AL East Notes: Sandoval, Ramirez, Rays

Red Sox owner John Henry made comments back in April that seemed to imply he was done with signing players over the age of 30 to monster contracts.  However, Boston’s signings of Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez show that’s not quite the case.  “John Henry comes from a world where everything has a value,” General Manager Ben Cherington said, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. “Sometimes it’s worth investing a lot if you think you’re getting really good talent back or performance. The age thing, of course, is part of the conversation because we all know players age and when they get into their 30s, historically speaking, there starts to be a decline. But when we get in a room and talk about offseason planning, it’s never pursue this guy or don’t pursue this guy just for these rules. It’s all about what makes sense, what fits on the team.”  More from the AL East..

• Forget about tweaking, new Rays president Matt Silverman is making major changes, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes.  Even in the midst of their managerial search, the Rays have traded three pitchers who have played key roles in Jeremy Hellickson, Joel Peralta, and Cesar Ramos and dumped six others off of the 40-man roster.  There’s more on the horizon as either Matt Joyce or David DeJesus could be dealt this winter.
• Peter Gammons (via Twitter) would be surprised if Yoenis Cespedes nets the Red Sox a good starter without getting a third team involved.
• Sandoval and Ramirez are a pair of highly productive hitters that can form a safety blanket for Red Sox youngsters Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Mookie Betts if they stumble, writes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.