Start Your Own Rumor

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Like the title says. First one to get picked up by a NY paper, yammered about on sports radio, or breathlessly repeated by an Interweb columnist wins*. Bonus points if your "rumor" comes true. Bonus bonus points if you can gussy it up with a combination of official-sounding documentation and appropriate vagueness which give rumors their wild-assedness.

*-Nothing.

Let's try...

]WILPONS LIKE WILSONS Reports that the Mets have had several advance scouts following the Pirates are true — but their object of desire is not former Met fireman Roberto Hernandez, but Pittsburgh outfielder/first baseman Craig Wilson, a source close to the team told the Journal-Chronicle. Wilso may in fact be headed to New York along with shortstop Jack Wilson, as Met officials fear Jose Reyes’ swashbuckling play may re-injure his hand. It was unclear what the Mets were offering to the Pirates, but sources said they’d be willing to part with some combination of Xavier Nady, Heath Bell, Anderson Hernandez, John Maine and Henry Owens.

[Elster88]

Making up titles for anonymous sources is always fun.

[A Boy Named Seo]

If found this in today's Journal Times Tribune Reporter (online edition). Wow, sounds like a doozy! Think he'd do it? I don't know? Think he should? Wow, who knows? Wow. Arroyo'd be sweet, but Pelfrey? Wow. Omar, don't gut the farm! But get us a stud pitcher! Freel? Wow.

]A source in Cincinnati reports that Omar Minaya met with Reds GM Wayne Krivsky prior to the Mets 3-game set against the Reds to try to get a clearer picture of what Krivsky's intentions with the Reds will be as the July 31 trade deadline fast approaches. Last week the Reds were one game above .500 and seemingly left for dead in the NL Central, which is when Minaya placed a call to inquire about All-Star pitcher Bronson Arroyo, who is 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in July. A high-ranking Mets official indicated that Minaya likes Arroyo's playoff experience and thought he may be reverting somewhat to his career norms. It was believed Arroyo would not be available, but the same high-ranking Mets official hinted that the Reds may want to deal him while he still has a relatively high value, and mentioned Mike Pelfrey as Krivsky's asking price, a ransom Minaya would certainly be reluctant to pay. The point may be moot, however, as the Reds have reeled off 4 straight wins since dealing Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez to Washington, and have moved to within 3 1/2 games of St. Louis. At this point it would seem Arroyo isn't going anywhere. That still didn't stop Minaya from asking about super-sub Ryan Freel. The energetic right-handed sparkplug is hitting .296 with a .382 OBP and 41 runs scored, but can't find a regular position or playing time in Cincinnati. The trade of Kearns and Lopez seemed to open up that possibility for the versatile Freel, who can essentially play 7 positions and could be the second baseman the Mets have been looking for. Even after solidifying the bullpen, a source close to Minaya indicated that the Reds would want Duaner Sanchez and either Aaron Heilman to fill their rotation, or an outfielder, possibly Xavier Nady.

[duan]

well Nady & Owens/Bell type might be an interesting price to pay for Freel.

[G-Fafif]

