AL East Notes: Rays, Red Sox, Uehara, Yankees

Earlier today, we learned that while Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli has yet to hear from the club on an extension, he is open to talks with the club.  The veteran told his agent that the environment in Boston is better than the one in Texas, which is saying a lot considering how much he enjoyed his time with the Rangers.  Here's more out of the American League East..

• The Rays' unusual pitching depth has proven to be quite valuable, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  "Compared to other organizations, there is a tremendous amount of depth," said pitcher Jake Odorizzi, who was brought over from the Royals. "The whole Triple-A pitching staff has the ability to be here. You usually don't see that with an entire staff at the upper levels."  There's always trade talk surrounding Tampa Bay and their surplus starters, but injuries have shown the value in hanging on to pitching depth.
• The Red Sox's offseason pickups are looking strong so far in 2013, writes John Tomase of the Boston Herald.  Right-hander Koji Uehara gets an A on Tomase's report card as he has been the team's most consistent reliever.  Napoli gets an A-minus in spite of his high strikeout rate thanks to his overall offensive production.
• While the Yankees and Mets are heading in different directions, Joe Girardi finds himself on equal footing with Terry Collins, writes Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record.
• This morning, the Yankees designated Ben Francisco for assignment.