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Archives for October 2012

Red Sox Notes: Ortiz, Ross, Farrell, Cherington

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Earlier today, the Red Sox (re-)introduced John Farrell to the Boston media, two days after sending Mike Aviles north of the border to free him from the manager from his contract with the Blue Jays.  Here's more on the Red Sox..

  • In an interview with NBC's Bob Costas, former Red Sox skipper Bobby Valentine opined that David Ortiz quit on the team after their blockbuster deal with the Dodgers, writes Matthew Pouliot of HardballTalk.  "He realized that this trade meant that we’re not going to run this race and we’re not even going to finish the race properly and he decided not to play anymore. I think at that time it was all downhill from there," said Valentine.  The slugger is currently working to iron out a new deal with Boston.
  • Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) found it interesting that Farrell mentioned Cody Ross right away when asked about players that he has reached out to.  Ross is set to hit the open market after turning in a strong campaign on a one-year, $3MM deal.
  • There has been talk that the Blue Jays are upset with the Red Sox over what they perceive as tampering in the courtship of John Farrell, but GM Ben Cherington says that nothing of the sort took place, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.  "I can say definitively that wherever that speculation was coming from, it wasn't coming from me. The only conversations I had about the situation were directly to [CEO] Paul [Beeston] and [GM] Alex [Anthopoulos]'s until Saturday, when I got a chance to talk to John," said Cherington.
  • The solid relationship and familiarity between Cherington and Farrell will be key to the club's success going forward, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.

Cubs Notes: Camp, Pitching, Bush

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The Cubs flirted with the idea of trading Alfonso Soriano during the season and many have speculated that they could once again try to find a fit for him this winter.  Last week, however, Soriano said that he would be reluctant to join an AL club as a designated hitter.  Here's more out of Wrigley..

  • Right-hander Shawn Camp is the Cubs' only free agent this winter and team President Theo Epstein says that he is interested in having him back, tweets Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald.  Camp, who hooked on with the Cubs on a minor league deal in March, posted a 3.59 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 80 appearances last season.
  • Epstein added that the Cubs will likely pursue two starting pitchers, either through trades or free agency, this winter, Miles writes.  The deadline deals of Ryan Dempster and Paul Maholm combined with the elbow injury to Matt Garza left the rotation short-handed last year.
  • The Cubs gave Assistant GM Randy Bush a three-year contract extension, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com (via Twitter).  Bush is entering his seventh season in the position and his ninth season overall with the organization.

Outrighted: Michael Martinez, Jeremy Moore

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We’ll keep track of the day’s outright assignments here…

  • The Phillies announced that they have outrighted infielder Michael Martinez to Triple-A.  Martinez, 30, saw time at shortstop, second base, third base, and every outfield position in parts of two big league seasons with the club.  In 133 games during that stretch, Martinez posted a slash line of .188/.241/.272.
  • The Angels outrighted outfielder Jeremy Moore to the minor leagues after removing him from the 60-day disabled list, according to the transactions page at CBSSports.com. Moore missed the entire 2012 season to undergo right hip surgery. The 25-year-old made his MLB debut a year ago, appearing in eight games for the 2011 Angels. He spent most of the ’11 season at Triple-A, posting a .298/.331/.545 batting line with 24 doubles, 18 triples and 15 home runs.

Randy Wolf To Miss 2013 Season

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Veteran left-hander Randy Wolf will undergo Tommy John surgery next week that will cause him to miss all of the 2013 season, writes Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.  However, the 36-year-old told Connolly that he plans to return in 2014.

Wolf also underwent Tommy John surgery in July of 2005 as a member of the Phillies, sidelining him for the remainder of the season and the first half of the 2006 season.  The lefty was picked up by the Orioles after he was released in the final season of his three-year deal with the Brewers.  Wolf posted a 5.65 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 157.2 innings of work for the two clubs.

Super Two Cutoff To Be 2.139

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Players with at least two years and 139 days of service time will be eligible for the potentially lucrative arbitration process this offseason, according to the Associated Press (via FOXNews.com). The top 22% of players with between two and three years of MLB service qualify for arbitration under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement.

Nationals reliever Drew Storen, Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera, Mets catcher Josh Thole, Rays outfielder Sam Fuld, Rockies outfielder Tyler Colvin and Diamondbacks third baseman Chris Johnson are all eligible. 

Mariners outfielder Michael Saunders missed the cutoff by one day. Others, including Justin Smoak, Danny Valencia, Michael Brantley, Jordan Schafer, Giancarlo Stanton, Stephen Strasburg, Daniel Hudson, Dan Runzler, Andrew Cashner, Alex Burnett, Esmil Rogers and Alexi Ogando, came close to super two status without reaching the threshold.

