Twins Sign Eric Fryer
Tonight's minor moves..
- The Twins have signed catcher Eric Fryer to a minor league deal, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com (via Twitter). The 27-year-old was designated for assignment by the PIrates late last month and elected free agency. The Twins made another minor league signing earlier tonight when they picked up reliever Tim Wood.
Central Notes: Matsui, Astros, Reds, Indians, Victorino
News and notes out of the Central divisions..
- The Astros, who will join the AL West in 2013, have had internal discussions about Hideki Matsui, General Manager Jeff Luhnow told Daily Sports (Japanese link, passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker on Twitter). Matsui signed a minor league deal with the Rays in April and was later DFA'd and released over the summer.
- Free agent Shane Victorino is on the radar for the Reds and Indians, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. The Rangers and Red Sox are also among the clubs looking into Victorino as they look to improve their outfield situation.
- Not surprisingly, the Indians have been targeted young starters as they begin the process of taking offers for Asdrubal Cabrera and others, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com. It has been speculated that Cleveland could also dangle Shin-Soo Choo, Chris Perez, Justin Masterson, and possibly Carlos Santana.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) notes that the Reds are looking into two relievers coming off of Tommy John surgery in Joakim Soria and Ryan Madson. Soria will be out until May while Madson should be set to open the season.
NL East Notes: Phillies, Braves, Nationals, Burnett
Rival executives and agents say that Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro is being very aggressive in pursuit of a center fielder and plans to work quickly, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd). Amaro knows Michael Bourn well, but agent Scott Boras likes to wait and let the market percolate. The Phillies may make B.J. Upton their plan B if they can't land Bourn. The club has been doing a lot of background work on Upton, asking questions about his personality and whether he would be a good fit in that market. Here's more out of the NL East..
- The Braves sensed that David Ross might land a lucrative two-year deal elsewhere and have been checking out other backup catchers on the open market in recent weeks, tweets Mark Bowman of MLB.com. The Red Sox came to terms on a two-year, $6.2MM deal with Ross earlier today.
- Nationals reliever Sean Burnett has a case for a three-year deal in the mold of Scott Downs, but some at the GM meetings have wondered aloud if he may be in line for a four-year pact, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith.
- Nationals bench coach Randy Knorr is widely viewed as the top candidate to take over for manager Davey Johnson after 2013, but Knorr believes that Johnson could have a change of heart and choose to manage beyond next season, writes Amanda Comak of the Washington Times. Yesterday, Johnson and the Nats agreed to a one-year deal that will turn the skipper into a consultant in 2014.
AL East Notes: Yankees, Kuroda, Orioles, Hamilton
After taking a look at the Red Sox earlier, here's a glance at the rest of the American League East..
- The Yankees' offseason will become exponentially more complicated if they are unable to re-sign Hiroki Kuroda, opines Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Even if the Yankees like free agent alternatives like as Anibal Sanchez or Kyle Lohse, their current financial plan would preclude them from giving them hefty multi-year deals.
- While the Dodgers continue to pay out, the Yankees are concerned with getting their spending under control in advance of 2014, writes Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports. Agents shopping free agents have already found the Yanks resistant to players and contracts that would tack on significant salary beyond this season.
- While the Orioles have been linked to free agent Josh Hamilton in recent days, Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com doesn't expect Baltimore shelling out the money necessary to land the slugger. Ghiroli sees Edwin Jackson as a solid fit for the O's as they look to fortify their rotation, but its not clear if Dan Duquette & Co. have interest.
Red Sox Notes: Saltalamacchia, Ross, Mets, Napoli
Earlier today, the Red Sox agreed to sign free agent catcher David Ross to a two-year, $6.2MM contract. With Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway already behind the plate, could Boston be gearing up for a trade? Here's more on that and other items out of Boston..
- An official with another club told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Red Sox are willing to consider offers for Saltalamacchia. Saltalamacchia hit a career-high 25 homers in 2012 but saw his average dip as his strikeout total soared.
- If the Red Sox do look to move Salty, the Mets and White Sox are among the clubs that are in need of catching, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Lauber suggests that the Mets could use Jon Niese while the White Sox might be willing to trade Gavin Floyd. Yesterday, Mets GM Sandy Alderson addressed the idea of trading Niese without being prompted.
- Officials from the Mets and Red Sox told Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter) earlier this week that they hadn't discussed a deal involving Saltalamacchia, but the Ross signing could ignite talks.
- Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com also notes that the Red Sox have interest in Mike Napoli and his acquisition would further squeeze Saltalamacchia out of the picture. Napoli would spend the bulk of his time at first base if he winds up in Boston, but he would still factor into the catching situation.
