Cafardo On Suzuki, Oswalt, Correia, Zimmermann
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe argues that two best players at catcher and shortstop positions in camp with the Red Sox organization are Ryan Lavarnway and Jose Iglesias and believes that they absolutely should be on the final 25-man roster. There could be disagreement from different factions of the club about what to do with the two players and it'll be interesting to see how it all turns out. Here's more from Cafardo..
- The Rays have been trying hard to get A's catcher Kurt Suzuki but Oakland isn’t crazy about getting Wade Davis or Jeff Niemann in return. One National League GM points out that those are the type of pitchers that Billy Beane winds up trading and would want a higher grade of pitcher. Right now, the Rays aren’t willing to pay that price.
- The idea that Roy Oswalt wants to play in the Midwest or South can be overcome with money, according to a major league source. To get him, Cafardo writes that the Red Sox have to loosen their purse strings.
- Major league sources say that the Pirates would entertain a deal for right-hander Kevin Correia.
- The Angels asked the Nationals about Jordan Zimmermann, but there’s no chance unless they part with someone like Mike Trout, and that’s not happening.
- Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald could get some bites if he gets squeezed out in Boston. The Indians, Giants, and Braves are all looking for a righthanded-hitting outfielder.
- The Yankees are being a little careful about trading their pitching depth, but it appears Freddy Garcia would be available at the right price, which may be high.
- White Sox pitchers Gavin Floyd and John Danks are both available in the right deal, but according to one GM, Kenny Williams will want at least "two A-level prospects and a third that’s a notch below, and that might not get it done."
Quick Hits: Phillies, Garcia, Abreu, Beras, Mets
Saturday afternoon linkage..
- The Phillies appear to be comfortable with beginning the season with Freddy Galvis at second base and are searching for a backup utility infielder via trade rather than a starter, sources tell Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- Word is that the Yankees offered Freddy Garcia to the Marlins but Miami wasn't interested, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. Garcia, who is a trade candidate following the club's signing of Andy Pettitte, is signed to a one-year deal worth $4MM plus incentives.
- Angels manager Mike Scioscia and General Manager Jerry Dipoto met with Bobby Abreu following the outfielder's comments to Lider en Deportes. DiGiovanna writes that the team may have no choice but to release the veteran if he continues to struggle and be a distraction.
- The case of Jairo Beras and his $4.5MM contract with the Rangers is in the hands of Major League Baseball, but the club is confident that he is 17 years old, writes Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telgram. Beras' biological father also told the paper that Beras is in fact 17.
- The Mets are facing a serious numbers crunch on the 40-man roster, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
Minor Moves: White Sox, Braves
We'll keep track of today's minor moves right here..
- The White Sox traded minor league infielder Greg Paiml to the Braves for cash considerations, tweets Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Paiml, 27, played in 108 games for the White Sox's Double-A affiliate in 2011 and spent 80 of those games at shortstop.
Braves Looking For Outfield, Infield Depth
Earlier today, the Braves announced that Chipper Jones will undergo surgery on his left knee and is expected to be sidelined approximately three weeks. General Manager Frank Wren said that he was looking to acquire backup outfield help even before the injury and will continue to do so, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
While Johnny Damon remains unsigned, it's unclear how much interest the Braves have in the outfielder, O'Brien tweets. Meanwhile, the Braves are looking for more infield depth as well, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. However, Stark notes that Jack Wilson could be back in action as soon as Sunday.
Ryan Madson Out For Season
The elbow injury to Reds closer Ryan Madson will require Tommy John surgery, ending the right-hander's season, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). The Reds do not have insurance on Madson's one-year, $8.5MM contract, Fay tweets.
The market didn't go Madson's way this winter and the Scott Boras client wound up settling for considerably less than most anticipated. The injury will not only cost the closer his 2012 season, but likely major cash on his next contract. At one point, it seemed as though Madson and the Phillies were closing in on a four-year, $44MM pact, but that never came to fruition.
Aroldis Chapman and Sean Marshall are both candidates to close now, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
AL East Notes: Cook, Red Sox, Pettitte, Orioles
Earlier today, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine told reporters that Daisuke Matsuzaka could be back in the rotation as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. In the meantime, another BoSox pitcher is making a strong case for breaking camp with the club. More on that and other links out of the AL East..
