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.
Rosenthal On Hamilton, Hart, Pagan, Indians
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports spoke with agents and rival executives about where Josh Hamilton might land and the Nationals, Phillies, Mariners, and Orioles often came up in conversation. The Phillies would appear to be a stretch for both financial and baseball reasons, but two industry sources say the club is quietly checking in on him. It was reported earlier this week that the O's are targeting Hamilton but Rosenthal would be surprised if owner Peter Angelos, who emphasizes that his GMs find him players with a history of good conduct, can be talked into it. Here's more from Rosenthal..
- The Brewers are discussing a new deal with first baseman/right fielder Corey Hart. The 30-year-old is seeking a three-year extension but the Brewers might prefer to give him two more years while increasing his 2013 salary. Hart is under contract for one more season at $10MM.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean expressed confidence that the team would re-sign free agents Angel Pagan, Marco Scutaro, and Jeremy Affeldt. Meanwhile, sources say that other teams are more aggressive than the Giants on Pagan right now.
- It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Indians trade Shin-Soo Choo, Asdrubal Cabrera, Chris Perez, and Justin Masterson, all of whom have two or fewer years of control remaining. However, catcher/first baseman Carlos Santana, signed for four more years, is more likely to stay.
Duquette On Free Agency, Second Base
The Orioles will pursue offense this offseason, with a particular focus at designated hitter and left field, according to executive VP Dan Duquette. In a conversation with MLBTR at the GM Meetings Duquette said he has the flexibility to pursue free agents who require long-term commitments.
“Sure. We can consider some multiyear deals,” he said. “I believe that our team, though, has a solid foundation. We could add one or two pieces either through trade or free agency or international free agency in the offseason to help our ballclub.”
Duquette focused on the international market in his first offseason with Baltimore, signing Wei-Yin Chen and Tsuyoshi Wada to multiyear deals. The Orioles aren’t as impressed with the starting pitching available internationally this year, Duquette said. At the very least, they’ll check in on the top players.
Duquette said he likes the team’s internal options at second base, especially after adding Alexi Casilla. Robert Andino, Brian Roberts and Ryan Flaherty are alternatives in Baltimore, according to Duquette.
AL Central Links: Willingham, Butler, Tigers, Cabrera
Here's the latest from the home of the American League champion Tigers….
- The Twins might not receive much more than a No. 4 starter in exchange for Josh Willingham, an AL executive tells Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities Radio. "There's no doubt Josh has a very good contract, but I really doubt a team would trade a viable starting pitcher for a guy with a strong bat but who is limited defensively," the executive said. "It's a lot easier to find a left-field or DH-type than to trade a good starting pitcher for one and then have to backfill the rotation spot." The 33-year-old Willingham is owed $14MM through 2014 and posted an .890 OPS last season, but another AL executive says Denard Span is a better trade chip for Minnesota.
- The Orioles have asked the Twins and Royals about Willingham and designated hitter Billy Butler, reports MLB.com's Paul Hagen. Both the Twins and Royals are desperate for pitching and while the O's have some good young arms, I don't think Baltimore has the pitching depth to spare in either the majors or minors.
- The Tigers want to keep backup catcher Gerald Laird but he will probably leave for a team that will give him more playing time, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
- The Tigers are generally active early in the offseason, though FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi (Twitter link) thinks this won't be the case this winter as the club's plans were pushed back by their World Series appearance.
- Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch sees Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera as a good trade target for the Cardinals, and he suggests a few young Cards prospects who could go to Cleveland in exchange for the All-Star.
AL East Links: Orioles, Red Sox, Sizemore, Yankees
The Blue Jays have pulled off a trade, a signing, and a DFA today, all before lunch time where the GM Meetings are being held in California. Here's the latest from the AL East…
- Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun says that the Orioles can't afford to take a risk like signing Josh Hamilton given their resources relative to the rest of the AL East. Yesterday we heard that Baltimore was targeting Hamilton and Cody Ross in their search for a left fielder.
- The Red Sox have interest in Japanese right-hander Kyuji Fujikawa, reports Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). The 32-year-old is a true free agent and has been the country's top closer for nearly a decade.
- The Red Sox are casting a wide net in their search for outfield help and even checked in on Grady Sizemore, writes WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. Yesterday we heard that Sizemore will try to play next season after missing all of this year due to injury.
- “Right now we’ve got some gaping holes," said Yankees GM Brian Cashman to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi wrote about the team's challenge of building a competitive roster in 2013 while trying to get under the 2014 luxury tax threshold.
- Ken Davidoff of The New York Post writes that while the Yankees intend to offer him a pay cut, talks with Mariano Rivera should go smoother than they did with Derek Jeter two offseasons ago.
- Yankees right-hander Joba Chamberlain has left the Hendricks Brothers and followed agent Jim Murray to Excel Sports Management, reports Joel Sherman of The New York Post (on Twitter).
