Red Sox Notes: Lavarnway, Saltalamacchia, Cherington
As we gear up for an exciting week in Nashville, Tennessee, many are wondering if the Red Sox will make a major move as they look to turn the tide. What are the odds of them making a splash? “I can’t handicap it," General Manager Ben Cherington told reporters, including Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). "You can’t rule it out. I certainly wouldn’t rule it out. I think if there’s a deal that we feel really makes the organization stronger short and long term, we’ll pursue it. Some of those could fit into that category.” Here's more out of Boston..
- The Red Sox will try to steer clear of long-term commitments, but team President and CEO Larry Lucchino says that there is no hard line on how many years they might give to a free agent, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
- Manager John Farrell says that there has been no discussion about moving Ryan Lavarnway or Jarrod Saltalamacchia to first base, Abraham writes. There has been speculation that the Red Sox might trade one of the catchers after signing David Ross last month.
- Neither Cherington nor Farrell are willing to close the door on the possibility of a deal involving Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, or any other starting pitcher on the roster, writes Evan Drellich of MLB.com.
Quick Hits: Pagan, Giants, Indians, Brewers,
A roundup of tonight's links as we have our eyes fixed on the Winter Meetings countdown clock..
- The Phillies continue to go hard on Angel Pagan while Giants look to be short right now on average annual value in a four-year deal, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. Olney previous reported that the Phillies and Pagan have been talking for weeks.
- Indians General Manager Chris Antonetti says he has interest in re-signing Jack Hannahan, Rafael Perez, and Chris Seddon, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer. All three players were non-tendered on Friday.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin says that he sees a Kameron Loe-type pitcher in the newly-acquired Burke Badenhop, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel. "He's a similar pitcher to Loe," said Melvin. "He might have been a non-tender, so we put the deal together late (Friday) night. Instead of letting him go out on the market where you don't know what might happen, we thought it best to make a trade for him."
East Notes: Ichiro, Dickey, Mets, Red Sox
News and notes out of the AL and NL East..
- Ichiro Suzuki‘s agent says he’s ready to open the floor to other suitors as talks with the Yankees have stalled, but GM Brian Cashman says that Suzuki already knew that he would be put on the backburner for a bit, writes Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News. “Now that our pitching has been settled, which was our priority on the front end, we’ll move from the defense to the offense and engage all the players we have interest in and have interest in us,” said Cashman.
- The Mets have fielded calls from six or seven teams are looking to meet and discuss a deal for R.A. Dickey, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The Mets and Dickey have been trying to work out a contract extension for two months, but it appears general manager Sandy Alderson has the green light to now to more seriously consider trade alternatives instead. The Mets are expected to seek a catcher and outfield help in any trade.
- The Mets will are willing to get creative with backloaded contracts in order to entice free agents with more money and multiyear deals, a person with knowledge of the team’s thinking tells Marc Carig of Newsday. That thinking could come into play at this week’s winter meetings in Nashville. The Mets still won’t splurge on a big ticket free agent but could try and get creative in order to improve their outfield situation.
- Brian Wilson has interest in the Red Sox as well as the Giants, Dodgers, and Angels a source tells Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Wilson is reportedly unlikely to re-sign with the Giants after being non-tendered.
Ichiro’s Agent: We Don’t Care What Yankees Do
Last week, Ichiro Suzuki's agent Tony Attanasio told George A. King III of the New York Post that his client was receiving interest from other clubs but still had a strong preference to play for the Yankees. A lot has changed in the last week, however, and Attanasio says that his client is no longer waiting on the Bombers, King writes.
“At the beginning we talked a lot but since that time, zero," said the agent. "As far as we are concerned we don’t care what the Yankees do. We have had conversations with multiple clubs. If we see something we like he will go through with it."
Of course, the dragging of contract talks doesn't mean that the 39-year-old is definitely out of the picture in the Bronx. The Yankees, who are working to get the 2014 payroll down to $189MM, don't see many desirable trade possibilities at right field that can fit their budget. At the same time, they are less-than-thrilled by the prospect of having Ichiro and Brett Gardner in the corner outfield spots full-time due to their lack power.
Cubs Notes: Fujikawa, Angels, Marmol
Earlier today, the Cubs agreed to sign Japanese closer Kyuji Fujikawa to a two-year deal. While Theo Epstein & Co. have been known to be in the mix, the signing was something of a surprise the Angels were widely considered the frontrunners for his services. Here's more on the Cubs..
- The Cubs' signing of Fujikawa could lead to the Cubs and Angels revisiting a possible Carlos Marmol trade, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN.com. The two sides appeared to have struck a deal with Dan Haren heading to Chicago, but the Cubs ultimately backed out of the trade. Haren, of course, is now a free agent after the Angels declined his option for 2013.
- Fujikawa can also make $2MM per year in performance bonuses on top of the $9.5MM he'll earn in the two year deal, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. The contract also includes a vesting option for year three that turns to a team option if requirements are not met.
- The Cubs did not sign Fujikawa in order to flip him for something else, tweets David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com. The club likes his skill set and will also work to upgrade the pitching staff with more moves on the horizon.
- The Cubs will also head to Nashville in search of a rightfielder and a third baseman, though the latter will be tough to fill, Kaplan tweets.