- Boston's acquisition of Ross gives them a great deal of flexibility going forward this winter and even potentially into next season, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
Dodgers Notes: Ethier, Hunter, Kershaw, Ryu
Earlier today, the Dodgers made history when they submitted the winning bid on Hyun-Jin Ryu for $25,737,737.33, the largest ever for a South Korean player. Here's more on the Dodgers..
- The Dodgers won't be trading Andre Ethier, so Torii Hunter would need to accept a lesser role if he signed with them, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The veteran, who is close with both Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford, has interest from nine other clubs including the Tigers, White Sox, Rangers, and Mariners (Twitter link).
- Clayton Kershaw's hip issues won't deter GM Ned Colletti from working out a new deal with Clayton Kershaw, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. "I think we'll probably sit down and talk about it once we get past this period of time, the free agent period of time," Colletti said. "We signed him for another year, there's another year after that. That said, if there's a common ground on both sides, it's worth investigating."
- Agent Scott Boras says that Ryu wants to be a starter in the major leagues, tweets Hernandez. Boras added that if Ryu doesn't wind up signing with the Dodgers, he expects the posting fee to increase dramatically next year (Twitter link).
Nationals, Davey Johnson Agree To New Contract
SATURDAY: The Nationals have officially announced that Johnson will return next season. It will be his final year as field manager, then he will shift to a consultant role in 2014.
FRIDAY: The Nationals and manager Davey Johnson have agreed to terms on a new contract, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). This season will likely mark the last for Johnson as manager of the Nats, a source told Bill Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter). The skipper will celebrate his 70th birthday in January.
Earlier this week, both Johnson and General Manager Mike Rizzo expressed confidence that a contract would be worked out in the coming days. Johnson first joined the Nationals as a member of their front office before moving into the dugout of June 2011 after the sudden resignation of Jim Riggleman. This past season, Johnson guided the Nats to their first division title in D.C. and their first as a franchise since 1981.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Quick Hits: Giants, Affeldt, Hart, Tigers, Soriano
The 4pm CST deadline for players to accept qualifying offers has come and gone and none of the eight players in play opted to return to their respective clubs for a $13.3MM salary in 2013. That means that Nick Swisher, Hiroki Kuroda, Rafael Soriano, B.J. Upton, Adam LaRoche, Michael Bourn, Josh Hamilton, and Kyle Lohse will net their teams a compensatory pick if they sign elsewhere. Here's the latest from around baseball..
- The Giants are confident that they will be re-signing Jeremy Affeldt and the club believes that they will work out a three-year deal, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today. GM Brian Sabean indicated yesterday that he is optimistic about being about to keep Affeldt, Angel Pagan, and Marco Scutaro.
- Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter) that he has not approached Corey Hart's agent about an extension and doesn't have immediate plans to do so. A report earlier today suggested that the Brewers and Hart were discussing a deal to keep him beyond 2013. The first baseman/right fielder is set to earn $10MM next season.
- The Tigers aren't interested in Soriano and plan to stay in-house to find their closer, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Right-hander Bruce Rondon, 21, will get a chance at the job.
AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Sanchez, Villanueva, Red Sox
The latest out of the AL East..
- Free agent Anibal Sanchez is reportedly seeking $90MM over six years and that may still fit the Blue Jays' budget. GM Alex Anthopoulos says that the club could accommodate that kind of average annual value, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (via Twitter). The club hasn't talked about going beyond their current five-year limit on contracts, but Anthopoulos said that things can always change (Twitter link).
- Meanwhile, Anthopoulos says that he can promise free agent pitcher Carlos Villanueva the 30 starts that he is seeking, Davidi tweets. The GM said that the club has never doubted Villanueva's abilities, but has raised concerns about his durability in the past.
- Anthopoulos went on to say that the club is taking a wait-and-see approach with their left field approach while being a little more aggressive in terms of the rotation, tweets Davidi.
- After wrapping up his six-year, $52MM deal with the Red Sox, agent Scott Boras tells Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal that Daisuke Matsuzaka figures to have a number of suitors now that he comes with a lower price tag.
- The Yankees would like to find an upgrade for Jayson Nix which means finding someone who can play 100 games between shortstop and third base, tweets Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.
Minor Moves: Red Sox, Orioles
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here..
- The Red Sox agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Terry Doyle on a minor league deal, according to Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com. The 26-year-old last pitched for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League after four seasons and change in the White Sox system.
- The Orioles have re-signed outfielder Lew Ford to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). The Orioles outrighted Ford to Triple-A Norfolk last Friday. The 36-year-old .331/.390/.550 with 11 homers in 62 games for Norfolk last season.