Red Sox Notes: Valentine, Henry, Cherington
Yesterday, Alex Speier of WEEI.com wrote that the Red Sox should act quickly on Bobby Valentine, a manager who no longer seems to be emotionally invested in his team. Here's today's news on the situation in Boston..
- Valentine's recent attitude change is a result of the fact that he and Cherington are now evaluating the team differently, writes the Boston Herald's Scott Lauber. Following the team's blockbuster trade, Cherington is focused on the long-term while Valentine's success as a manager is tied to the current on-field product. Lauber quotes Cherington: “When the manager is in the middle of it every day and he’s the one who has to answer the questions after the game every day, it’s hard … I don’t know how I’d react if I was in that position. I’ve never done it. I can imagine it’s tough.”
- Owner John Henry and General Manager Ben Cherington are set to meet the club in Seattle as they get set to take on the Mariners this afternoon, writes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Silverman wonders if this could be the end of Valentine's tenure with the club as the team continues to struggle and the skipper appears to have grown tired of the drama.
- Meanwhile, in an email to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com, Henry insisted that he is not in Seattle to fire Valentine. A team source also said that Valentine's future would not be addressed until the season is through. Edes notes that when Henry fired Terry Francona and Grady Little, both were dismissed after the season.
- The Red Sox have been hearing from player representatives in the last week who are upset with how their clients have been utilized, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.
- Valentine can't be blamed for all of the Red Sox's troubles this season, but it's hard to argue that he has put them in a better position to win, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. MacPherson writes that Valentine hasn't been communicating with half of his coaching staff and hasn't had a great deal of dialogue with most of his players lately.
Cleared Waivers: Rhymes, Suarez
We'll keep track of the players that clear waivers today in this post..
- Infielder Will Rhymes and right-hander Albert Suarez have both cleared waivers and remain in the organization after being designated for assignment last week, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Rhymes hit .228/.299/.285 in 137 plate appearances for the Rays this season while playing second and third base. Suarez spent the year with Advanced-A Charlotte, posting a 4.08 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 25 starts.
Non-Tender Candidate: Andres Torres
The Mets have kept mum on their payroll situation heading into 2013 but several reports have indicated that the club won't ratchet it far beyond the neighborhood of $90MM. There are a number of multi-million dollar contracts coming off of the books including $5.69MM for the very likely non-tendering of Mike Pelfrey, Jon Rauch's $3.5MM deal, and Ramon Ramirez's $2.65MM pact. However, much of those savings will be eaten up by 2014 buyouts for Johan Santana and Jason Bay and pay raises to David Wright, Frank Francisco, Jonathon Niese, and others. On top of that, Daniel Murphy, Ike Davis, Bobby Parnell, and Josh Thole will all be headed to arbitration this winter. General Manager Sandy Alderson will be working with an extremely tight budget, which will make it difficult for the club to justify also going to arbitration with outfielder Andres Torres.
Torres has started 79 games for the Mets in centerfield this year but has not been able to return to 2010 form when he hit .268/.343/.479 with 16 in 570 plate appearances with the Giants. Instead, Torres owns a .227/.330/.320 batting line across 105 games with a career low -2.6 UZR/150. Torres avoided arbitration with the Mets last season for $2.7MM after coming over from the Giants and would probably net something near $3MM for 2013.
Looking ahead to next season, the club could install Kirk Nieuwenhuis as the full-time starting centerfielder. That would position Torres as the club's fourth outfielder and at ~$3MM they would likely prefer to put that money into their bullpen and other areas of need. Even if Torres can no longer deliver the kind of offensive production that he did in San Francisco in 2009 and '10, he can still be an attractive option to clubs looking for a veteran with experience at all three outfield positions. However, he's not likely to see something in the range of $3MM and it would seem to be even less likely to be with the Mets.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Mark Hamburger
Today's outright assignments..
- Astros right-hander Mark Hamburger cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City, tweets Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Houston acquired the 25-year-old after he was waived by the Padres in July. In six minor league seasons, Hamburger owns a 4.03 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9.
Yankees Release Kosuke Fukudome
The Yankees have released outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, according to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Director of Media Relations Mike Vander Woude (via Twitter). Fukudome's stint in the Yankees organization was short-lived after signing a minor league deal back in mid-July.
The White Sox cut Fukudome loose in June after signing him to a one-year, $1MM contract in over the winter. The 35-year-old would play in just in 24 games for Chicago while posting a .171/.294/.195 slash line in 51 plate appearances. In five big league seasons, Fukudome owns a .258/.359/.395 batting line for the Cubs, Indians, and White Sox.