- The Red Sox are eyeing Tino Martinez for their hitting coach job, reports Joe McDonald of ESPN Boston. The team is considering hiring two hitting coaches.
Managerial Notes: Rockies, O’s, Showalter, Blue Jays
The latest managerial news..
- Last night it was reported that Walt Weiss and Matt Williams are the two remaining candidates for the Rockies' managerial job with bench coach Tom Runnells and slugger Jason Giambi out of the running. However, Rockies General Manager Bill Geivett says that Giambi is still in play, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter).
- Geivett also said that there won't be a decision tonight but he expects one to come soon, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- The Orioles intend to negotiate a contract extension with Buck Showalter, sources tell Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Owner Peter Angelos has told people connected to the team that he will look to extend Showalter's deal beyond 2013.
- The Blue Jays are after a manager with experience and they have reached out Mike Hargrove, but talks do not appear to have progressed, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Toronto is confident that they'll find a strong candidate with previous experience, meaning that Sandy Alomar Jr. and Tim Wallach won't be in the picture unless they have a serious reversal, Rosenthal tweets (Twitter links).
Orioles Targeting Josh Hamilton & Cody Ross
The Orioles were a surprise contender this year and now it appears they might be a surprise big spender in the offseason. Baltimore is targeting Josh Hamilton and Cody Ross for their left field job, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
Hamilton, 31, would add major left-handed thump to a lineup that already features Nick Markakis and Chris Davis. He also wouldn't have to play center field thanks to Adam Jones. Ross, 31, would complement Jones as a right-handed power hitter and would come considerably cheaper. He's reportedly seeking three years and $25MM while Hamilton figures to demand nine figures.
AL East Notes: Ross, Yankees, Orioles
The Blue Jays aren’t going to rush their managerial search, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reported yesterday. Here’s the latest on the rest of the AL East, on the day before the GM Meetings begin in California…
- The Red Sox don’t want to offer Cody Ross a three-year deal, which could be a stumbling block in contract discussions, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. Ross appears to be seeking a three-year contract in the $25MM range. Some teams appear to have interest in committing to Ross on a three-year deal, Bradford reports.
- Agents say the Yankees are approaching free agency slowly, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). New York appears to be waiting for the upcoming GM Meetings and to see if a free agent such as Rafael Soriano or Nick Swisher accepts a qualifying offer. Soriano, Swisher and Hiroki Kuroda have until Friday to accept or decline the Yankees’ offers.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com looks ahead to determine which players might fit on the Orioles' bench in 2013. Taylor Teagarden, Nolan Reimold, Wilson Betemit and Ryan Flaherty will likely be among the players competing for reserve roles on the Baltimore roster next year.
- In case you missed it, the Red Sox are interested in Torii Hunter.
Steve Tolleson Elects Free Agency
We'll keep track of players who reject their outright assignments in lieu of free agency tonight right here…
- Steve Tolleson has elected free agency after rejecting the Orioles' outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (on Twitter). The 28-year-old Tolleson appeared in 29 games for the O's this season and hit .183/.227/.310 in 76 plate appearances. A fifth-round pick by the Twins in 2005, Tolleson has a career .287/.365/.408 triple slash line in 345 Triple-A games. He has extensive experience at second base, shortstop and third base.
Quick Hits: Hamilton, Indians, Cardinals, Rockies
Links from around baseball..
- David Lennon of Newsday ran down his predictions for the top free agents on this winter's market. Lennon sees Josh Hamilton landing with the Brewers on a five-year deal and B.J. Upton getting a six-year pact from the Phillies. Of course, MLBTR readers can put themselves in the mix for great prizes in our second annual free agent prediction contest.
- The Indians should follow the example of the Athletics and overhaul their team this offseason, opines ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider sub. req'd). Olney suggests that Cleveland can start the fire sale by trading shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera to a team such as the A's, Mariners, Red Sox, or Yankees.
- Speaking of the Tribe, Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer looks at how a tight financial situation and bad trades combined to hurt the Indians in recent years.
- MLBTR has learned that Orioles left-hander Zach Phillips has rejected his outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk and elected free agency. Phillips, 26, posted a 3.17 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 42 Triple-A outings last season.
- The Cardinals may pursue short-term fixes at both shortstop and second base rather than entrust their depth to organizational players such as Pete Kozma, Ryan Jackson, or Kolten Wong, writes Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- The Rockies could decide on their new manager early this week, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Bench coach Tom Runnells, veteran slugger Jason Giambi, former Rockies shortstop Walt Weiss, and current Diamondbacks third base coach Matt Williams make up the club's final four of candidates.
- Scott Boras takes a few minutes out of his busy schedule to chat with FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi about the offseason and how new television revenue will fuel spending over the next few months.
- While strong numbers during a contract year may benefit free agents, teams aren't guaranteed to see a repeat performance from their new investments the following season, writes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.
Daniel Seco contributed to this post.