Rocco Baldelli Rumors

Red Sox Rumors: Bay, Wagner, Beckett, V-Mart

Theo Epstein says talks between the Red Sox and Jason Bay are still in their early stages, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Here are the details and the rest of Silverman's rumors: Epstein expects Bay to explore free agency, but the Red Sox are willing to wait for the left fielder to do so, at least to an extent. The Red Sox may bring Alex Gonzalez back. They turned down his $6MM option earlier in the week, but the sides could agree on a deal that guarantees the 32-year-old less money. The Red Sox are open to...   Continue Reading

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Cafardo On Gonzalez, Nady, Mulder

Nick Cafardo's latest column for the Boston Globe is a lengthy one, and is full of hot stove discussion and speculation. Let's take a look.... After Ken Rosenthal expressed skepticism about Boston's ability to acquire Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres, Cafardo declares that it's the one move the Red Sox have to make to keep up with the Yankees. Although he presents a lengthy argument for why it could work, he never specifically addresses what players the Sox could send to San Diego, which was the sticking point for Rosenthal. Xavier Nady would like to return to the Yankees, but...   Continue Reading

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Red Sox Rumors: Bay, Baldelli, Papelbon

Boston's season may have ended prematurely, but that just means the New England hot stove fires up sooner. Here's some notes from Amalie Benjamin of The Boston Globe and Joe McDonald of The Providence Journal: To no one's surprise, Jason Bay indicated that he'll dip his toe in the free agent waters, saying he'd be doing himself "a disservice" if he didn't look around. Alex Gonzalez's $6MM club option "might be a little rich for the Sox," so the two sides are likely to sit down and find a more palatable number. Nick Green could also come back, though it...   Continue Reading

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Red Sox Rumors: Baldelli, Gonzalez

The latest on Rocco Baldelli and Alex Gonzalez... Baldelli tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that, though he prefers not to discuss his upcoming free agency, he has enjoyed his role with the Red Sox. The Red Sox signed him to a one-year $500k deal last offseason and he has responded with a .254/.315/.462 line. Billy Wagner insisted that the Red Sox agree to turn down his 2010 option as a condition of the trade that sent him to Boston. He had leverage because of his no-trade clause and decided to use it, as players in similar situations often do. Alex...   Continue Reading

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Stark On Red Sox Offseason Moves

In his latest column, Jayson Stark weighs in on the moves the Red Sox made this off-season. While Boston did not spend nearly as much as the Yankees, their moves have a ton of upside potential and that no team "had a more underrated offseason than the Red Sox." Stark spoke to one scout that thinks the Red Sox did a better job than the Yankees at filling their needs through free agency. Stark notes that the amount of guaranteed dollars for the Red Sox four free agents (John Smoltz, Brad Penny, Takashi Saito, Rocco Baldelli) is less than what...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends

A few links on a slow Friday night: Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports that Jon Garland was open to returning to the White Sox this winter. The Sox opted for Bartolo Colon and Garland signed with the Diamondbacks. Former major leaguer Gary Matthews had a front-row seat for President Obama's inauguration, reports Brian Knapp of MLB.com. Matthews and Obama met when their daughters had a dance class together in Chicago. Rocco Baldelli made his Red Sox debut against his former team today. Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe writes that Baldelli will be a good fit in Boston....   Continue Reading

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Pirates, Rays, Pettitte, Cubs, Dodgers, Gomes, Mauer, Cruz

On this date 28 years ago, the Red Sox traded Fred Lynn to the California Angels for Frank Tanana and Joe Rudi. After six seasons that included an MVP and six all-star appearances, the Red Sox were forced to trade Lynn when the front office failed to mail a new contract to Lynn by the mandated deadline. Without the new contract, Boston was faced with the possibility that Lynn would be declared a free agent (Carlton Fisk was declared a free agent for the same reason). The player's association dropped their case when Lynn agreed to a contract extension with...   Continue Reading

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Fay, Jocketty Discuss Reds: Baldelli, Abreu, Nady, Swisher

Once again, John Fay and Walt Jocketty have discussed some Reds offseason activity. The Reds were very much in on Rocco Baldelli, and were offering about the same money as the Red Sox. In the end, it appears Baldelli made his choice based on geography. Of course, the Red Sox do have the better team, albeit in a much more difficult division. At first, Fay interpreted this to mean the Reds now have $7.5MM available to spend; however, when asked, Jocketty said that might not be true. Fay suggests Bobby Abreu might fill some team needs. According to Jocketty, "He's...   Continue Reading

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Heyman On Manny, Lowe, Crede, Redding, Hinske

The latest from SI.com's Jon Heyman... The Giants "look like a major threat" to the Dodgers for Manny Ramirez and are "making a serious run at him." Former teammate J.T. Snow apparently raved about him. Nonetheless Heyman says the Dodgers are "probably still considered the favorite." Heyman lists the Rangers as "intrigued." He believes Ramirez will get three guaranteed years somewhere. Heyman says Derek Lowe is "quite possibly" in play for the Phillies, though we heard from Ken Rosenthal today that the team denied interest. Heyman also sticks with the Brewers and Angels as outside possibilities despite reports to the...   Continue Reading

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Red Sox Agree To Terms With Baldelli, Smoltz

7:00pm: Smoltz signed the offer sheet from the Red Sox, says Buster Olney. Olney's story has contract details as well. There's also an interesting quote from Theo Epstein: "I think you'll see us now turn to players who we can take chances on, players who represent potential impact players. We still have some things going on." 2:31pm: Gordon Edes provides details on the Braves' offer to Smoltz: The Braves would have paid Smoltz incrementally based on his health up to a maximum of $5 million if he remained on the major league roster for 60 days, and the guarantee was...   Continue Reading

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