Orioles Designate Jason Berken For Assignment
The Orioles have designated right-hander Jason Berken for assignment, according to Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The move will create space for left-hander Zach Phillips on the 40-man roster.
Berken threw just one big league inning this year while posting a 3.50 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 26 starts for Triple-A Norfolk. The 28-year-old made 24 starts for the O's in 2009 and 81 relief appearances in '10 and '11 and owned a 5.40 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 during that stretch.
Pirates Designate Oscar Tejeda For Assignment
The Pirates have designated utility man Oscar Tejeda for assignment, according to Michael Sanserino of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In a related move, the Bucs have selected first baseman Jeff Clement from Single-A Bradenton.
Tejeda was claimed off of waivers by the Pirates in late June after he was DFA'd in the wake of the Kevin Youkilis trade. The 22-year-old has hit .253/.293/.380 with eight homers in Double-A this season with most of his time coming at left field. In previous seasons, Tejeda has seen significant time at shortstop and second base.
NL West Notes: Dodgers, Rockies, Giambi, Puig
Last night, the Dodgers saw a glimpse of what the newly-acquired Josh Beckett might be capable of when he turned in 6.2 strong innings of work on the way to a 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks. Ned Colletti & Co. will be hoping to see more of the same as they look to make their playoff push. Here's more out of Los Angeles and other notes out of the NL West..
- Other clubs are convinced that the blockbuster deal which brought Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto to the Dodgers took them out of the Josh Hamilton sweepstakes, writes Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. The other usual suspects, like the Red Sox and Yankees, are unlikely to be in on the outfielder as well, which makes it hard to predict where he might end up. One AL exec guesses that a mid-market team will come out of the woodwork to sign Hamilton.
- Rockies slugger Jason Giambi has no plans to retire and hopes to continue playing in 2013, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. "I would to love to play if I can get a job," Giambi said. "That's kind of up to everybody else. If I have an opportunity, I would love to play."
- Pricey Cuban import Yasiel Puig isn't particularly concerned about how long it might take him to reach the major leagues, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. If he proves worthy of starting, it may be hard for the Dodgers to find a spot for him as they have Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford under contract through at least 2017. The Dodgers signed Puig to a seven-year, $42MM contract back in June.
East Notes: Ellsbury, Red Sox, Valentine, Mets
Here's a look at items out of the AL and NL East..
- Agent Scott Boras told Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald that a contract extension is possible between the Red Sox and client Jacoby Ellsbury. Boras noted that Ellsbury likes playing in Boston and would be happy to continue playing there, but the agent will be looking for superstar money in a new deal. “The only thing I can say about Jacoby is that there are few players like him. He is a proven successful player in Boston and in the American League East environment, and he plays a premium position at Gold Glove levels. He is a franchise player," Boras said.
- Now is the time for the Red Sox to move on from Bobby Valentine, opines Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Speier writes that it is now clear that Valentine is not the right manager to guide the club going forward and there is little sense in having him in place for the final month of the season.
- The Mets should consider trading R.A. Dickey, Jonathon Niese, and David Wright this offseason, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. With the club financially handcuffed in the short-term, Sherman writes that it would make sense for them to replenish their system with eight-to-ten prospects that can help them build for the future.
Cafardo On Red Sox, Phillies, Ross, Hart
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe asked baseball executives which team has more work to do between the Red Sox and Phillies. The general feeling was that Boston has more work to do than Philadelphia, even though they'll have more payroll room to work with. One AL executive, however, sees both teams returning to prominence sooner rather than later. “Both of these teams, I predict, will be back at the forefront of their respective divisions in no time. The Red Sox made a sensational, dream-come-true deal with the Dodgers, and now they have so much payroll flexibility that they’re the envy of baseball. They can shape that team any way they want," said the exec. Here's more from Cafardo..
- Despite the turmoil in Boston, Cody Ross is still high on the organization and hopes to return next year, Cafardo writes. Ross came to the Red Sox on a one-year, $3MM deal last year but could fetch a contract in the neighborhood of Josh Willingham's three-year, $27MM pact.
- Corey Hart of the Brewers is always an interesting name for teams looking for an outfielder or a first baseman, but he won't be happy if he's traded from Milwaukee. The Brewers passed on trading Hart prior to the deadline despite significant interest from other clubs.
- There could potentially be seven managerial openings this winter with the Astros, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Indians, Phillies, Padres, and Rockies possibly looking to shake things up. While San Diego's Bud Black is a well regarded manager, the Padres' new ownership may look to install their own hire.
- After getting fired from the Astros, Cafardo writes that Brad Mills will be atop the managerial lists this winter along with Terry Francona, Jim Riggleman, DeMarlo Hale, and Joey Cora.