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Red Sox Exercise David Ortiz’s 2011 Option

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The Red Sox exercised David Ortiz's $12.5MM option for 2011, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Big Papi has continually voiced his desire for a multi-year deal, but he's only under contract for 2011 at this point. The sides could renegotiate the deal to cover 2012 and beyond if the Red Sox like the idea of keeping Ortiz in Boston.

The 34-year-old recently told Rob Bradford that he considers himself “one of the best hitters in the game” and he has some impressive numbers on his side. Ortiz was among the American League leaders in slugging (8th, .529), OPS (8th, .899), home runs (5th, 32) and walks (9th, 82) this year.

The Rangers declined their side of the $9MM option for DH Vladimir Guerrero yesterday.

Nationals Aiming To Make A “Splash”

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The Nationals are going to pursue top players aggressively this offseason and they may be a sleeper team in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick. They are looking for an elite starter and Lee will be available to them within a few days.

"They're going to step up and try to get a top free agent,'' a baseball insider told Crasnick. "They'd like to make a splash.'' 

If Lee signs with the Yankees, the Rangers or someone else, the Nationals will consider trading for James Shields, Matt Garza or another potentially available starter. The Nationals have no interest in including Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa in potential trades, according to Crasnick.

The Nationals appear to be interested in Carl Crawford and have expressed interest in adding a top starter since the summer.

The Mets’ Decision To Hire J.P. Ricciardi

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The Mets know J.P. Ricciardi signed Vernon Wells, B.J. Ryan and Frank Thomas to questionable deals, but they still wanted to hire him. So did the Red Sox for that matter. But their interest in Ricciardi probably had little to do with those multi-million dollar contracts. Theo Epstein likely wanted the former Blue Jays GM around because of his shrewd under-the-radar pickups and consistently productive drafts. It was a major reason why Mets GM Sandy Alderson hired Ricciardi.

“I know first hand he’s a superb talent evaluator," Alderson said when the Mets announced the hiring earlier this week. "He’ll be a tremendous resource in a variety of areas.”

Ricciardi, Toronto’s GM from 2001-09, added expensive free agents who didn’t perform as expected so, like former Mets GM Omar Minaya, he got fired. It would be unwise to try to analyze Ricciardi’s tenure in Toronto in a few hundred words, but certain deals will give us insight into what the executive brings to the Mets and why Sandy Alderson wanted to reunite with his former Oakland colleague.

Every one of Ricciardi’s drafts from 2002-07 produced at least one major league regular. Dave Bush (2002), Shaun Marcum (2003), Aaron Hill (2003), Casey Janssen (2004), Adam Lind (2004), Ricky Romero (2005), Travis Snider (2006), Brett Cecil (2007) and J.P. Arencibia (2007) are all Ricciardi draftees. It’s still early to be evaluating the 2008-09 draft classes, but Tyler Pastornicky (2008, no longer with Toronto), Eric Thames (2008), Jacob Marisnick (2009) and Chad Jenkins (2009) are promising. 

Jose Bautista deserves credit for turning his career around, but Ricciardi was the one who traded for him. Ricciardi also bought low on Marco Scutaro, Rod Barajas, Scott Downs, Scott Richmond, Josh Towers and others. They aren’t all MVP candidates like Bautista, but none of those players cost the Jays much and they all contributed. 

Ricciardi overspent on free agents and, at times, on his own players. He signed Frank Thomas and A.J. Burnett to contracts that didn’t work out particularly well. The Blue Jays owe Vernon Wells $86MM through 2014 because of a deal they offered under Ricciardi. And the Blue Jays spent $10MM on B.J. Ryan this year because Ricciardi overpaid for his services after the 2005 season.

But Alderson didn’t hire Ricciardi to overpay for closers or center fielders (the Amazins already have that covered). With decades of experience in big league front offices, Ricciardi has developed an eye for talent that should help the Mets.