- Right-hander Aaron Cook can opt-out of his deal with the Red Sox on May 1st if he isn't on the big league squad, but the veteran might punch his ticket well before that, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Cook's deal with Boston is worth $1.5MM if he is put on the major league roster.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman is keeping tight-lipped when it comes to the makeup of the club's rotation, but he is preaching patience when it comes to Andy Pettitte, writes Jeff Bradley of the Star-Ledger. For his part, the 39-year-old says that he plans on keeping to his schedule and joining the team around May 1st.
- MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli likes Ryan Flaherty's chances of making the Orioles. The Rule 5 pick must be returned to the Cubs if he is not on the O's Opening Day roster.
NL West Notes: Dodgers, Padres, D’Backs, Montero
Earlier this evening, Jeff Moorad stepped down as the CEO of the Padres. Here's more on the situation in San Diego and other notes from the National League West..
- Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire spoke to Doug Miller of MLB.com about Hideo Nomo and his impact on how Japanese players were received by MLB.
- Multiple owners indicated they would not support Jeff Moorad’s attempt to purchase the Padres, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi opines that the world of MLB ownership is highly political.
- It's hard not to speculate that the losing Dodgers bidders might look into purchasing the Padres, tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. One longtime MLB executive agrees with that assessment, according to Morosi (via Twitter).
- Steve Gilbert of MLB.com isn't overly optimistic about the Diamondbacks getting a new deal done with catcher Miguel Montero. Some believe that Yadier Molina's contract could jack Montero's price up to about $12MM annually.
- The Dodgers DFA'd Ramon Troncoso earlier this evening to make room for Ronald Belisario and Dave Cameron of Fangraphs (via Twitter) likes the reliever as a low-cost pickup. Troncoso was once a staple of the Dodgers' bullpen but saw limited time in the majors in 2011.
Quick Hits: Braves, Red Sox, Francona, Ortiz
On this day twelve years ago, the Expos traded players to be named later and Jake Westbrook to the Yankees for pitcher Hideki Irabu. One of those Bronx-bound PTBNLs wound up right-hander Ted Lilly. The Bombers would deal Lilly to the A's a little more than two years later in a massive three-team trade. Here's a look at what's happening today..
- The Braves hold a $12MM option on Brian McCann for 2013 and veteran Chipper Jones would be sad to see him go elsewhere, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. Jones, who will retire after this season, believes that McCann is the type of player that "you want to build a ballclub around," tweets Crasnick.
- Working as an analyst for ESPN, former Red Sox skipper Terry Francona got the chance to reconnect with his former team earlier today. Francona just got around to speaking with owner John Henry last month and Tito says that the conversation should have happened sooner, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
- If David Ortiz wound up going to arbitration with the Red Sox, players' union chief Michael Weiner says that it would have been a case for the ages, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. The two parties settled at $14.575MM, the midpoint between $12.65MM and $16.5MM.
Heyman On Lannan, Rangers, Pirates, Padres
Here’s a look at the latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com..
- The Tigers are still showing interest in Nationals left-hander John Lannan, Heyman writes. Tigers people believe that they can find a solid fifth starter from the young pitchers that are competing for the spot, but owner Mike Ilitch’s win-now attitude could lead the team to deal for the Nats hurler. Washington might be less eager to deal Lannan in the wake of Chien-Ming Wang‘s hamstring injury but they could move Lannan and plug Ross Detwiler in the No. 5 slot.
- The Rangers are in the market for a righty hitting outfielder, Heyman tweets. Texas has plenty of pitching depth to dangle in front of teams but might prefer to hold on to their surplus.
- The Pirates would like to shore up their catching situation and also add a lefty reliever to the mix, according to Heyman (via Twitter).
- Padres‘ CEO Jeff Moorad stepped down from his role because he realized that he wouldn’t have enough votes to back him, tweets Heyman. Padres president and COO Tom Garfinkel is now set to assume CEO duties on an interim basis.
Dodgers Designate Ramon Troncoso For Assignment
The Dodgers announced that they designated right-hander Ramon Troncoso for assignment. The move was made in order to reinstate Ronald Belisario from the restricted list.
Troncoso, 29, spent most of 2011 with the club's Triple-A affiliate, posting a 5.05 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 35 appearances. Over the last four seasons, Troncoso has a 3.92 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 175 games for the Dodgers' varsity squad.