Odds & Ends: Sizemore, Lewis, Red Sox, Haren

Some links for Friday before Roy Halladay tries to restore order for the slumping Phillies...

• Grady Sizemore will miss the rest of the season as he recovers from today's operation on his left knee, according to the team. He is expected to be ready for spring training next year.
• Rogers Sportsnet reported last weekend that the Blue Jays finalized their Fred Lewis acquisition for cash, according to John Lott of the National Post.
• Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Yankees will likely seek a bat with a high on base percentage and wonders if David DeJesus could fit (Twitter link).
• Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe speculates that Mike Lowell and Boof Bonser could be trade bait.
• Jon Heyman of SI.com says it's a "long shot" that the D'Backs deal Dan Haren.
• Cuban player Yadil Mujica could sign soon, according to Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald (Twitter link). 
• Ebro reports (via Twitter) that the Phillies are eyeing Dominican pitcher Yunesky Maya.
• Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun presents 12 possible replacements for Dave Trembley, including Eric Wedge, Bobby Valentine and Bob Melvin.
• Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says firing Dave Trembley won't be enough for the Orioles. He says the club needs to hire a "high-profile, kick-ass manager."
• David Ortiz told John Tomase of the Boston Herald that he "definitely" hopes to see Lowell traded, since it would be "a wonderful thing" for Lowell's sake.
• As Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports, the Red Sox have more high picks than usual this year, partly because Type A free agents Jason Bay and Billy Wagner signed elsewhere last winter.
• ESPN.com's Rob Neyer wouldn't give up more than one 'B' prospect to acquire Derrek Lee if he were running the Angels.
• Freddy Sanchez, who will play in Pittsburgh for the first time since the Pirates traded him last summer, tells Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he loved playing in Pittsburgh and can't wait to return. 

Odds & Ends: Cordero, Murphy, Red Sox, Griffey

Links for Thursday, as Armando Galarraga receives a new Corvette (but no perfect game)...

• Reliever Chad Cordero has been called up to the Mariners roster, according to a team news release.  Cordero hasn't pitched in the majors since undergoing labrum surgery in July 2008.  He signed a minor league deal with Seattle last winter and has a 4.12 ERA and 5.50 K-BB ratio in 17 appearances for Triple-A Tacoma this season.  In six seasons with the Expos/Nationals organization, Cordero posted a 2.78 ERA and racked up 128 saves, including a league-best 47 in 2005.
• 2009 first rounder Jared Mitchell told reporters that he is recovering well from his ankle injury. The White Sox prospect, who will represent the team at this year's draft, does underwater drills and is progressing towards baseball activities.
• Daniel Murphy will miss four to six months with an MCL tear, so the Mets have reduced infield depth, according to Newsday's David Lennon (via Twitter). Murphy, who has not played in the majors this year, has missed significant time because of his right knee.
• MLB.com's Ian Browne wonders if the Red Sox will have to trade Boof Bonser.
• The A's claimed Triple A infielder Adam Heether off of waivers from the Brewers, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (via Twitter). Heether, 28, was hitting .245/.343/.440 in Nashville.
• J.D. Drew and Jason Varitek told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that agent Scott Boras does not pressure them to return from injuries any earlier or later than they want to. Boras says he does not draw medical conclusions for any of his clients, including Jacoby Ellsbury.
• Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if Ken Griffey Jr. felt pressure from Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu to retire. Wakamatsu says it was "Ken's decision."
• Stephen Strasburg, who debuts against the Pirates next week, pitched five shutout innings at Triple A and even got a hit, writes MASN.com's Ben Goessling.
• Strasburg's a star now, but college coach Tony Gwynn says the phenom was "sweating like a hostage" before his San Diego State debut, according to Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse. The entire piece is worth reading.

Bonser Could Take Schoeneweis' Spot

If the Red Sox promote Boof Bonser once he is healthy again, the former Twins hurler could take Scott Schoeneweis' spot in the bullpen, writes Dan Barbarisi of The Providence Journal.  Barbarisi points out the possibility that the BoSox may not want carry two lefties in the bullpen.

If Bonser does bump Schoeneweis from the roster, it is unlikely that he would accept a demotion to the minors.  When the 36-year-old was released by the Brewers in late March, he told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that if he was unable to find a big league job, he refused to "toil around in the Minor Leagues".  Milwaukee offered the veteran a spot in Triple-A Nashville, but he declined.

Schoeneweis has pitched just 10.2 innings for the BoSox this season.  Thus far he has registered 9 strikeouts, 7 walks, and allowed 8 runs.

Bonser is set to pitch his first game in a month this Friday in an outing for Triple-A Pawtucket.  Barbarisi writes that Bonser could also remain in the minors as a depth starter in case of injury.

Phillies Seek Rotation Depth

The Phillies are looking to add starting pitching, but aren't eager to guarantee anyone roster spot, according to David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News. Ideally, the Phillies would find an out-of-options pitcher or someone who has an out clause in his contract.

"If a player like that comes available, we'll have our eyes and ears open on it,'' Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said. 

Amaro says pitching depth is a concern for the Phillies, so he's looking to find some. Boof Bonser and Dana Eveland are out-of-options arms the Phillies could consider. They haven't been linked to the recently-released Chad Gaudin so far.

The Phillies will also look for bullpen depth, writes Murphy. The Brewers recently released Scott Schoeneweis, though Amaro would probably not guarantee the left-hander a job. 

