The Red Sox will interview Rick Peterson for their pitching coach job, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). The Orioles granted Boston permission to interview Peterson, who is currently Baltimore's director of pitching development and is a former pitching coach with the A's, Mets and Brewers.
Here's the latest from around the AL East…
- No teams have yet contacted the Yankees about a possible Alex Rodriguez trade, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
- The Orioles have scouted Japanese right-hander Shohei Otani, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun, confirming an earlier report from Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News that the O's had interest in the 18-year-old prospect. Since Otani has already been drafted (though not signed) by the NPL's Nippon Ham Fighters, Connolly suspects the O's might not make any quick attempts to sign Otani given the Orioles' issues last season in trying to sign Korean southpaw Seong-Min Kim.
- Zack Greinke and Josh Hamilton are both too expensive for the Orioles' taste, writes MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko in an analysis of free agents who won't be pursued by the O's this winter. The team doesn't have interest in free agent pitchers Derek Lowe, Jeremy Guthrie, Edwin Jackson or Erik Bedard, while Kevin Youkilis is a longshot based on Baltimore's concerns about his health.
- James Loney has a less than 50-50 chance of returning to the Red Sox, reports MLB.com's Evan Drellich, though the Sox see Loney as a "Plan B" if they're still looking for first base help later in the offseason.
- The Rays have been denied permission by St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster to explore new stadium sites in nearby counties in Tampa Bay, reports Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune. The Rays' lease at Tropicana Field runs through the 2027 season.
- Mariano Rivera's retirement could help the Yankees avoid a tough decision with the closer's job, opines Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York. If Rivera retired, the Yankees could then pursue a new contract with Rafael Soriano without worrying about committing too much payroll space on closers.
- From earlier today, Joel Sherman of the New York Post had more items about the Yankees.
“the yankees” and “commiting too much payroll space” in the same sentence? Never thought i would hear that.
Did you ever think the Yankees would call the Pirates, of all teams, about dumping payroll–from the former to the latter? That’s what happened with AJ Burnett.
Was more of a player dump. They only dumped $13M of his salary, which is less than he is worth. They just wanted him gone.
I’m really hoping Rich Sauveur gets a serious shot as pitching coach for Boston. He’s done a good job in Pawtucket and already knows most of the staff from his time there.
Arrivederci, Rick Peterson! You know it’s funny, I wish Boston would take all our coaches. I would even throw in John Russell for free. All I would ask in return is Andrew Bailey.
No teams have yet contacted the Yankees about a possible Alex Rodriguez trade.That’s a real head scatcher.
Lastly, why the Orioles have an offseason anymore is beyond me! In fact the O’s should change their namke to the Baltimore Goldilocks. Why you ask? Well, I could hear the conversation in the Oriole War Room between Angelos and Duquette. Oh this ball player is too warm, this ball player is too cold, oh this ball player is just too expensive, oh this ball player is……….It might just be another 15 years before we get to the playoffs again. Seriously! I don’t see the A’s resting on their laurels! Why are the O’s?!?
Still negative about the O’s?
Yessiree, a .231/.311/.434 centerfielder is just exactly what the A’s were missing. A huge improvement over the .259/.325/.418 guy they had. This just in: Jim Bowden doesn’t run the Orioles. Activity does not mean improvement. Public inactivity does not mean nothing is happening behind the scenes. Have you learned nothing from watching Duquette operate the past year?
On a personal note, I would love to be a fly on the wall when Gordon Edes has to write the story about Duquette winning Executive of the Year. How many shades of purple and green will he turn?
Chris young is just as valuable as BJ, yet the A’s got a player that is significantly cheaper for very little trading pieces. The A’s got a great trade, and if they want they can even flip him once they see if Upton signs a very rich deal.
For ARod to be traded a couple things are going to have to happen:
1. He will have to waive his NTC.
2. If he is going to an NL team, he will have to agree to waive his NTC in the future because he will be a DH in two years (he’ll be traded back in an AL team).
3. The Yankees would have to pay 80+ million of the contract.
4. The Yankees would have to be responsible for any bonuses in his contract.
5. The team he is traded to must be a contender in a big market.
There are probably more reasons this won’t happen, but this is a start. He’ll be in NY next year.
I think they would have to eat quite more than 80 million, Id start somewhere around 100+
That makes no sense for the Yankees. I know it’s a popular sentiment to dump on A-Rod but he’s worth well more than 2 million a year and you’re implying he’s not by demanding all but around 14 million to be paid on his deal. About 80 million is realistic and fair.
Doesn’t he have a 30 million dollar bonus as well if he breaks the record?
Yes, but that is A: non-guaranteed and B: I was operating under the standards of the original commenter who said the Yankees would pick up that 30 million….Personally, if A-Rod is going to break the home run record, I’m sure whatever franchise he’s on would probably benefit from it.
I know that, but that’s why when i originally posted this, I said that the Yankees would have to be responsible for it if it did happen.
Way too much. He’s worth about 7 million per year.
They better be getting back several good prospects if they ate 100M. He isn’t a liability, he just is overpaid, and if they would be eating it all anyways as you suggest.
Over the past 3 seasons he has averaged 3.4 WAR a year, and that puts him 9th among 3B, and that is with tying Longoria for fewest # games over that timeframe.
Just for reference Fangraphs states 3-4 war is a good player, not all-star in most years, but still solid.
The Rays continue to be a 90 win team yet continue to rank dead last in attendance. They must move. Bill Foster is probably the only person in the state that wants the Rays to stay there.
My Nostradamus prediction is that the Rays win the AL East in 2013. Draw terrible until the last week and then have to trade Price, etc..
As a Red Sox fan, I hope bringing back James Loney is not a Plan B. (Perhaps a Plan X, Y, or Z.) I’d much rather see them give Mauro Gomez a chance.
Don’t see Youk coming, and no other really 1B out on the Market next 2 years. Why that Agon trade could hurt them bad if they want compete next year.
Don’t agree with Wallace. If cashman has any say, he isn’t going to give Soriano $15M for the closer role with a $189M payroll limit. He didn’t want soriano to begin with, and will probably just offer him the qualifying offer and say goodbye. They need to find how to cut another $20M by 2014, and that doesn’t include the $30M they are dropping this winter from Lowe and Ichiro. Mariano, Hughes, Kuroda, Swish, Grandy, cano could be some of that, but that would leave several large holes, and there will still be arbitration players.
Soriano due more next year if he don’t opt out than Pettitte and Kuroda combined made this year.