Red Sox Out Of Picture On Edwin Jackson?
In Edwin Jackson, agent Scott Boras has a 28-year-old free agent innings eater with a touch of upside. Weeks before pitchers and catcher report, Boras has been unable to work his usual magic. Rumor has it a one-year deal is more likely than multiyear; here's the latest…
- The Red Sox are "most likely out of the picture" for Jackson, a baseball source tells Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com. The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo reported yesterday Boston was in the $5-6MM range on a one-year deal, and Edes says Jackson has "better deals on the table from other clubs." Though it happened with Carlos Pena, a pay cut for Jackson would be a tough pill for Boras to swallow. The righty earned $8.35MM last year. If Jackson lands under $10MM on a one-year deal, his signing will likely be heralded as one of the offseason's best from a team point-of-view.
Nationals Sign Chad Durbin
The Nationals signed reliever Chad Durbin to a minor league deal, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Last year Durbin held out until March 1st to score a Major League deal with the Indians; this year he has time to plan before pitchers and catchers report.
Durbin, 34, posted a 5.53 ERA, 7.8 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 1.58 HR/9, and 40.2% groundball rate in 68 1/3 innings for the Tribe last year. Aside from more of his flyballs leaving the yard and more of his batted balls dropping in for hits, Durbin's numbers weren't much different from when he posted a 3.80 ERA in 2010 with the Phillies.
Durbin joins non-roster invitees Jeff Fulchino and Waldis Joaquin in a spring battle for a low-leverage gig in the Nationals' bullpen.
Pirates Sign Juan Cruz
The Pirates signed reliever Juan Cruz to a minor league deal with a spring training invite, the team announced.
Cruz, 33, posted a 3.88 ERA, 8.5 K/9, 5.2 BB/9, 0.92 HR/9, and 35.2% groundball rate for the Rays last year in 48 2/3 innings. Cruz missed time in July with a groin strain, and his average fastball velocity dipped below 93 miles per hour for the first time in his career. Pirates GM Neal Huntington may be hoping Cruz can match the contribution of another wild right-handed Praver/Shapiro client he signed to a minor league deal a year ago. Jose Veras gave the Bucs 71 innings of 3.80 ball in 2011 for a total of $1.35MM, and was traded to the Brewers for Casey McGehee after the season.
Cruz will compete for a bullpen job with other non-roster invitees such as Michael Crotta, Ryota Igarashi, Logan Kensing, Shairon Martis, Jo-Jo Reyes, Doug Slaten, and Tim Wood.
Blue Jays Designate Darin Mastroianni For Assignment
The Blue Jays announced they’ve designated outfielder Darin Mastroianni for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot for reliever Francisco Cordero, whose one-year, $4.5MM deal was officially announced.
Mastroianni, 26, hit .268/.353/.377 in 562 plate appearance last year across Double and Triple-A, making his big league debut for one game in August. Mastroianni mostly played center and left field in the minors.
White Sox Sign Dan Johnson
The White Sox signed first baseman Dan Johnson to a minor league deal, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
Johnson, 32, hit .273/.382/.459 in 395 Triple-A plate appearances for the Rays' affiliate last year, a downturn from his 2010 production perhaps caused by a wrist injury. He elected free agency after being outrighted by the Rays in November. Johnson clubbed a pair of legendary late-season home runs for the Rays in '08 and '11, as described here by Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Johnson is represented by TWC Sports.
For teams still seeking a little extra depth at first base, the free agent market features Russell Branyan, Ross Gload, Conor Jackson, Casey Kotchman, Derrek Lee, and Xavier Nady.
