Sports News
Baseball Hot Stove in November
As the temperatures cool down all around New York, things are only just beginning to heat up across the Major League Baseball landscape. (That sounds cliché, I know). The Yankees have already made a few moves to bring back some of their most important players, picking up the options of Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher, giving C.C. Sabathia a contract extension and re-signing GM Brian Cashman.
But the Yankees seem to be far from finished with their drive to make the 2012 squad World Champions.
The Mets have some work to do as well, though it would be surprising to see the team spend heavily on some of the biggest gems on the free agent market, such as Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder.
Let's take a look at some possible moves each team may make in a very early edition of baseball hot stove:
Brian Cashman has said he plans to focus on the rotation this offseason, and for good reason. The biggest name out there is Texas Rangers lefty C.J. Wilson. Wilson may not win a Cy Young with the Yankees, but he would serve as a solid number two pitcher in the Yanks' rotation.
Besides Wilson, other names include the Phillies' Roy Oswalt, the aging pitcher who has given Philadelphia a few great years after a long career in Houston. Signing Oswalt is slightly risky for injury reasons, and he has spent his entire career in the National League. A move to the AL East may shorten Oswalt's career, instead of lengthening it.
Other starters on the market include Edwin Jackson and Mark Buerhle. Buerhle is an intriguing option, but age is a consideration with him as well. The 32-year old has rarely dominated during his career with the White Sox, but has always put up fairly respectable numbers.
Another intriguing, and possibly risky, option is Yu Darvish, who is said to be the best pitcher to come out of Japan in years. But the Yankees have been burned like this before. Just mention the names Kei Igawa and Hideki Irabu to Yankee fans and it may be enough to dissuade any fan from calling for Darvish's signing.
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The biggest offseason move the Mets need to worry about is keeping their own in Citi Field. In particular, one name is grabbing all of the headlines: Jose Reyes.
The New York Post wrote Thursday that the Brewers and the Nationals are the favorites for Reyes. Indications have been that Mets GM Sandy Alderson is unwilling to offer Reyes more than five years, while the other two squads may be prepared to offer the second baseman six or seven years.
It's hard to blame the Mets for being cautious in offering Reyes such a long, lucrative contract. He's been injury-prone throughout his career, particularly with hamstring issues that have landed Reyes on the DL since 2009.
And it doesn't seem like Reyes will offer the Mets much of a hometown discount, either, which means the team that offers the most money will most likely get Reyes. That does not figure to be the Mets.
So where does that leave the team now? Most likely they won't pursue Pujols or Fielder. In fact, the move the Mets made that may affect the Mets' lineup the most is the change in Citi Field dimensions, making the ballpark more hitter friendly for players like David Wright and Jason Bay.
Assuming Reyes leaves, don't expect the Mets to make many flashy signings, but they won't stay dormant, either. A series of solid, financially responsible signings can continue to put the club back on the right track, while giving Alderson some room to pursue big free agents when the team is closer to contention in the years to come.
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Photo Credits: AP Photo, Rusty Kennedy
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