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2013 Contract Issues: Boston Red Sox

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The Red Sox are next in MLBTR’s 2013 Contract Issues series:

Eligible For Free Agency (9)

  • David Ortiz – Ortiz's desire for a multiyear deal is no secret, but the Red Sox may prefer to go year to year with the 36-year-old. They could make a qualifying offer after the season and assure themselves of draft pick compensation if Ortiz leaves. The $12-13MM salary that comes with a qualifying offer would represent a pay decrease for Ortiz, who earns $14.58MM this year. 
  • Daisuke Matsuzaka - The Red Sox expect Matsuzaka to return from Tommy John surgery this summer. His next contract will depend on how he pitches upon his return.
  • Marlon Byrd - The Red Sox brought the 34-year-old in after injuries depleted their depth, but their need for outfield help won't necessarily exist next offseason.
  • Bobby Jenks - Jenks has appeared in just 19 games since signing a two-year, $12MM contract two winters ago. There's not much reason to expect the Red Sox to offer him a guaranteed roster spot again.
  • Cody Ross - Ross has eight homers and an .883 OPS, so he's setting himself up for a starting role and a Major League contract in 2013.
  • Aaron Cook - Cook started one game for the Red Sox before the team placed him on the 15-day disabled list. At this point he's on track for another minor league deal.
  • Kelly Shoppach – Shoppach may be expendable given the presence of Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway.
  • Vicente Padilla - Padilla, who has more strikeouts than innings pitched, figures to sign a one-year or minor league deal next offseason.
  • Scott Podsednik - Podsednik and Byrd are in similar situations. They're contributing now with the knowledge that the Red Sox have a pair of star outfielders on the disabled list.

Contract Options (1)

  • Kevin Youkilis: $13MM club option with a $1MM buyout. Youkilis could be traded midseason now that Will Middlebrooks has emerged as an option for the big league team. But if he stays put and matches his career .878 OPS for the remainder of the season, the Red Sox could exercise the option.

Arbitration Eligible (14)

The Red Sox face a large arbitration class that includes many of the team's key players. Ellsbury and Bailey have been sidelined with injuries, so their raises will be modest. Others, such as Saltalamacchia, are on track for more substantial salary jumps. There's a good chance Tazawa will fall short of the service time requirements for eligibility at the end of the season and some players — Repko, for example — could be non-tendered.

2013 Payroll Obligation

The Red Sox have committed approximately $108MM to next year's payroll, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. They are barely under the $178MM luxury tax threshold this year, and if they aim to avoid it again next year, GM Ben Cherington will have less than $70MM at his disposal this coming offseason.

Dodgers Have Made Offer To Roy Oswalt

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TUESDAY: While the Dodgers did make Oswalt an offer, it came a while ago and the sides were far apart, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.  The Rangers are seen as the favorite to land the right-hander.

MONDAY: The Dodgers have made an offer to Roy Oswalt, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).  The Rangers, who are likely Oswalt's preferred team, are still in mix among other clubs.

Yesterday, it was reported that the Dodgers inquired on the veteran at one point but didn't appear to be involved any longer.  The Brewers also checked in on Oswalt but didn't feel that his salary could fit into their budget.  A major league source told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that Oswalt's preferred destinations are Texas and St. Louis, just as they were during the offseason. 

Cubs Open To New Contract For Ryan Dempster

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Even though Cubs right-hander Ryan Dempster knows that he could be traded in July, team president Theo Epstein says that he has talked to the pitcher about remaining in Chicago beyond 2012, writes Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times.  Epstein said that there has been open dialogue and the two sides could possibly work out a new contract.

"Long term, sure. We’ll have to take a realistic look at where we are," Epstein said.

Dempster, 35, is in his ninth season with the Cubs and in the final year of a four-year, $52MM deal.  The veteran has a 2.14 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 through eight games this season and is likely the Cubs' most attractive trade chip.

NL West Notes: Abreu, Dodgers, Padres, Giants

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The Dodgers are sitting atop the National League West with a 32-15 record but have reason to worry with Ted Lilly sidelined due a shoulder injury.  Just as the left-hander hit the 15-day disabled list, we heard tonight that the club has put an offer out to Roy Oswalt.  Here's more out of the NL West..

