The Red Sox will scout right-hander Javier Vazquez in Puerto Rico on Friday, according to Victor Ramos of Solo Beisbol (on Twitter, Spanish link). An industry source confirmed the news to Rob Bradford of WEEI, who notes that Vazquez has been throwing a fastball in the 92-93 mph range in recent workouts. Vazquez said earlier this week that he would consider a return to MLB and would like to play for a contender. Here's more from around baseball..
- Speaking of the Red Sox, Andrew Bailey says that he's happy to have Joel Hanrahan on board, even though it means that he won't be closing, Bradford writes. Meanwhile, Bailey believes that he's poised for a strong year thanks to his offseason training.
- Padres General Manager Josh Byrnes indicated today that the team likely won't pick up a starting pitcher in free agency, writes MLB.com's Corey Brock. The Padres signed Jason Marquis to a one-year deal last month, adding him to an already lengthy list of rotation candidates.
- General Manager Jeff Luhnow says the Astros aren't likely to add any additional key players between now and spring training, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Houston's biggest pickups this winter were the signings of slugger Carlos Pena and relief pitcher Jose Veras.
- The Cubs expect free agent Nate Schierholtz to be a regular in right field, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. Chicago inked Schierholtz to a one-year, $2.25MM deal with $500K in performance bonuses.