Two Clubs Interested In Boof Bonser

At least two teams are interested in Boof Bonser, sources tell Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. McAdam hears that the Cubs and D'Backs are interested in the right-hander. Bonser is out of options, so the Red Sox would have to attempt to put him through waivers if they want to send him to the minors.

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Braves, Cardinals

March goes in like a lion, but the lion is cut when the rosters get trimmed to 25...

• Benjamin Kabak at River Avenue Blues takes a look at how the Yankees can include an ownership stake in Derek Jeter's next contract.
• Former Yankee Melky Cabrera is also in the news, with MLB.com's Mark Bowman detailing how his game translates in the National League. As should surprise no one who has watched both leagues lately, the move figures to help Melky.
• Brian Walton of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat has a rundown of the Cardinals' 21 new signings from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Tops among the new signings appears to be Amauris Capellan, an outfielder who has drawn comparisons to Raul Mondesi.
• Taiwan Baseball has an update on Min-Tzu Chen, an outfielder-turned-pitcher three months ago, who is now sporting a fastball at 90-93 MPH. According to the site, the Royals and Padres have both made offers in the $150K-$200K range.
• Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe thinks the Red Sox may have found something special in offseason acquisition Boof Bonser.

Cafardo On Gonzalez, Rodney, Valverde

In his latest column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo applauds the Yankees' offseason moves so far, but writes that they still have some major decisions ahead of them. Here are some other highlights from Cafardo:

• According to a source, talks between the Red Sox and Padres about Adrian Gonzalez aren't progressing. Padres GM Jed Hoyer is asking for at least Clay Buchholz and either Casey Kelly or Ryan Westmoreland, and the Sox would prefer not to give up that much.
• Cafardo likes Mike Cameron, but not Milton Bradley, as a fit in Boston.
• An NL scout views Boof Bonser as a reliever with closing potential, rather than as a starter.
• Before signing Brandon Lyon, the Astros were talking to Fernando Rodney as well. Apparently his asking price was near $30MM over three years. If that's true, he'll probably end up disappointed this winter.
• Jose Valverde may be "pricing himself out of the market" as well. Teams like the Tigers and Orioles seem unwilling to commit $10MM+ annually to Valverde in a long-term deal.

Red Sox Acquire Boof Bonser

SUNDAY, 1:16pm:  Bonser's deal is non-guaranteed and worth $650K, with a $25K bonus for either 20 starts or 45 appearances, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com (via Twitter).

SATURDAY, 9:26pm: The Twins acquired righty Chris Province from the Red Sox for Bonser, according to a press release.  It should also be noted that the Sox signed Bonser for 2010.

THURSDAY, 8:53am: The Twins confirmed the move in a press release. They'll receive a player to be named later or cash for Bonser.  It'll be an A or AA player, reports Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

8:28am: The Red Sox acquired pitcher Boof Bonser, according to the pitcher's agency Reynolds Sports Management.  Bonser was designated for assignment on Tuesday to make room for Carl Pavano.  The 28-year-old had labrum and rotator cuff surgery in February.  Bonser sports a 5.12 ERA, 7.3 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 over 391.6 career innings spanning three seasons.

Boof Bonser Designated For Assignment

WEDNESDAY, 10:47am: La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins attempted to sign Bonser to a one-year deal recently, but were turned down.  He's expected to be released.

TUESDAY, 1:32pm: The Twins designated pitcher Boof Bonser for assignment to make room for Carl Pavano, tweets Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.  The 28-year-old Bonser had labrum and rotator cuff surgery in February.  Bonser sports a 5.12 ERA, 7.3 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 over 391.6 career innings spanning three seasons.

Cafardo's Latest: Players Out Of Options

Lots of stuff in Nick Cafardo's column in the Boston Globe to go over.

With around 100 free agents vying for less than 20 remaining roster spots, things become more interesting with 227 players on big-league rosters who are out of options. If a player is out of options and is not rostered, he has to either be traded or designated for assignment. If designated, that player has to clear waivers. This could affect remaining free agent signings. Cafardo makes note of a few who are out of options and may wind up as trade fodder or designated for assignment before the season begins:

Red Sox: George Kottaras
Yankees: Melky Cabrera
Cubs: Chad Gaudin, Rich Hill (possibly heading to Baltimore?)
Brewers: Tony Gwynn Jr.
Indians: Anthony Reyes, Andy Marte
Twins: Boof Bonser, Philip Humber
Rays: Jeff Niemann
Orioles: David Pauley

• With Jason Varitek re-signed, the Red Sox will either have to trade catcher Kottaras or designate him for assignment.
• Cafardo notes Niemann is a former No. 1 pick and the righthander should garner some attention.
• Bonser or Humber could be traded to land a reliever. Cafardo also mentions Delmon Young as a possible trading chip.

A few more bullets from Cafardo's notebook:

• Scott Boras thinks the World Baseball Classic will showcase Ivan Rodriguez and generate "even more" interest for the 14-time All-Star catcher.
• Cafardo mentioned Manny Ramirez to Omar Minaya and Minaya laughed it off saying, "We'll look into adding some offense, but only if it makes sense."
• All quiet on the Jake Peavy front.
• Cafardo calls Randy Johnson's $8MM deal from the Giants as "a stroke of genius" by his agents.
• In case you missed it, Bobby Kielty signed a minor-league deal with the Mets last week.