The New York Mets plan to meet with free-agent right-hander Bronson Arroyo next week, according to reports.
General manager Sandy Alderson reportedly will fly to Arroyo’s Tampa, Fla., home.
Alderson was in contact with Arroyo’s representatives to set up an in-person meeting while in Maryland on Wednesday, according to ESPNNewYork.com.
Arroyo is reportedly looking to get a three-year contract, but might settle for a two-year deal with a vesting option for 2016. With ace Matt Harvey out next season after having Tommy John surgery, the Mets need a couple of starting pitchers.
The Mets want to add to a rotation that includes Jonathon Niese, Zack Wheeler and Dillon Gee. Prospects Noah Syndergaard, Rafael Montero and Jacob deGrom likely will start the season at Triple-A Las Vegas.
Arroyo, 36, was 14-12 with a 3.79 ERA over 202 innings with the Cincinnati Reds this year. He has pitched the third-most innings in the major leagues since 2005: 1,895 2/3. Only CC Sabathia (1,999 1/3) and Dan Haren (1,927 2/3) have more innings pitched in that span.
Alderson has been busy, already having met with free-agent shortstop Jhonny Peralta and outfielder Chris Young.
The Mets signed Young to a one-year, $7.25 million contract, but Peralta since signed a four-year, $53 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Mets also have met with Roc Nation founder/agent and hip-hop mogul Jay Z in Manhattan about free-agent second baseman Robinson Cano. However, Alderson said it is unlikely the Mets would reach a deal with him.
—A drug report jointly released by Major League Baseball and the players’ union Friday show that Adderall use is on the rise, among other findings.
The report was submitted by Dr. Jeffrey M. Anderson, MLB’s independent program administrator of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. It covers the 2012 offseason through the 2013 season and applies only to players on major-league 40-man rosters.
The main findings from the report include:
–The total number of drug tests that were conducted for the presence of performance-enhancing substances and/or stimulants was 5,391. The number of urine samples collected and analyzed for the presence of performance-enhancing substances and/or stimulants was 4,022. The number of blood samples that were collected and analyzed for the presence of human growth hormone was 1,369.
–Eight tests were reported by the testing laboratory for having an adverse analytical finding that resulted in discipline. All were for stimulants. The substances reported were Adderall (seven) and Methylhexaneamine (one).
The Los Angeles Times reported that one in 10 players is treated for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) with Adderall, which is about double the rate of the general population. The number of Adderall exemptions in MLB has increased significantly since 2006 — 28 in 2006 to 103 in 2007 — when amphetamines were banned.
Most players using Adderall are doing so under the direction of a doctor and with approval from MLB.
–Thirteen non-analytical positives resulted in discipline. Those represent the players suspended for their link to former South Florida anti-aging clinic Biogenesis.
–Therapeutic use exemptions were granted to 122 players. The diagnoses were 119 for ADD and three for hypogonadism (a body’s sex glands produce little or no hormones).