Mets miss out on Abreu, signs with White Sox

Cuban first-baseman Jose Abreu has agreed to a six-year, $68 million deal with the Chicago White Sox. According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the White Sox, Astros, and Rangers were viewed as the final three teams that Abreu would choose from. 

The Mets sent scouts to watch Abreu last month, and a high ranking official told The Star-Ledger's Jorge Castillo that they were "impressed." However, other sources later told the Daily News that Sandy Alderson was not expected to pursue a free agent first baseman this winter. 

Paying almost $70 million on a player as risky as Abreu could end up being a flop for the White Sox. With that being said, I'm glad the Mets didn't completely overpay for him. Granted, fellow Cubans like Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes have found success in the MLB since their transition, and Abreu was, according to scouts, a better hitter than them, it would have been to much of a risk for a rebuilding team trying to find it's way again.

I'm hearing that the Mets will look internally for their 2014 first baseman, choosing from Ike Davis, Lucas Duda, Josh Satin, Wilmer Flores, and possibly even Daniel Murphy. To me, that is unacceptable, because the Mets are going to need to bring in proven talent. I'm talking about Justin Morneau, Kendrys Morales, those guys. For now, we'll just have to wait and see what Alderson's plan is, but I can already tell there is a chance we may be greatly disappointed. 

Angels claim Carson, Dodgers claim Baxter, Henn and Burke outrighted

The Angels have claimed Robert Carson off of waivers, and the Dodgers have done likewise with Mike Baxter. The Mets also announced that pitchers Sean Henn and Greg Burke have been outrighted off of the 40 man roster. The roster currently stands at 36.

Carson, 24, has had two stints with the Mets over the past couple seasons and has not been impressive, posting a combined 6.82 ERA in 31 relief appearances. The hard-throwing lefty spent most of the 2013 season the 51s, where he had a 4.06 ERA in 43 relief appearances. He was originally drafted by the Mets in the 14th round of the 2007 draft.

Baxter was selected off of waivers by the Mets from the Padres back in the summer of 2011. The 2012 campaign was easily his best, where he served as the team's fourth outfielder while hitting .263 with a .365 on-base percentage in 89 games. He didn't find the same success last year, hitting .189 with a .303 on-base percentage in 74 games with New York. 

Henn was signed to a minor league deal by the Mets in April 2013, and had a 3.38 ERA in 4 relief appearances. He spent most of the year in Las Vegas, where he had a 2.81 ERA in 52 relief appearances. 

Burke was signed as a free agent by the Mets in November 2012. He was expected to be a low-risk, potential moderate reward free agent, and he ended up disappointing. His 5.68 ERA in 32 big league appearances wasn't too impressive, and neither was his 4.55 ERA in 31 appearances with the 51s. 

Even though Carson showed promise, he was way too inefficient to be considered a long-term piece for this team. The left-handed specialist job was wide open, and it seemed that every time he was called upon he would disappoint. He isn't arbitration eligible until the 2016 season, so the Angels have a few years of team control under him. If he can find a way to work on his control, and make his fastball more effective, he could be a semi-decent pitcher in this game.

Baxter's 2013 campaign was a big setback in his career. He was strongly considered to be the team's 4th outfielder coming out of camp, but struggled early on, leading to an eventual demotion to the minor leagues. Despite his heroics in Johan Santana's no-hitter one year ago, he hasn't really done much for the Mets over the last few years, being a fringe player at best. The Dodgers will likely just store him away as outfield depth, and he'll continue to be a backup player for them.

As for Henn and Burke, both were brought in on low-risk deals, and did not really prove anything with the Mets. Henn was solid in Triple-A, and did somewhat well in his handful of appearances for the varsity club, but Burke on the other hand struggled in both levels. They'll likely start the 2014 season in Triple-A, and possibly be considered for a roster spot if they find success there.

The Mets will certainly be making more of these roster-cutting moves. They still need to add Jacob deGrom, Jeff Walters, Greg Peavey, Cory Vaughn, and Steven Matz to the 40 man roster to protect them from the Rule V draft. Also, the eight players on the disabled list, which include Matt Harvey and Bobby Parnell, will need to be added to the roster as well within five days after the World Series. 

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York recently suggested that the Mets could cut Jordany Valdespin, Scott Atchison, Zack Lutz, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, and Andrew Brown (as well as Baxter, Carson, Henn and Burke) to make room on the roster. 

Stay away from Kemp and Ethier

According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Dodgers will make outfielders Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp available in trade this off-season. 

The Dodgers currently have an excess of outfield depth, with Carl Crawford, Yasiel Puig, and solid bench players such as Scott Van Slyke and Skip Schumaker. 

Kemp has had trouble staying on the field ever since his solid 2011 season where he finished second in the MVP voting. He has played in 179 games over the past two seasons, hitting .290 with 29 homers and 102 RBI in 739 plate appearances. The two-time All-Star is under contract through the 2019 season, and is still set to earn $128 million. 

He had shoulder surgery in early October, but is expected to be 100 percent by Spring Training. He has also been dealing with possible career threatening problems in his ankle, which doctors expect to continue to get worse. 

Ethier has been swarmed by trade rumors over the past year or so, as he is the most logical player for the Dodgers to get rid of. For the most part, he has been able to stay on the field. In 2013, he hit .272 with 12 homers and 52 RBI in 142 games for Los Angeles. As an 8 year veteran, he has 141 career home runs, along with 587 RBI, and a .288 batting average. The two-time All-Star will earn $71.5 million over the next four seasons.

Both players should NOT be looked at by the Mets this winter. Kemp has had so much trouble staying healthy over the past 2 seasons, and despite being a solid player when on the field, I just don't feel like it's a smart investment to bring him in. The Dodgers will still try to ask for a decent package of prospects for him, so the Mets should not even think about getting him.

As for Ethier, he may make a little more sense, if the Dodgers pay for most of his contract. I've never been a huge Ethier fan, so I definitely wouldn't overpay in terms of prospects. However, if the Dodgers are desperately trying to unload him and are willing to pay, let's say 80-85 percent of his contract, I wouldn't be surprised if the Mets land him. However, he would not be my first option, rather a backup player to look at if the bigger names like Shin-Shoo Choo and Nelson Cruz are scooped up. 

Could Grant Balfour be an option?

Pitcher Grant Balfour recently told Casey Pratt of Comcast SportsNet that he is unsure whether he will return to Oakland next season. Balfour also said that he'd like to win a World Series before considering retirement. 

The 10 year veteran had a 2.59 ERA in 65 relief appearances with the Athletics in 2013. He also racked up 38 saves, and posted a strong 10.3 K/9 rate in 62 2/3 innings. He is eligible for free agency when this season is over. 

Balfour has been pretty consistent over the last 4 seasons, posting a combined 2.47 ERA in 259 appearances with Oakland and Tampa Bay. He earned $4.5 million in 2013, and will likely earn a salary raise after his strong 2013 campaign.

He also has a track record of staying healthy, so even at age 35, the Mets could afford to give him a multiyear deal. I feel like he'd be a good fit with this team, but I'm not sure if he'll be the team's closer. Despite notching 38 saves for Oakland in 2013, if the club is looking long-term in 2014, I'd much rather have Bobby Parnell close out the games, and give Balfour the 8th inning duty. 

Now, I don't think the Mets will be spending a great deal of money to get bullpen help, but giving Balfour, let's say a 2 year/$10 million deal, wouldn't be a bad move. The Mets did do something similar with Frank Francisco a few years ago, giving him a 2 year/$12 million deal which ultimately turned into a big flop, but Balfour's history of success should give him an edge.