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Cafardo On Arroyo, Wang, Perez, Dodgers, Oswalt

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The Rays shed about $28MM of payroll this winter between B.J. Upton, James Shields, Carlos Pena, Jeff Keppinger, J.P. Howell, and Wade Davis, but that's no problem for the confident organization, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  While the team will look different in several areas this season, they'll still have their typically strong pitching.  The first four of the rotation are set with David Price, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore, Alex Cobb with a competition between four strong candidates for the No. 5 spot.  Here's more from today's column..

  • Bronson Arroyo has been a consistent pitcher for the Reds, but the feeling from most people and the pitcher himself is that this could be his last year in Cincinnati.  One major league source says the Cubs would be a perfect fit as a strong veteran presence in their rebuilding effort. 
  • Agent Alan Nero said he has taken Chien-Ming Wang off the market until he pitches for Taiwan in the World Baseball Classic.  If he pitches well, the veteran should have a healthy market for a team in need of depth.  The Yankees are keeping tabs on Wang despite already having six starters in the fold.
  • While there’s more focus on where Alfonso Soriano might be dealt, David DeJesus could also be a nice midseason chip for the Cubs.  The outfielder would be a solid fit for a few teams, including the Phillies, Orioles, and Red Sox. 
  • It looks like the Indians will hold on to Chris Perez for now, but the Dodgers had serious interest in him not too long ago.  If Tribe gets off to a slow start, L.A's interest could be something to keep in mind.
  • The Red Sox have discussed first baseman/outfielder Mike Carp, who was designated for assignment last week by the Mariners, as a backup.  There may not be room, however, as they are committed to Lyle Overbay.  Overbay has asked the Red Sox if he could play some outfield as well this season.
  • Roy Oswalt still hasn't officially retired and he could be leaving the door open to join a club during the season.  Recently, we learned that the Mets tried to sell Oswalt on becoming their closer in 2013, but the veteran isn't interested in the bullpen.
  • Teams will pay attention to out-of-options Red Sox reliever Clayton Mortensen in spring training. The 27-year-old looks to be the odd man out the way the Sox bullpen could be configured.

AL East Notes: Cherington, Lind, Jurrjens

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Here's the latest news and stories making headlines around the AL East…

  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington says that he does not expect Jacoby Ellsbury contract situation to be a distraction at any point this season, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Ellsbury enters his walk year looking to rebound from injuries that have plagued him in two of the past three seasons.
  • Adam Lind discusses how last year's Blue Jays coaching staff played a role in negatively impacting his numbers over the course of the season, writes Gregor Chisolm of MLB.com. "This year the coaches will be given the freedom to do whatever they want. They have the trust of Gibby so he can just manage and sometimes the type of personalities we had on our staff last year, they micromanaged a lot and sometimes that can affect the way we play and the way we coach."
  • Jair Jurrjens may have suffered financial setback this offseason, but the veteran right-hander remains confident he can be the pitcher the Orioles were looking for when they first offered him a big league contract, says Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun. "If I'm out there and can stay on the mound, I know what I can do. A lot of people know what I can do. I'm just going to come here and show everybody that i'm healthy and I can pitch again."

Orioles Sign Jair Jurrjens

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SATURDAY, 12:10pm: The contract includes an opt-out clause, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.

FRIDAY, 10:50pm: The Orioles have officially signed Jair Jurrjens to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training, according to a team report. Terms of the deal are not yet known for the Boras Corporation client.

The Orioles first came to an agreement with Jurrjens on a contract back in late January in which he would received $1.5MM on a Major League deal with incentives potentially pushing the figure to $4MM. The situation changed, however, when Baltimore did not like the findings of his physical, which led to discussion over a minor league deal instead, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com (via Twitter).

Orioles GM Dan Duquette sent Kubatko and other writers a text to provide his sentiments on the deal. "Jair Jurrjens has a good track record and is still young. We hope he can regain the form which made him an All-Star in 2011."

Jurrjens, 27, posted a 6.89 ERA with 3.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 48.1 innings during the 2012 season which led to his non-tendering by the Braves. The right-hander is expected to report to camp on Saturday, writes Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).

East Notes: Yankees, Hughes, Zimmermann, Mets

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As the Yankees and Phil Hughes negotiated their one-year, $7.15MM deal for 2013, the topic of an extension hardly came up, writes Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger.  As a pitcher, Hughes says that he never expected a long-term deal out of the Yankees before reaching free agency.  At the same time, it sounds as though he'd like to stay in the Bronx for the long-term.  “The Yankees are the ones who drafted me; they’re like a second family. For me to say I’d be neutral [about leaving New York] would be dishonest," said Hughes.  Here's more out of the AL and NL East..

  • Jordan Zimmermann would be open to listening on a multi-year extension, but so far nothing has happened on that front, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.  The Nationals and the right-hander avoided arbitration with a one-year, $5.35MM deal yesterday.
  • Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) believes that Mets Triple-A manager Wally Backman would be a great big league manager, but he has a feeling that it will happen elsewhere and not with the Mets.  If the Mets don't bring back Terry Collins next year, Martino expects the club to go with a younger skipper. 
  • Jair Jurrjens' contract with the Orioles is now a minor league deal rather than a guaranteed pact, but the pitcher says he's not overly concerned about it, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.  The two sides first agreed to a $1.5MM contract with incentives potentially pushing the figure to $4MM, but red flags on his physical led to the O's insisting on a reworked deal.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Wang, Orioles, Abreu

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Here's a look at the latest out of the American League East..

