The Price for Roy Halladay
According to a “high-ranking official” cited in an article by The National Post, the Toronto Blue Jays will take as much time as needed to trade Roy Halladay — if they trade him at all. Would they actually keep Halladay through 2010 and allow him to leave via free agency next winter? They say yes — but they could be saying that publicly to retain leverage in trade negotiations. The Jays are not exactly asking for the moon, but they do have specifics. According to the report: As one high-ranking team official confirmed, the Jays are after young, sal

2009 Analysis: Jeremy Reed
This entry is part 37 in the series 2009 Mets EvaluationsWhen the Mets sent 7 players to Seattle and Cleveland last December in a three-team deal centered around J.J. Putz, Jeremy Reed was an afterthought. As it turned out, Reed had more of an impact on the Mets than the closer-turned-setup man. Though, that wasn’t a difficult feat, considering that

Wilson Valdez Signed – But Not By Mets
After providing stellar defense and hitting .256 through 41 games as a replacement shortstop / utilityman for the Mets, Wilson Valdez was not re-signed and given the chance to test the market. It didn’t take long for Valdez to find a taker — he’s been signed by the Philadelphia Phillies to a minor-league contract. I’m not going to lose sleep over the loss of Valdez, but he did seem like a nice option to stash in AAA. He has a cannon for an arm and a sure glove. It also is somewhat discomforting that he’s now a Phillie. What is more disturbin

Manuel Motivated – Minaya Next?
So far, the Mets are making good on their promise to overhaul the entire organization, from top to bottom. It is no coincidence that a number of former managers — such as Bob Melvin and Eric Wedge — were considered for Jerry Manuel’s coaching staff, nor that at least two possible replacements for Manuel (Wally Backman, Terry Collins) have been hired for ancillary positions in the organization. Such moves and considerations make it crystal clear that

Jones, Gonzalez, Vizquel Off the Table
The first free agents of this winter’s pool have agreed to terms with new teams: Alex Gonzalez has moved on to the Toronto Blue Jays, and both Andruw Jones and Omar Vizquel are moving from Texas to the Chicago White Sox. How do these signings affect the Mets? The Jays’ addition of Gonzalez — and their decision to re-sign middle infielder John McDonald — almost assures that Marco Scutaro will have a US address in 2010. Scutaro could possibly be a target of the Mets — particularly if they find a taker for Luis Castillo — but the latest report is that there is a