  • Newly-acquired Bobby Abreu may not have been a great locker room influence with the Angels, but the veteran has provided tremendous veteran leadership with the Dodgers, write Ken Gurnick of Alex Angert of MLB.com.  Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly noted that the club was excited about picking up Abreu but didn't anticipate him playing as much as he has been.
  • Three years after resisting the ownership overtures of Jeff Moorad, Phil Mickelson is joining forces with the O'Malley family in an effort to buy the Padres, writes Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune.  If the group is successful, second-leading money-winner in professional golf history says that he hopes to get Tony Gwynn involved.
  • Barry Bonds hopes to return to the Giants in some coaching capacity, writes MLB.com's Chris Haft.  Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that the club plans to bring him back into the organization once his legal proceedings are through.

Quick Hits: Vazquez, Oviedo, Acosta, Montero

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Happy Memorial Day! Here are today’s links…

  • It doesn't sound as though Javier Vazquez has baseball at the forefront of his mind.  When asked what he's up to, friends of the pitcher told Peter Gammons of MLB.com (via Twitter) that he's playing semi-pro tennis.  In April, the right-hander said that he's not planning on playing but also wasn't ready to announce his retirement.
  • MLB announced an eight-week suspension for Juan Carlos Oviedo, the right-handed pitcher formerly known as Leo Nunez, for engaging in age and identity fraud (Twitter link). Oviedo is making his way back to the Marlins after a prolonged absence.
  • Mike Puma of the New York Post wonders if Manny Acosta's days with the Mets could be numbered (Twitter link). Acosta has an 11.86 ERA after allowing three runs to the Phillies this afternoon.
  • The Diamondbacks were willing to pay up to keep Miguel Montero’s two-way play on the roster, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com writes. While Montero isn’t hitting much so far this year, he has thrown out 39.2% of potential base stealers since the beginning of the 2011 season. He recently signed a five-year, $60MM contract with Arizona.

Padres Seriously Considering Jason Marquis

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The Padres have four starting pitchers on the disabled list at the moment, which is why they are "giving serious thought" to signing Jason Marquis according to Joe Christensen of The Star Tribune. The right-hander was both designated for assignment and released by the Twins within the last week.

Marquis, 33, posted an 8.47 ERA with more walks (14) than strikeouts (12) in seven starts and 34 innings for Minnesota this season, but just last year he pitched to a 4.43 ERA in 132 innings for the Nationals and Diamondbacks. Any team that signs Marquis will only be responsible for the pro-rated portion of the $480K league minimum with the Twins picking up the rest of his $3MM salary.

Cory Luebke (Tommy John surgery) and Dustin Moseley (shoulder surgery) are both out for the season while Joe Wieland and Tim Stauffer are expected back from their elbow issues sometime this summer.

This post was originally published on May 29th.

Draft Notes: Cubs, Garcia, Pirates, Twins

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MLB's first year player draft takes place one week from today. The notes below should provide some hints as to what might happen on June 4th…

  • Chicago GM Jed Hoyer says "pitching is a target” for the Cubs in next week’s draft, Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald reports (Twitter link) “As an organization, our pitching depth is one of our bigger concerns,” Hoyer said.
  • In this week's edition of Ask BA Jim Callis of Baseball America explains why teams won't use top picks to draft players they don't intend to sign.
  • Cuban left-hander Onelki Garcia has his eyes on a major payday with the draft looming. The 22-year-old is looking for a signing bonus of $7MM and will not sign unless he's taken in the first round, tweets ESPN.com's Keith Law.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America expects the Pirates to take a hitter with the eighth overall selection (all Twitter links). Callis keeps hearing the Pirates connected to Arizona State shortstop Deven Marrero, and prep outfielder Albert Almora and University of Florida catcher Mike Zunino are also possibilities. Zunino draws comparisons to Jason Varitek, Callis notes.
  • Callis expects the Twins to take the top talent available when they select second overall, but notes that they could use pitching.

Daniel Seco contributed to this post.

Latest On Kevin Youkilis

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Kevin Youkilis returned to Boston's lineup last week and he already has a home run and a pair of two-hit games. But he remains a trade candidate given the presence of Will Middlebrooks, Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz on the Red Sox roster. Here's the latest on Youkilis…

  • There’s a feeling other teams would be interested in Youkilis, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter links). The 33-year-old isn’t the player he once was, so the Red Sox would likely have to contribute toward his $12MM salary in a trade. One scout says the Red Sox must trade Youkilis because Middlebrooks has as much power as Mark Trumbo of the Angels.

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