Red Sox Notes: Compensation, Hearings, Epstein
The Red Sox haven't spent much on free agents this offseason, but new GM Ben Cherington did improve his bullpen via trade while also clearing salary by moving shortstop Marco Scutaro. The latest on the team:
- Commissioner Bud Selig still hasn't received written arguments in the Cubs-Red Sox Theo Epstein compensation case, tweets MLB Network's Peter Gammons. Gammons moderated the Hot Stove Cool Music panel on Monday with both Epstein and Cherington. Cherington said that he expects direction from the commissioner's office soon, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Explained Cherington, "There was an expectation when Theo left that the Red Sox would receive significant compensation for allowing the Cubs to hire him and we haven’t been able to agree on what 'significant compensation’ means.'"
- The Red Sox have potential arbitration hearings for Alfredo Aceves and David Ortiz, and Cherington told MLB.com's Evan Drellich he'd prefer not to publicize the dates. Ortiz's hearing is tentatively scheduled for mid-February, reported Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports yesterday. Cherington doesn't think the potential impact of the hearings would be significant, but a $3.85MM spread on Ortiz does seem significant to me for a club that recently unloaded its starting shortstop in a trade that appeared financially motivated.
- As part of a Sacred Heart University lecture series last night, Epstein said that in retrospect it wasn't necessary for him to leave the Red Sox for three months during the 2005-06 offseason as a means of determining what the organization stood for (WEEI's Ryan Hannable reporting). Yankees GM Brian Cashman, now a potential trading partner for Epstein, also attended the event. Tyler Kepner of the New York Times has quotes about the executives' observations of each other while competing in the AL East.
- I've begun collecting lists of 40-man roster players with less than five years of service who are out of options. For the Red Sox, I've confirmed it's Michael Bowden, Felix Doubront, Andrew Miller, Darnell McDonald, Franklin Morales, and Matt Albers.
25 Arbitration Eligible Players Remain Unsigned
The arbitration hearing period has begun, and 25 players remain unsigned. At a hearing, the team and the player's agency each take an hour to defend their salary submission, and an independent three-person panel picks one of the salaries. In recent years, we've seen about 3-8 players have hearings annually.
Barring multiyear extensions or trades, expect hearings for Casey Janssen of the Blue Jays, Emilio Bonifacio and Anibal Sanchez of the Marlins, and John Lannan of the Nationals, and Jeff Niemann of the Rays, as their teams employ a file and trial strategy. We've also heard a hearing is likely for Boston's David Ortiz, which Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says is tentatively scheduled for the middle of the month. Many of the unsigned arbitration eligible players, such as Elvis Andrus, Asdrubal Cabrera, Nelson Cruz, Matt Garza, Alex Gordon, Adam Jones, Clayton Kershaw, Shaun Marcum, Mike Napoli, and Sanchez, are candidates for multiyear deals.
For all the arbitration details, check out MLBTR's arbitration tracker.
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Latest On Roy Oswalt
Free agent righty Roy Oswalt is scheduled to meet with the Rangers today, we learned last week from Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News. The latest on the three-time All-Star:
- The sides had a "good," exploratory meeting, Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com reports.
- The Rangers met with Oswalt and the situation is ongoing and unresolved, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan tweets.
- Oswalt let the Indians and Blue Jays know he has no interest, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB Network. Oswalt clearly wants the Rangers or Cardinals, writes Gammons. Gammons' tweet does not reference the Red Sox, who reportedly made an offer last week. The Red Sox have not considered themselves out of the hunt, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Oswalt's agent Bob Garber told me on Saturday his client has no chance of landing in a bullpen, so if the Rangers or Cardinals sign him, a corresponding move will be necessary.
Taylor Buchholz Plans To Sit Out 2012 Season
Reliever Taylor Buchholz currently plans to skip the 2012 season, agent Dave Pasti tells Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Buchholz has been battling depression and anxiety. Pasti noted, "If he signs with anyone, it would be with the Mets. They way they handled the situation with Taylor meant a lot to him. The Mets really cared about him. As of right now, Taylor is taking the year off. He's feeling great, but not ready to get back into baseball. He's taking it one day at a time."
Buchholz, 30, joined the Mets a year ago and was granted free agency in November.