]Apparently it's happy homecoming week in Mets land. First Omar Minaya re-signs fan favorite Edgardo Alfonzo to a Triple-A contract. Now word filters up from Dixie that the Mets and Braves are looking at a five-player deal that would return two-time Cy Young winner Tom Glavine to Atlanta, along with former Brave utilityman Eli Marrero, in exchange for Mets alumni Todd Pratt, Mike Hampton and John Thomson. The key, sources say, is Pratt, a player "Omar loved when they were both in New York in the 1990s." Minaya is said to have "gone hard" after Pratt in the offseason only to press the panic button and grab Lo Duca when he became available in the Marlins' fire sale. The Mets GM is said to be unnerved by Lo Duca's history of second-half swan dives and "wasn't happy" that his All-Star catcher threw so many pitches to David Wright during the Home Run Derby. "Omar didn't care for his arm to begin with," the source says. "Now he fears it's a wreck." Though Glavine ran off winning streak of nine games earlier this year and had emerged as the Mets' most dependable starter, the Hall of Fame-bound lefty is said to be "lonely for Atlanta," missing buddy John Smoltz and manager Bobby Cox. "Tom is convinced Cox knew how to get the most out of him. Also, he's been friendly with [braves pitching coach] Roger McDowell dating back to their Rock 'n' Jock Softball days. His relationship with [former Braves coach Leo Mazzone] was overblown." It's said it would mean everything to the entire Glavine family if his 300th win came at Turner Field in an Atlanta uniform. "If you see those 'Discover Queens' commercials," the source noted, "you see an uncomfortable person." Minaya has been respectful of Glavine's accomplishments since taking the general manager's job in New York, but it is widely known that Steve Phillips, and not Omar Minaya, signed the hurler to the contract that put him in a Mets uniform. Minaya was running the Montreal franchise then, now known as the Washington Nationals. Braves GM John Schuerholz "likes the way the salaries fit" and wants to "make it up" to Glavine after the two publicly disagreed this spring on why the southpaw left Atlanta in the first place. "John wants to make sure Tom wears that 'A' on his [Hall of Fame] plaque," an industry insider says. Marrero would replace Pratt in a reserve role for the Braves. Glavine's spot in the Mets' rotation would be taken by Hampton, the 2000 NLCS MVP on the Mets' last pennant winner. As he has been racked by injuries, the Mets' medical staff would need clearance on his condition. "He is closer to 90% well than you've heard," one pitching guru says. "And 90% of Mike Hampton beats most pitchers most days." Thomson, briefly a Met in 2002, is also said to be "recovering" from a variety of ailments. He would slot in where Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez has been pitching. "Omar really loves Duque in middle relief," one scout says. A bonus for the Mets, word has it, is that Hampton and Thomson are both excellent hitters as pitchers "and Willie [Randolph, Mets manager] craves that versatility." A rotation of Pedro Martinez, Steve Trachsel, Mike Pelfrey and a healthy Mike Hampton and John Thomson is one that might be formidable enough to compete in the postseason. "Omar doesn't want to rely on John Maine," one source with deep roots in both leagues advises. This trade is considered a possibility if not a probability to take place by the July 31 deadline. If it happens, and the Braves maintain their recent turnaround, the NLCS could have a distinctly New York-Atlanta feel of a very familiar kind.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Prodigal Pettitte to Return?
A prominent Mets website is reporting on heavy speculation that lefthander Andy Pettitte is close to being dealt to the Flushing Nine.

The angle begins with the Mets recent recaliming of Edgardo Alfonzo from the waiver wire, from whence they've since placed him in Nofolk, where he seeks to re-acquire his swing. Look for him to be in Flushing soon at his old familiar second-base slot, because it's resurgent infielder Jose Valentin that has caught Houston's fancy. The Astros had been loathe to part with Pettitte, looking at his 4.99 ERA as a byproduct, in part, of the bandbox Houston plays in, but they've grown increasingly frustrated with the light offense put up by shortstop Adam Everett and his fading double-play partner Craig Biggio, and they pricked up their ears when the Mets put Valentin on the table.

The Mets would need Alfonzo to help cover the secondbase hole that Valentin has filled so ably the last two months. Sources suggest it'd take Velentin along with Brian Bannister and a hitting prospect. With Pettitte making Bannister less important to the Mets plans, and Pettitte willing to waive his no-trade protection in order to return to New York and re-unite with his friend and old rotation partner Orlando Hernandez, the quality of the prospect is the only sticking point, with the Astros asking for Carlos Gomez, and the Mets countering with Bobby Malek.

Met scouts were jamming the boxes as Pettitte recently shut down Florida on five hits in seven shutout innings on Saturday, leading to speculation that this could happen soon.

[G-Fafif]

Deleted. Once.

[Benjamin Grimm]

That Atlanta rumor is probably true because it was posted twice.

[Guest Iubitul]

The Atlanta rumor got me. I clicked on the link for this thread, got distracted by work, and when I came back, I had forgotten that I was in this thread...

[Centerfield]

Mets are getting Jarrod Washburn for Brian Bannister and Victor Diaz.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Barry Zito for Aaron Heilman, straight up!

[Gwreck]

="Centerfield"]Mets are getting Jarrod Washburn for Brian Bannister and Victor Diaz.

That's one that I'd actually like to see...