Beckett, Red Sox Close To Extension
SUNDAY, 8:04pm: The Beckett extension talks are in the final stages, a source told Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com. The source "insisted" that the deal is not yet complete.
The Red Sox did not offer the soon-to-be 30-year-old a fifth year, though Beckett did not insist upon it. The source said that the righty will receive "[John] Lackey money", despite having a shorter deal. If Beckett receives a four-year deal at the same rate as Lackey, it will be worth $70.5MM in total.
Interestingly, there is no language in the contract that affords the BoSox protection in the event that Beckett has shoulder issues.
WEDNESDAY, 8:34pm: Scott Lauber passes along word from his Boston Herald colleague Michael Silverman that the value of the contract will be $68MM over four years, according to Silverman's "sources familiar with the negotiations." ESPN's Gordon Edes adds from a Red Sox source that the team is "making progress," but the source was unsure when the deal would be completed.
5:05pm: Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman is reporting that Josh Beckett and the Red Sox "are closing in" on a four-year extension for the right-hander worth close to $70MM. Heyman says the deal should be announced early next week, since by waiting to finalize the contract until after Opening Day, Boston will save some money under the luxury tax.
If the deal ends up being four years in length, it will represent a victory for the Red Sox, who didn't want to make any longer of a commitment due to some concern over Beckett's throwing shoulder.
Blalock To Accept Minor League Assignment
Hank Blalock will report to the Rays' Triple-A affiliate in Durham, according to the Tampa Bay Tribune (via Twitter). Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times tweets that this means the 29-year-old was unable to find a major league job elsewhere.
Late last week, Reid Brignac made Tampa Bay's Opening Day roster, leaving Blalock as the odd man out. Despite his assertion that he does not want to play minor league ball, he told Topkin that he would remain in Durham for the "foreseeable future" if he could not land a gig in the big show (link goes to Twitter).
Blalock is not today's only notable addition to Triple-A Durham, as Elliot Johnson was also placed on the squad after clearing waivers.
Odds & Ends: Rule 5, Jones, Hechevarria, Brewers
Links for Easter Sunday…
- Baseball America's John Manuel provides updates on five Rule 5 picks: Carlos Monasterios with the Dodgers, John Raynor with the Pirates, Zachary Kroenke, who was optioned to the minors by the D'Backs, Kanekoa Texeira with the Mariners, and David Herndon with the Phillies.
- Peter Gammons previews storylines for the 2010 season, such as emerging stars, prospects of the future, a slew of contenders, and the ever-present unpredictability of baseball.
- Dave Campbell of the AP looks at Jacque Jones and how Minnesota's late-season surge in 2009 inspired a comeback attempt for 2010 when he was on the verge of retirement. Jones is reporting to Triple-A Rochester after hitting .366/.409/.585 with the Twins this spring.
- In an interview with Mike Wilner of the FAN 590 in Toronto, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said while the team hasn't officially said anything about Adeiny Hechevarria, international cases like his are often slowed by visa issues and other approval processes.
- Tom Haudricourt tweets that there will be no last-minute changes to the Brewers 25-man roster.
- The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser spoke with recently-DFA'ed Jack Cust, who is shocked and offended by the move. Cust says he will accept a minor league assignment if he clears waivers, but won't let Oakland "walk all over" him. The 31-year-old slugger has led the A's in home runs the past three seasons. Slusser takes a deeper look at the Cust move in a separate piece.
- Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times looks at what the Cubs' performance in 2010 means to Jim Hendry's job, and talks to several players about their positive relationships with the Chicago GM.
- Elliot Johnson cleared waivers and will report to Triple-A Durham, according to Marc Topkin. He adds that the Rays have set their roster and are waiting to hear from Hank Blalock on whether or not he'll accept a minor league assignment.
Royals Designate Anthony Lerew For Assignment
According to a team press release, the Royals have given their final roster spot to veteran lefty John Parrish, and designated Anthony Lerew for assignment.
Lerew, 27, posted a 4.05 ERA through 13.1 innings for the Royals last season, but only managed seven strikeouts versus eight walks. Over 35 major league innings, Lerew has walked 23 batters.
Baseball America ranked Lerew as a Top 100 prospect prior to both the 2005 (#99) and 2006 (#93) seasons. Unfortunately, Lerew's never found a way to match his minor league success (3.52 ERA, 7.2 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 through 914.2 innings) in the big leagues over parts of four seasons with the Braves and Royals.
No Extension Talks For Konerko, Pierzynski
Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski have yet to be approached by the team about possible contract extensions, says Dave van Dyck of The Chicago Tribune. Neither player seems overly concerned about their situation, as both appear content to take the wait and see approach.
White Sox GM Kenny Williams has said that he will check in with Pierzynski's representatives at some point during the season, though the team has top catching prospect Tyler Flowers in Triple-A, just waiting to take over the catching job. Konerko, on the other hand, has said that he's willing to listen about an extension, but is prepared to move on.
The 34-year-old Konerko is the team's captain, and will earn $12MM in the final year of the five year, $60MM deal he signed after the Chicago's 2005 World Series Championship. If he does hit the open market, he'd have to contend with other free agent first basemen like Derrek Lee and Carlos Pena. Pierzynski, 33, will pocket $6.25MM this season, and might be the best free agent backstop after Victor Martinez.