  • Despite having six candidates for five rotation spots, the Yankees are keeping tabs on former ace Chien-Ming Wang, writes George A. King III of the New York Post.  Wang threw off a mound for Yanks spring training pitching instructor Billy Connors at his Tampa area home recently and put on an impressive performance.
  • The Orioles may consider signing outfielder Bobby Abreu, but first plan to “see what they have in camp,”tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  Heyman previously reported that theMarlins and Rays could be in the mix for the 38-year-old Abreu.
  • Rays manager Joe Maddon plans to provide right-hander Roberto Hernandez, the pitcher previously known as Fausto Carmona, with an opportunity to earn a spot in the starting rotation, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  As Maddon explained, the Rays will“treat [Hernandez] as a starter and then revert back” to a relief role should he fail to beat out other starting options, including Jeff Niemann and Chris Archer.  Also of note, Maddon said that righty Alex Cobb is “pretty much ensconced” as the Rays’ fourth starter.

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Trayvon Robinson

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We’ll track the day’s outright assignments here…

  • The Orioles outrighted Trayvon Robinson to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli reports (Twitter links). Robinson, who had been designated for assignment six days ago, still receives an invitation to MLB Spring Training. Robinson appeared in 46 games for the Mariners in 2012, posting a .221/.294/.324 batting line in 164 plate appearances as a left fielder. The Orioles traded for him earlier in the offseason.

AL East Notes: Haren, Johnson, Blue Jays

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On this date in 2007 the Red Sox signed free agent outfielder J.D. Drew to a five-year, $70MM contract. Though Drew hit .264/.370/.455 in Boston, he had trouble staying on the field and faced his share of scrutiny over the years. Here are today's AL East links, as Drew's younger brother Stephen prepares for his first season with the Red Sox…

AL East Notes: Yankees, Carp, Rodney, Orioles

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The 2013 Yankees don't project to have as much depth as recent New York teams, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. This could make the club vulnerable, though the possibility of a championship still exists given the talent in place. Here are some more notes from the AL East…

  • The Red Sox might be interested in Mike Carp, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes (on Twitter). Carp, who was recently designated for assignment by the Mariners, is a left-handed hitter with a career batting line of .255/.327/.413. The Red Sox have discussed Carp internally without deciding whether to pursue him, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter).
  • Tampa Bay closer Fernando Rodney said he has not had extension talks with the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Rodney, who is set to hit free agency this coming offseason, said he would be open to a new deal with the Rays. He indicated multiple times this winter that he was nearing a deal with the Rays, but said today that his previous comments were mis-interpreted.
  • While the Orioles considered trades for offense, they were reluctant to part with arms in potential deals, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. “I'd rather hold on to our young pitchers,'' executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette said. Though the Orioles didn't make headlines this winter, Heyman notes that Duquette earned the benefit of the doubt with Baltimore's strong showing in 2012.

Quick Hits: Rangers, Orioles, Granderson, Cubs

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The Rangers enter Spring Training in search of a utility infielder and fear they may have to find the answer internally as free agents may be scared off by a lack of playing time, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. "We've been really fortunate to have great infields over the past decade," GM Jon Daniels said. "That's always been an issue and something we've heard about from free agents. That's why promoting guys from within gets around that, and trading for guys gets around that." Let's check in across league to catch up on the latest headlines and stories making news.

Quick Hits: O’s, Verlander, Royals, Crawford

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Justin Verlander repeated today that he wants to stay with the Tigers beyond 2014, when his current contract expires. “I love Detroit,” he said, according to John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press. “I feel like I’m a kindred part of that town. I grew up in front of these fans and earned my way into their hearts.” Verlander said he's not yet sure whether he and his representatives would be willing to negotiate during the season. Here are some more links from around MLB…

  • Grantland's Jonah Keri interviewed Orioles GM Dan Duquette about the success of his team in 2012 and Duquette's outlook on 2013. Duquette feels that both Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman will be ready to make significant impacts on the club at some point in 2013.
  • ESPN's Jayson Stark presents an in-depth look at the top stories to watch in each league during Spring Training this year. Stark's piece also includes breakdowns of the best and worst free agent signings, trades and more, according to a group of 16 baseball scouts and executives.
  • Dave Cameron of FanGraphs lists the ten worst moves of the offseason with the caveat that "the worst moves aren’t as bad as bad as they used to be." The Royals make three appearances on the list after trading Wil Myers to obtain James Shields, acquiring Ervin Santana and signing Jeremy Guthrie for three years.
  • Meanwhile, in another piece for Grantland, Keri examines the worst contracts in MLB starting with Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees and Carl Crawford of the Dodgers.
  • Agents at Hendricks Sports have filed an MLBPA grievance against three MLB agents who left the firm for Excel Sports Management and took players with them, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal reports (on Twitter). Be sure to use MLBTR’s Agency Database for your agency-related inquiries.
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