Jonathan Lucroy, whose contract includes escalators related to super two status, will fall three days short of arbitration eligibility. The difference will cost him $2MM, as I explained last month.

Super two status entitles certain players to four years of arbitration eligibility, rather than the usual three. As a result, players who earn the super two designation generally earn more than their peers. The cutoff would have been two years and 144 days under baseball’s previous collective bargaining agreement, according to the AP. In previous years the top 17% of players with between two and three years of MLB service qualified. The players and owners agreed to a new system last fall.

Padres To Release Micah Owings

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The Padres have requested unconditional release waivers for right-hander Micah Owings, Corey Brock of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). The Legacy Sports Group client will hit free agency after he clears release waivers.

The move amounts to an early non-tender for Owings, who would have been arbitration eligible for the third time this coming offseason. He had been a non-tender candidate after missing most of the season with an elbow injury, so the move doesn't come as a surprise. Owings, 30, appeared in just six games this past season. He underwent season-ending arthroscopic elbow surgery in July and didn't pitch after April.

Latest On Shohei Otani

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Shohei Otani, the Japanese pitching prospect who intends to pursue a career in MLB, appears to be an elite talent comparable to those selected in the top half of the first round of baseball’s amateur draft. The right-hander had been a potential first overall pick in Japan before he announced his intention to play for an MLB organization. And, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America, Dodgers assistant GM Logan White told Japanese reporters that Otani could go first overall if he were eligible for the MLB draft.

However, the 18-year-old free agent won’t be draft eligible. Otani will be subject to spending restrictions as an international amateur, which means teams will face consequences if they exceed the $2.9MM international bonus threshold to sign him. Teams will be taxed at a rate of 100% for exceeding the 2.9MM threshold by more than 15%. These clubs would also forfeit the right to spend more than $250K on an international player during the following year’s signing period. 

Callis suggests these restrictions won’t be too much of a deterrent for interested MLB teams. Boston GM Ben Cherington confirmed today that the Red Sox met with Otani, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports (on Twitter). The Red Sox and Rangers “have done the most work in this arena,” ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported today. Meanwhile, the Angels aren’t expected to be heavily involved, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports (on Twitter).

Marlins Fire Ozzie Guillen

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Ozzie Guillen’s first season in Miami began with high-priced free agent additions, new uniforms, an eye-catching stadium and even a reality show. There was considerable optimism that this would be the Marlins' year. But after a 93-loss season that featured a controversy or two along the way, the outspoken manager has lost his job. The Marlins fired Guillen today, nearly three weeks after he managed his final regular season game with the team.

Guillen had three years and $7.5MM remaining on his contract with Miami. The Marlins, who acquired Guillen from the White Sox a year ago, finished the 2012 season 69-93, last in the NL East. They'll now seek a replacement for Guillen and complete the transition they've been mulling for weeks. Mike Lowell's name has come up in connection with the Marlins, but he won't be considered, the Miami Herald reported early in October.

Guillen made controversial comments about Fidel Castro early in April, as his team played to an 8-14 record. Later in the season Guillen and Heath Bell publicly debated the manager’s decision to remove Bell from the closer’s role. Bell has since been traded, but evidently the deal didn’t affect Guillen’s job security.

Guillen, a 16-year MLB veteran who made three All-Star teams as a player, managed the White Sox for eight seasons before joining the Marlins. He led the White Sox to a World Series title in 2005 and compiled a total record of 678-617 in Chicago.

Bench coach Joey Cora has also been dismissed, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). 

Blue Jays Designate Tyson Brummett For Assignment

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The Blue Jays announced that they designated Tyson Brummett for assignment five days after claiming the right-hander off of waivers from the Phillies. The move creates 40-man roster space for another waiver claim, former Phillies right-hander David Herndon.

Brummett made his MLB debut earlier this month, getting two strikeouts against the Nationals. The 28-year-old spent most of the season in the upper minors, posting a 3.20 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 90 innings. He started eight games and pitched out of the bullpen in 36 others this year, pitching at Double-A and Triple-A.

Blue Jays Claim David Herndon

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The Blue Jays have claimed right-hander David Herndon off of waivers from Philadelphia, the Phillies announced. The 27-year-old underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery in June, which means he won't be ready to return until midway through the 2013 season.

Herndon was a key contributor for the Phillies from 2010-11, when he posted a 3.79 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 over the course of 92 games. He appeared in five games for the Phillies this April before being placed on the disabled list.

Watch out for the Blue Jays. They claimed Bobby Wilson yesterday and have also claimed Tyson Brummett, Cory Wade and Scott Cousins in the past week.

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