Third Team Pursuing Rafael DePaula
A third team has joined the Yankees and Mariners in pursuit of 17-year-old Dominican righty Rafael DePaula according to MLBTR contributor Blake Bentley. He reports that DePaula is scheduled to pitch in front of Padres' scouts and senior executives next week.
DePaula worked in the 92-93 mph range during a workout a few weeks ago, and reportedly has an offer from the Mariners in hand. Standing 6-foot-3, he is considered the equivalent of a first round draft pick and is in line for a seven-figure deal.
Pirates Designate Ramon Vazquez For Assignment
Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that the Pirates have designated utility infielder Ramon Vazquez for assignment. The team has ten days to trade, release, or waive him, though Kovacevic says a release seems like a certainty. We chronicled the team's roster crunch earlier this morning.
The 33-year-old Vazquez hit just .230/.335/.279 in 239 plate appearances last year, playing all over the infield. The Pirates are still on the hook for the $2MM they promised him in 2010 as part of the two year, $4MM deal they gave him last season.
Kovacevic also mentions that Rule 5 Draft pick John Raynor and the out of options Hayden Penn have made the team's Opening Day roster, so we won't be seeing them on waivers anytime soon.
Owner Ken Kendrick On The Diamondbacks
Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic sat down for a chat with Diamondbacks' owner Ken Kendrick to discuss a variety of topics. Let's break it down..
- Kendrick lauds the team's offseason moves and the balance they've struck between scoring runs and preventing them. He mentions that his team is one of the few that has increased payroll from last year.
- When asked if the team will look outside the organization for pitching help if Brandon Webb's shoulder continues to be an issue, Kendrick said the team is always looking. We heard Arizona was trying to acquire a "number three or four starter" via trade just last weekend.
- Kendrick acknowledges that it will be tough for his team to make a profit if they don't contend, which presumably will affect future payroll.
- The team still owes about $40MM in deferred money to former players like Bernard Gilkey, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Matt Williams, Luis Gonzalez, and Roberto Alomar. That number was over $200MM when Kendrick's group took over the team in 2004, and they'll be making significant deferred payments through the 2012 season.
- Because of the capital commitment that was put into the club when he took over, the money tied up in deferred payments will not necessarily be available to the club once those payoffs has been made. "But those of us who have been putting money in will not have the obligation to do that in the same way that we do now," said Kendrick. "So there would be some more freedom if we are prepared to go further into our pocket books."
Even though the talk about it possibly being tough to turn a profit and all of the deferred payments can be scary for the Diamondbacks' faithful, the team is clearly committed to contending now and in the future. They've committed $65.75MM in extensions for Justin Upton and Mark Reynolds within the last month.
The Pirates’ Roster Crunch
We've seen a bevy of players designated for assignment and/or released in the past few days as teams were finalizing their Opening Day rosters. The deadline for clubs to submit their 25-man roster is 2pm CT today, and perhaps no one has more decisions to make than the Pirates, as Karen Price of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review explains.
At the moment, Pittsburgh's 40-man roster is full, but they have to find room for relievers Jack Taschner and D.J. Carrasco, who've made the team. One spot can be freed up by placing reliever Jose Ascanio on the 60-day disabled list as he recovers from shoulder surgery. Price mentions that the other 40-man spot is likely to come at the cost of Hayden Penn, Ramon Vazquez, John Raynor, or Steve Pearce.
The Pirates claimed Penn off waivers just last week, but that doesn't mean they aren't willing to designate him for assignment today. He's out of options, so he'd have to clear waivers to be sent to the minors anyway. As a Rule 5 Draft selection, the Pirates have to keep Raynor on their 25-man roster all season or offer him back to the Marlins. Pearce has a leg up on the other guys because he has a minor league option remaining.
Vazquez will earn $2MM this season, but was told that he wasn't on the team a few weeks ago, making him a candidate to be either traded or released. Cutting him loose and eating his salary isn't the most desirable move, but it's probably best for the team. After a breakout season with the Rangers in 2008, Vazquez hit just .230/.335/.279 in 239 plate appearances last year, but at least he's capable of playing all over the infield. With Bobby Crosby and Ronny Cedeno on board, that last point may be moot.
Joel Hanrahan is likely to start the year on the 15-day DL because of an elbow issue, so the team could carry Penn to start the season. Optioning Pearce and releasing Vazquez would give the team the 25-man and 40-man roster spots for Taschner/Carrasco, then they'd just have to figure out what to do with Raynor, who's in a unique spot. We'll find out their decision by this afternoon, one way or the other.
Nationals Have Discussed Trade For Right Fielder
In the wake of losing an everyday outfielder when they released Elijah Dukes, the Nationals have had discussions with several teams about a trade for a right fielder according to MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling. Among the targets: Corey Hart, Kosuke Fukudome, and B.J. Upton.
Goessling says that none of those trade talks have been particularly substantive, but it's clear the Nats aren't necessarily looking for a cheap solution. The two sides weren't able to find a common ground for Hart, and the Nats came away with the impression that the Rays won't move the elder Upton brother unless they fall out of the AL East race this summer. Fukudome still has two years and $26.5MM left on his deal, so he's unlikely to be moved unless the Cubs eat a large portion of that commitment.
Washington feels right field is a thin position around the league, so for now they'll try to get by with a combination of Willie Harris and Willy Taveras. They'll have to hope their defensive skills make up for their collective lack of offense.