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Manny Ramirez Deciding Between A’s, Orioles, Jays

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FRIDAY: Ramirez is deciding between the Orioles, A's and Blue Jays, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com reports (link in Spanish). Once he decides on a club, his agents will negotiate a possible deal.

THURSDAY: The Athletics and Orioles are the teams who are "most interested" in signing Manny Ramirez, tweets FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.  The extent of either team's interest is unknown, as Rosenthal notes it's "unclear" if either team has made Ramirez a contract offer.  In a follow-up tweet, Rosenthal says it's possible other teams could also be pursuing Ramirez.

The A's have been linked to Ramirez on a few occasions since the slugger announced he was returning to the Major Leagues.  Both managing partner Lew Wolff and assistant GM David Forst have said the team is open to signing the embattled Ramirez, who will face a 50-game suspension for violating the MLB drug policy should he sign a new contract.  Rosenthal notes that the A's are also still looking for relief help. 

Oakland already has Chris Carter, Jonny Gomes, Seth Smith, Collin Cowgill and others in the mix for DH at-bats, so they could use Spring Training and the 50-game suspended period to evaluate what Ramirez has left in the tank.  The O's, likewise, have Wilson Betemit, Chris Davis and Mark Reynolds as DH candidates, so Ramirez wouldn't be a pressing need for them either.  Baltimore (and Toronto) sent scouts to see Ramirez hit in a batting cage last month. 

One advantage in Ramirez's favor is that his asking price would be little more than $1MM, whereas other DH-types like Johnny Damon and Vladimir Guerrero are said to be looking for $5MM contracts.

Orioles Release Rick VandenHurk

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FRIDAY: VandenHurk cleared waivers and was released, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets.

THURSDAY: The Orioles have placed Rick VandenHurk on release waivers, Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com reports (Twitter links). The right-hander, who was designated for assignment last week, could be claimed by another team before his release becomes official tomorrow.

VandenHurk, 26, has experience in five big league seasons, but he appeared in just four games for the 2011 Orioles. He spent most of the season as a starter at Triple-A, where he posted a 4.43 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 154 1/3 innings. The 6'5" native of the Netherlands has a 5.97 ERA with 8.8 K/9, 4.7 BB/9 and a 27.9% ground ball rate in 181 career innings with the Marlins and Orioles.

AL East Notes: Chavez, Ethier, Jones, Orioles, BoSox

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Here's the latest from the AL East…

  • Brian Cashman said there is still a chance Eric Chavez could return to the Yankees, reports ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand.  Chavez could have the edge over other DH types like Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui since Chavez can still play the field.
  • Mike Axisa of the River Avenue Blues blog sees Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier as an intriguing trade deadline possibility for the Yankees.  Ethier would ideally be paired with Andruw Jones as a lefty-righty DH platoon.
  • The Yankees still see Phil Hughes as a starting pitcher long-term and aren't likely to trade Hughes given that his trade value is "at a low point," writes MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.  Last month for Roto Authority, I wrote that Hughes could be a nice dark horse fantasy option if he's healthy and able to win the No. 5 spot in New York's rotation.
  • Orioles GM Dan Duquette tells MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski that he wants to get Adam Jones' 2012 salary settled before exploring a multiyear extension with the center fielder.  "I've said several times that we like Adam Jones as a player and if we were to consider a long-term deal, that is something that we can certainly consider," Duquette said.
  • Melewski also reports that Jones' arbitration case is set to be heard on February 17.  The Orioles' other two outstanding arb cases (Jeremy Guthrie and Brad Bergesen) are scheduled for February 6 and 8, respectively.
  • The Orioles are still looking for another bat, and it will probably have to come through the free agent market, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  The O's had "tepid interest" in Casey Kotchman but had already moved on before Kotchman agreed to terms with the Indians today.
  • The Red Sox have hired veteran scout Gary Hughes as a special assistant to the club, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).  Hughes has spent 45 years in a variety of different scouting and front office positions for numerous teams, including the last nine years as Jim Hendry's special assistant with the Cubs.
  • The New York Times Co. has sold 100 shares of its ownership stake in Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Red Sox, reports MLB.com's Evan Drellich.  The sale will net $30MM for the Times Co.  Between this and a larger sale in July, the Times Co. is down to roughly a third of the 750 units it bought in Fenway Sports Group in 2002.  Major League Baseball still has to approve the sale.

Minor Moves: Fossum, Sanchez

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Here's where we'll keep track of the day's minor moves…

  • The Orioles have agreed to sign left-hander Casey Fossum to a minor league deal, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets. Fossum, 34, last pitched in the Major Leagues with the 2009 Mets. He spent the 2010 season in Japan, before posting a 6.56 ERA in 35 2/3 innings at Triple-A in 2011. Orioles general manager Dan Duquette selected Fossum in the first round of the 1999 draft when he was Boston's GM.
  • Astros infielder Angel Sanchez cleared waivers and will be a non-roster invitee at Spring Training, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tweets. The 28-year-old appeared in 110 games for the Astros in 2011, playing shortstop, second and third. He posted a .240/.305/.285 line in 328 plate appearances, and the Astros designated him for assignment last week.