Nationals Notes: LaRoche, Espinosa, Lannan
Earlier this week, the Nationals acquired Denard Span from the Twins in exchange for pitching prospect Alex Meyer. More out of the nation's capital..
- Adam LaRoche met with General Manager Mike Rizzo and had an open discussion about where each side stands, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. “To be honest, it’s a years thing now,” LaRoche said. “I think they’re really wanting to stick to two years. I’m trying to talk them into lengthening that. To be honest, probably just one year. I’m not looking for four or five. I understand I’m 33 years old. The first baseman requested the meeting to make sure that nothing got lost in translation between the front office and his representation at SFX.
- Don’t be surprised if second baseman Danny Espinosa is the subject of trade discussions at the winter meetings, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 25-year-old is likely to draw interest from teams who need a middle infielder and the Nats could use Steve Lombardozzi to replace Espinosa at second in the short-term. Top prospect Anthony Rendon eventually could take the reins at the position if he does not replace Ryan Zimmerman at third.
- Rizzo gave his rationale about the thought process in this week's non-tender decisions, Kilgore writes. The club non-tendered left-hander John Lannan, catcher Jesus Flores, and reliever Tom Gorzelanny.
Cardinals Rumors: Burnett, Mozeliak, Non-Tenders
The latest on the Cardinals..
- The Cardinals aren’t interested in giving Sean Burnett a four-year deal, according to Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch (via Twitter).
- The Cardinals have interest in left-hander Sean Burnett, a source tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter). Burnett is looking to get a four-year deal but Ladson (Twitter link) doesn’t see the Nationals going beyond two. The reliever posted a 2.38 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 through 56.2 innings of work last season.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter) expects General Manager John Mozeliak to swing a trade at the Winter Meetings.
- Strauss adds also believes that the Cardinals will have interest in one of the recently non-tendered players (Twitter link). You can peruse the full list using MLBTR’s Non-Tender Tracker and look at the notable non-tendered players here.
Cubs To Shop Alfonso Soriano
The Cubs expect to meet with teams regarding Alfonso Soriano during the upcoming winter meetings in Nashville, major league sources tell Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Soriano holds a full no-trade clause and is owed a total of $36MM over the next two seasons.
The 36-year-old is still likely to garner strong interest from teams who need right-handed power and the Cubs are willing to include cash in the deal to make it work. Soriano may be more valuable than expected, when considering the two-year, $10MM contract free agent Jonny Gomes just received from the Red Sox. The Phillies would appear to be a strong fit for Soriano as they are still looking for a right-handed outfield bat to replace Hunter Pence, who was shipped to the Giants at the trade deadline.
Blue Jays Notes: Arencibia, Davis, Niese, Happ
Yesterday, the Blue Jays non-tendered Bobby Wilson, leaving J.P. Arencibia, John Buck, and Travis D’Arnaud as the remaining catchers on the 40-man roster. Here's the latest out of Toronto courtesy of Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- Arencibia is the most likely to be moved and the Jays previously have talked about him in trades for pitchers such as Rays right-hander Wade Davis and Mets left-hander Jon Niese, according to major league sources. The Jays might need to give more than the 26-year-old to acquire such a pitcher, but aren’t necessarily eager to make that type of move.
- Toronto seems more inclined to add depth than find an upgrade over fifth starter J.A. Happ, sources say. Happ, 30, posted a 4.79 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 last season for the Astros and Blue Jays.
- With that in mind, the Jays could look to sign a low-end free agent pitcher as well as minor league free agents to ensure that they are better protected against injuries than they were throughout last season.
Red Sox Notes: Lavarnway, Padilla, Lester, Cherington
The Red Sox’s signing of free agent catcher David Ross has fueled speculation that they will move either Ryan Lavarnway or Jarrod Saltalamacchia, but neither catcher seems particularly concerned about the prospect, tweets Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. “I haven’t talked to anyone about it,” Lavarnway told reporters, including Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. “The final roster is still so far away that you don’t know what’s going to happen. I have no control over it, at all, at this point, so I don’t think about it," said Lavarnway. Here's more out of Boston..
- General Manager Ben Cherington won't say that the club is open to trading Jon Lester, but he didn't completely close the door on the idea, writes Tim Britton of The Providence Journal. The Red Sox have reportedly had talks with the Royals centered on Lester and prospect Wil Myers.
- Abraham (via Twitter) doesn't get the sense that Vicente Padilla isn't a priority for the club based on conversations he had with Red Sox people. Last season, Padilla was one of the staples in Bobby Valentine's bullpen, posting a 4.50 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 50 innings of work.
- Cherington says that the club will be working hard to strengthen the outfield with one or two pickups, tweets Abraham. "We’ve always felt it’s important at Fenway to have not just somebody who can play right field but really two guys that can handle center or right. I think our best teams have had that in the past. Easier said that done. That would be optimal," Cherington said.
- The GM went on to say that he expects the rotation to take a step up based mostly on the improved performance of the pitchers they have in-house, Abraham tweets.
- The Red Sox would like to re-sign non-tenders Rich Hill and Scott Atchison, tweets Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
- As we close in on the Winter Meetings, Cherington believes that it is still early in the offseason and expects to see things come together in the next week, Abraham tweets.