Some notes from baseball's East divisions…
- This is a "unique year" for five Red Sox who may become free agents after the season, writes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. As Joel Hanrahan, Stephen Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Mike Napoli look ahead to the prospect of facing the open market, they are adhering to the mantra that, as Ellsbury put it, "nothing changes." The Boston center-fielder explained: "Every year I've played for something. I've never had a guarantee. For me, it's the same as it has been the last three years, going through arbitration. For me, it doesn't change my approach. It doesn't change how I go about the game. It doesn't change my work ethic."
- Front office staff, like players, face immense pressure to perform. As reported by Michael Anft of PressBoxOnline.com, Orioles GM Dan Duquette has seen his share of success and failure over the years, and last year began to find redemption in Baltimore. "I learned a lot from the experience in Boston," said Duquette, including the need to be "more accessible" and to "have more fun with it."
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson told Mark Hale and Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post that he has interest in signing Ike Davis to an extension that would cover the first baseman's three arbitration seasons. Alderson said that he would "keep an eye on" that possibility, though he noted that it "has to work for both sides." Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog.com opines that Billy Butler's extension with the Royals could be a good comp.
