incentive-based money -- Sheets isn't blind to the attrition rate of even presumably healthy pitchers, and that he and Close are reluctant to accept such a deal right now isn't necessarily indicative of a lack of confidence on Sheets's part in his health, in and of itself. Now, do I think he's at least a little concerned about his arm? Probably.
I'm not sure I understand your second question, Rich. Are you referring to the newer medical reports Close recently disclosed to teams?
As for the question of whether Sheets will be able to pitch this year...well, again, I have not been encouraged by what I have heard as of late, but that's all conjecture until proven otherwise.
Per T.R., the Guardado signing is official -- non-roster deal with a $1 million base if he makes the club (which he assuredly will, because Gabbard and Torres aren't very good pitchers, and Washington will want that second lefty in the ML bullpen behind Wilson) and, according to MJH, the performance incentives are contingent on him closing games, which is rather interesting.
More tonight.
Joey, I was referring to medical evaluation that I thought Sheets did on his own, and was taking around to teams for their viewing pleasure. Maybe I misunderstood that from a couple months back. I was under the impression that Sheets went independently, from the initial medical reports, on his own for a second opinion and was presenting that evaluation to teams. I guess that is what Close is showing to teams, are these independent reports. I think I understand that now.
Thanks, y'all.
Why would Rangers' brass promise to pay a potential set-up man more to close when they are the ones who (should) keep him from closing?
If he never closes, won't that just have seemed like a contemptuously fake carrot? And yet if he does close games, isn't the fact that those saves raise his value on the open market an incentive enough?
Having him rack up saves, and then trading him in June would be an interesting idea (for '08 more than '09), but doesn't he have a no- trade clause?
Rich, do you have a link to that? I don't recall ever reading that Sheets did such a thing (what I was referencing was this), but it's quite possible I missed something. I'm not aware of the new information being passed on by Close to interested suitors being independently solicited (indeed, the only thing that Heyman and Sullivan have told us is that it's "updated" medical info).
Mike: No further word on the no-trade clause since it was speculated about by Jeff Wilson this morning. Eddie apparently had to make a difficult decision between retiring and relaxing with his wife and kids and returning to play one more season, so I would guess that if a no-trade provision is indeed included, it might allow him to block trades to teams across the country from his home -- wherever that is. Just a guess, though.
Joey, I searched but to no avail. If I do see it again, I will post it for sure. It now has me wondering if I misunderstood something that I read, or heard. I initially had thought he had his medical evaluation from the Brewers, and that was not on the bright side, and that Sheets had went for a second evaluation outside of the Brewers organization, once teams were skeptical of the first reports, to show this new evaluation to potential suitors. I had thought this had happened before January. Again, It may have been something I misunderstood.