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Red Sox Talking To Roy Oswalt

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The Red Sox have ongoing contact with free agent pitcher Roy Oswalt, sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com (Twitter link).

Oswalt, not far removed from being a dependable top-of-the-rotation starter, has seen his stock fall this offseason due to injury concerns, with recent rumors suggesting he could end up with a one-year contract worth somewhere around $8MM.

In addition to the Red Sox, the Rangers and Cardinals are also thought to be interested in adding the right-hander, who could pay off in spades for a contender if he's back at full strength.

Boston has been aggressively purusing rotation depth recently, although Oswalt would be more than insurance if he were to sign. The Sox added Aaron Cook and Justin Germano on minor league deals, and they may be nearing an agreement with Vicente Padilla.

MLBTR Originals: 1/8/2012 – 1/14/2012

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There was plenty of news last week, but the sturdy writing team here at MLBTR still managed to pump out some interested original analysis and reporting. Here's the rundown:

Rockies, Seth Smith Avoid Arbitration

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8:46pm: Smith will earn $2.415MM, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned.

8:28pm: The Rockies and Seth Smith have avoided arbitration by agreeing to terms on a one-year deal, the team announced via Twitter.

Smith, 29, was eligible for arbitration for the first time. The outfielder has been a productive offensive player thus far in his career, posting a .275/.348/.485 line in 1,449 plate appearances. The left-handed hitter is well above average against righties (.290/.364/.518) but struggles mightily against southpaws (.202/.269/.319), so he's best deployed in a platoon.

Smith, a second-round pick of the Rox in 2004, was projected by MLBTR's Matt Swartz to earn $2.6MM through arbitration.

Week In Review: 1/8/2012 – 1/14/2012

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The Yankees awoke from a relative offseason slumber to pull off a pair of big moves on Friday. In case you missed that or any other notable news, the Week In Review's got you covered …

Red Sox, Saltalamacchia Avoid Arbitration

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The Red Sox and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia have avoided arbitration by agreeing to terms on a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, the team announced. The deal is worth $2.5MM, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.

Saltalamacchia, 27 in May, hit 16 homers and posted a .235/.288/.450 line in 386 plate-appearances for the Red Sox in 2011, his first full campaign in Boston. Once a highly touted prospect with the Braves, Salty has been something of a disappointment as a Major Leaguer, hitting .244/.307/.406 in nearly 1,300 career plate appearances over parts of five seasons, although catchers are known the develop late.

Matt Swartz of MLBTR projected Salty would earn $1.6MM in 2012 through arbitration, so the reported $2.5MM is favorable for the Munsey Sports Management client based on that projection.

Boston's remaining arbitration eligible players are Alfredo Aceves, Mike Aviles, Andrew Bailey, Daniel Bard, Jacoby Ellsbury, Franklin Morales and David Ortiz, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.

Yankees Have Spoken To Carlos Pena

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The Yankees have contacted DH/first baseman Carlos Pena, the free agent told Rich Herrera and Mel Antonen during an appearance on MLB Network Radio's Home Plate program (Twitter link). Pena also said he's keeping his options open at this point.

We heard earlier today that the Bombers have also been in touch with free agent Johnny Damon, so they're clearly kicking the tires on reasonably priced DH/1B types after trading Jesus Montero to the Mariners on Friday.

After reestablishing himself as an MLB starter with the Rays from 2007-10, Pena hit free agency last offseason and signed a one-year deal with the Cubs. The left-handed hitter, a Boras Corporation client, slugged 28 homers and posted a .225/.357/.462 line. He'll turn 34 in May.

The Yankees' current projected payroll is at about $212MM, according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger, who heard earlier in the offseason that New York doesn't want to go above that figure (Twitter links). So, it sounds like the Yanks will either have to stray from their plan, or sign a Damon or Pena type at a fairly steep discount.

You can use MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker to have a look at the remaining free agent designated hitters and first basemen.

Remaining Free Agent Groundballers

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With Aaron Cook and his 57% career groundball rate now off the free agent market, it's a good time to have a look at some available hurlers who have a habit of keeping the ball on the infield.

There's no official distinction for what makes one a groundballer, of course, but the average MLB pitcher induces grounders about 44% of the time. So, we're looking at guys who clock in above that rate for their career and who logged at least 100 innings in 2011.

  1. Paul Maholm – 52.3%. He's not spectacular by any stretch but is reliable and should find a home as someone's No. 4 or 5 starter. 
  2. Joel Pineiro – 49.2%. His 60.5% rate as a Cardinal in 2009 looks like an outlier, but whoever signs him will hope he can recapture that form.
  3. Hiroki Kuroda – 48.6%. His career average would be higher were it not for a big dip in 2011 – down to 43.2%. Is that noise, or a change in profile for an aging pitcher who's battled injuries?
  4. Roy Oswalt – 47.3%. He hovered around 50% during his prime but seems to have settled in close to league average the past couple years. I wonder if his back troubles have been a factor.

As you can see, most of the extreme groundballers (50% or more) are off the market. Edwin Jackson, the prize of the remaining class, has had some pretty notable swings in groundball rate from year to year, which is Edwin Jackson in a nutshell.

Gammons On Fielder, Madson, Cook

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The relative inactivity of the Yankees and Red Sox on the market for expensive free agents has rendered this offseason a strange one, writes Peter Gammons of MLB.com. Both clubs are concerned about the luxury tax in both the short and long terms, one GM tells Gammons. Here are some other tidbits of note …

  • Gammons wonders whether there’s a fit for free agent Prince Fielder other than the Nationals: “Where is there a team with local media rights that Fielder could impact? And local media rights is what's driving the cars these days, as Albert Pujols knows.”
  • However, if the Rangers get a deal done with Yu Darvish, the "Fielder watch will come into focus," especially if the Nationals back off and Prince doesn’t want to play for the Mariners.
  • As for Ryan Madson, the race between the Angels and Rangers for supremacy in the AL West could re-shape the market for the free agent closer. Halos GM Jerry Dipoto, in particular, is keeping an eye on the right-hander to see if his price comes down.
  • The Red Sox are looking at lefty Paul Maholm, and they might be interested in Aaron Cook if the righty is amenable to signing a minor league deal with incentives. Cook has a history with new Boston pitching coach Bob McClure.
  • The Red Sox inked right-hander Carlos Silva in hopes of making him 2012’s Freddy Garcia, who was a nice value signing for the Yankees on a one-year, $1.5MM deal last season.

Brewers Work Out Aoki

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Japanese outfielder Norichika Aoki has completed a workout for the Brewers, according to Nikkan Sports via Patrick Newman's NPB Tracker.

The Brewers won the right to negotiate with Aoki after placing a high bid of $2.5MM through the posting system. The bid was accepted by the Yakult Swallows, Aoki's club in NPB, and the Brewers have till Jan. 17 to sign Aoki, according to Newman, or else he'll return to the Swallows.

Brewers GM Doug Melvin and manager Ron Roenicke were among eight representatives in attendance for the 75-minute workout, which reportedly included catch, long toss, batting practice and base running.

Aoki has been a star in Japan, posting a robust .336/.411/.472 line in seven seasons. The Brewers, however, may have a bench role in mind for the outfielder, as we learned last month that they began contract negotiations in the $1-1.5MM range.

MLBTR Originals: 1/1/12 – 1/7/12

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There was plenty of original analysis and reporting published at MLBTR last week. Here's a look back …

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