Cubs Notes: Nick Johnson, Wood, Payroll

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The Cubs plan to add a starter, a right handed reliever and a first baseman this offseason and the Chicago Sun-Times has the details on which players could be suiting up at Wrigley Field in 2011:

  • There are indications that GM Jim Hendry is focusing on “the likes of” Nick Johnson if the medicals look good enough. Johnson appeared in just 24 games last year, but has a .401 career on base percentage and doubles power. A year ago the Cubs signed another former Yankee coming off an injury-plagued season, but the Xavier Nady deal didn’t work out as well as the Cubs hoped.
  • Hendry is keeping an eye on Kerry Wood, a player who would reportedly interest the Cubs at the right price. The GM says he has a “wonderful relationship” with Wood, but insisted that it would be foolish to get into specifics.
  • The Cubs don’t have a firm payroll, but it still appears that the team will spend less than it did in 2010.

iPhone App Now Available

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Just in time for the offseason, our iPhone app is now available!  It is listed as Baseball Trade Rumors in the app store and costs $2.99.  You can search the store or just click this link.  The app has been described as "beyond belief" by legendary journalist Peter Gammons.

The bread and butter of the app is the customizable push notifications.  By default it sends an alert to your iPhone for all transactions, and you can also add alerts for any combination of players, teams, and leagues you desire.  If you want to be the first to know where Cliff Lee is headed, who the Tigers are looking at, or anything else hot stove-related, this app can accommodate you.

The headlines page of the app shows our 25 latest posts, no ads, easily refreshed.  Individual posts with hyperlinks can be viewed, of course.  You can also leave comments on MLBTradeRumors.com through the app.  Check it out today!

Yankees Don’t Plan To Pursue Crawford, Werth

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The Yankees will try to sign Cliff Lee this offseason, but it doesn’t look like they’ll bid as aggressively on the top free agent bats. At this point, they don’t plan to pursue Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.

Brett Gardner, Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson give the Yankees a capable and relatively affordable outfield. Crawford and Werth will require tens of millions of dollars and multiyear commitments, so the Yankees are reluctant to enter the bidding for them.

"We are better with Crawford, but at that price?" a Yankees source asked Feinsand. "I'm not sure it's that good of an upgrade."

Of course we didn’t expect the Yankees to end up with Mark Teixeira two winters ago, but they swooped in with a last minute bid. The Bronx Bombers could get by without Crawford and Werth and it appears that they don’t intend to sign either outfielder, but let’s not rule them out completely until it’s official.

Padres Decline 2011 Option For Chris Young

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The Padres declined Chris Young's 2011 option, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock (on Twitter). We heard last month that the Padres would not pick up his $8.5MM option, so it is no surprise to see the tall right-hander hit free agency officially.

Young experienced shoulder problems all year and appeared in just four games. He logged 20 innings and allowed only two earned runs, but he walked 11. Young has always been hard to hit, but walks have been a problem for him throughout his seven-year career.

Mets Exercise Jose Reyes’ 2011 Option

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The Mets exercised Jose Reyes' 2011 option and will pay the shortstop $11MM in salary instead of a $500K buyout. The 27-year-old has said he'd like to sign in New York long-term, and GM Sandy Alderson told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that he's open to working out an extension.

“A long-term deal is not out of the question,” Alderson said. “It is something we can certainly discuss at a future date.”

Reyes hit .282/.321/.428 with 30 steals and 50 extra base hits in 2010. 

Rockies Decline Option For Octavio Dotel

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The Rockies declined their 2011 option for Octavio Dotel, according to the AP (via the Miami Herald). The club will pay the righty a $250K buyout instead of a $4.5MM salary.

Dotel split the 2010 season between the Pirates, Dodgers and Rockies. He posted an overall ERA of 4.08 with 10.5 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 68 appearances. Dotel is a Type B free agent, so the Rockies could technically obtain a compensation pick if they offer arbitration and the 36-year-old turns it down to sign elsewhere.

Rangers Decline Option For Guerrero

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The Rangers declined their side of Vladimir Guerrero's $9MM option for 2011, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Instead, Texas will pay a $1MM buyout.

Guerrero, 35, hit .300/.345/.496 with 29 homers last season, his first in Texas. The Rangers would like to keep him, but he is a Type A free agent, so they will obtain a pair of top picks in next year's draft if he declines arbitration to sign elsewhere.

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