Orioles Notes: Out Of Options Players, Trade Chips

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New Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette spent about $24MM on free agents this winter, mainly adding to his pitching staff with Wei-Yin Chen and Tsuyoshi Wada.  He also added a few role players via trade.  The latest on the Orioles:

AL East Notes: Ortiz, Kim, Longoria

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A few notes to share coming out of the American League East …

  • An arbitration hearing appears likely for the Red Sox and David Ortiz, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. When the sides exchanged salary proposals earlier this month, the Red Sox offered $12.65MM, while Ortiz and his representatives at SFX request $16.5MM, so a pretty sizable gap exists. The 36-year-old DH posted a sharp .309/.398/.554 line and slugged 29 homers in 2011.
  • The Korean Baseball Organization is displeased by the Orioles' signing of 17-year-old lefty Seong-Min Kim to a minor league deal because of his age and is threatening to petition Major League Baseball, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. Orioles GM Dan Duquette said he doesn't understand the complaint, as Kim and his family were both in favor of the move, and he is closer to 18 than to 17. 
  • Rays third baseman Evan Longoria said during an appearance on MLB Network's Intentional Talk that he has no regrets about the club-friendly extension he signed in April 2008, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. "I can honestly say that I’ve never regretted doing it. I can look at myself in the mirror and say that I made the right decision. You never know, who knows, one or two years in I might’ve hurt myself and not been the player that I am today." The six-year deal includes three club options for what would have been free-agent years for Longoria. It could be worth as much as $45MM and will expire after Longo's age-29 season. 

One-Year Deal Likely For Edwin Jackson

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2:45pm: The Red Sox offered a one-year deal in the $5-6MM range and remain in the hunt for Jackson, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports.

1:09pm: Edwin Jackson has multiple three-year offers, but clubs are being told that the free agent right-hander is much more likely to sign a one-year deal than a multiyear contract, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports. The Orioles like Jackson and have made him an offer, but Connolly suggests it won't be enough to sign him.

The Orioles would consider a four-year deal for Jackson, though they seem more comfortable with a three-year deal that includes a fourth option year, Connolly writes. If Jackson seeks a one-year deal, Baltimore would seem to be an unlikely destination given its hitter-friendly park, remote chances of contending and division.

Howard Megdal compared Jackson and Jason Schmidt earlier today, suggesting that Jackson could be a bargain signing. 

AL East Notes: Jones, Red Sox, Yankees

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On this date last year, the Rays signed Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez to one-year deals. Damon put together a successful season in Tampa Bay, but MLB suspended Ramirez for violating its drug policy and he appeared in just five games for the Rays. Here are today's AL East links…

  • Though the Orioles have some interest in extending Adam Jones, they haven’t begun extension talks with the center fielder, the Baltimore Sun reports. Jones is one of Baltimore’s three unsigned arbitration eligible players, along with fellow CAA client Jeremy Guthrie and right-hander Brad Bergesen. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes previewed a possible Jones extension last summer.
  • Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said it seems like compensation for his departure to Chicago should be determined sometime soon, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports. The commissioner’s office will determine what the Red Sox obtain from the Cubs as compensation.
  • Larry Koestler of River Ave. Blues says the Yankees should target Zack Greinke at least as much as they target Cole Hamels next offseason. Both pitchers are set to hit free agency within the year, assuming they don't sign extensions first.

The Latest On Yoenis Cespedes

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Here's the latest on Yoenis Cespedes, who was officially declared a free agent last week…

  • "We are aware of the [Spring Training] dates," said agent Adam Katz to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). "We expect him to be in camp with one of the clubs." Katz also called the market for Cespedes "meaningful and aggressive."
  • The Marlins, Cubs, White Sox, Orioles, and Tigers are five of the six clubs that have been in serious talks with Cespedes, reports ESPN's Jim Bowden (Twitter links). He is expected to travel to the United States in the next 7-10 days for face-to-face meetings.
  • Baseball America's Jim Callis said he would rank Cespedes in the 7-15 range of their top 100 prospects list, and that he would take over as the top prospect of pretty much any team that signs him.

Orioles Notes: Gregg, Uehara, Trades

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The Orioles signed Pat Neshek and Ronny Paulino today and also added 17-year-old Korean lefty Seong-Min Kim on a minor league deal. Here are some more notes on the club: 

  • Orioles right-hander Kevin Gregg told Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun that last year left a bad taste in his mouth. “I think we all have something to prove to ourselves and to the rest of the league," Gregg said. He posted a 4.37 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 during his debut season in Baltimore. 
  • MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli has heard that the Orioles’ interest in re-acquiring Koji Uehara has been overstated. It doesn’t seem likely that the right-hander will be traded back to Baltimore at this point. He is drawing trade interest after posting a 2.35 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and 1.2 BB/9 in 65 innings for the Orioles and Rangers in 2011. 
  • The Orioles aren’t comfortable with the demands potential trade partners are making, Encina reports. The Orioles discussed deals with the Cardinals and the Rangers, who are both looking to unload salary. The 2011 World Series foes have both been linked to Roy Oswalt in recent weeks.
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