LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Mets believed they would be able to trade Ike Davis for a useful piece or better. And maybe they will.
But the marketplace has become more difficult for them as the offseason has progressed.
They knew two middle-rung lefty-hitting first basemen — Justin Morneau and James Loney — would be free agents. And then Morneau landed in Colorado. That was a problem. The Mets had imagined the Rockies as a potential landing spot for Davis, thinking — in part — he has trouble against breaking balls from lefties and it is hard to throw breaking balls in the thin air of Coors Field.
The Tigers traded Prince Fielder to the Rangers, who made their middle-rung, lefty-hitting first baseman (Mitch Moreland) available. The Pirates non-tendered Garrett Jones, who signed with the Marlins, who in turn made their middle-rung lefty-swinging first baseman (Logan Morrison) available. And the Blue Jays have always been willing to listen to offers for Adam Lind.
The Mets already were going to have a tough sale to convince suitors to give a return befitting the player who thrived in the 2012 second half en route to 32 homers rather than the struggling slugger of last year. Now, the field is a little more crowded. The Rays are definitely still interested and so — to some degree — are the Brewers, and perhaps another club or two.
The Mets actually have made Davis, Lucas Duda and Daniel Murphy available on the market, and tried to create scenarios how to move forward if they hear what they want should any move. For example, if they could deal Murphy, the Mets would consider Ruben Tejada as part of a shortstop or second base answer, and then would look for the best player they could get at either position.
The Mets also have thought about trying to deal both Davis and Duda and playing Murphy at first.
Multiple executives say the Mets have put a significant return cost on Murphy. However, there continues to be belief in the industry that he could indeed be dealt.
Jason Bay is weighing an offer to try to revive his career in Japan for the Yomiuri Giants.
Three-team swap fills lots of holes
The White Sox had excess lefty pitching. The Diamondbacks an extra center fielder. The Angels were deep in bats.
So they took their surplus and made a three-way deal to try to fill needs. The White Sox wanted a center fielder and energy player and gave up Hector Santiago for Adam Eaton, leaving them with three lefties in their rotation with Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and John Danks.
Arizona wanted a power hitter to hit behind star Paul Goldschmidt after finishing with the 26th-most homers in the majors — despite playing in an offensively favorable park. So the D’backs stuck with A.J. Pollock in center and dealt Eaton plus a surplus pitcher, Tyler Skaggs, for the Angels’ Mark Trumbo, who has hit 95 homers the last three years, tied for the fifth most in the majors. He strikes out a bunch and is considered a poor defender.
The Angels felt they could give up Trumbo in hopes Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton will rebound and join Mike Trout to compensate for the lost offense. But they desperately needed rotation help and add lefties Santiago and Skaggs, and hope they can give 300-plus innings of rotation quality.
With a tight budget and a so-far futile search for rotation help, the Orioles have asked lefties Brian Matusz and T.J. McFarland, who worked in their pen last year, to show up ready to compete as starters. Chris Tillman, Wei-Yen Chen and Miguel Gonzalez are close to certainties for the rotation, perhaps Bud Norris, too. Matusz, McFarland, and another lefty, Zach Britton, are also in play.
Rajai Davis signed a two-year deal with Tigers. He could platoon in left field with Andy Dirks. If so, that would take Detroit out of the Shin-Soo Choo market, leaving perhaps the Mariners and Rangers as the main contenders for Choo.
The busy A’s executed perhaps their final significant move of the offseason when they traded Brett Anderson (made an excess piece when Scott Kazmir was signed to a two-year deal) to Colorado for Drew Pomeranz and Chris Jensen. Pomeranz is a candidate for Oakland’s pen or rotation. Anderson, an oft-injured, but talented lefty, joins Jorge de la Rosa, Jhoulys Chacin and Tyler Chatwood in the Rockies rotation. Colorado also recently obtained another starter, Jordan Lyles, from Houston for Dexter Fowler.
Blocking plate could — and should — be banned
MLB’s Rules Committee convenes Wednesday and one key topic is whether to ban catchers from blocking home plate. There has been a lot of momentum to do so and there is pretty strong sentiment the committee will decide to make a proposal to eliminate the dangerous play and pass it along to the Players Association, which also must ratify it.
With as much as has been learned about concussions in recent years, it is no longer sensible to make catchers — and, to some degree, the baserunners — put themselves in harm’s way. The NFL has banned hitting defenseless receivers. That is in a contact sport. It is ridiculous, therefore, that defenseless catchers can be creamed.
MLB and its Japanese counterparts have reached agreement on a posting system. MLB is trying to put together a conference call of the Executive Council to ratify this week or early next week.
In this new system, Japanese clubs will post a player and put what the minimum bid is up to $20 million. The high bid gets to negotiate exclusively with the player. If multiple teams match the high bid then all could negotiate. The 30-day window to negotiate a contract begins the day after the post — rather than four days, as in the old system — and if a team reaches an agreement, it owes the contract to the player plus the posting bid to the Japanese team.
The two sides worked to finalize a deal in time for Masahiro Tanaka to be posted this offseason. However, Yozo Tachibana, the Rakuten Golden Eagles’ president, said there has been no decision reached whether Tanaka will be posted.