Red Sox “Confident” About Re-Signing Ortiz
The Red Sox seem "pretty confident" they'll be able to re-sign David Ortiz to a two-year deal, assuming he doesn't accept arbitration, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Here are a few more Red Sox updates from Ben Cherington's first Winter Meetings as Boston's GM:
- While Boston was thought to have interest in free agents like C.J. Wilson and Roy Oswalt, Cherington said today that he doesn't anticipate the Red Sox pursuing high-end starting pitching options, as WEEI's Alex Speier writes.
- Cherington also said today that Daniel Bard had indicated a preference for his 2012 role, though it seems he and Bard may not have been on the same page. In a text message to the Providence Journal's Brian MacPherson, Bard said he stated a willingness to move to the rotation rather than a preference to do so: "I guess making it clear that I would be willing to start may have made it seem like a preference, but I just want to make it clear that I feel like I could thrive in either role."
- It doesn't appear that the Orioles will be signing longtime Red Sox backstop Jason Varitek. According to John Tomase of the Boston Herald, O's skipper Buck Showalter addressed the topic in Dallas: "Right now, it’s not a fit for us."
AL East Rumors: Lowrie, Upton, Maddon, Orioles
The latest buzz out of the AL East…
- A few teams are asking the Red Sox about infielder Jed Lowrie, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Braves are not in the picture for Lowrie, notes Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.
- The Rays are telling teams they will talk about center fielder B.J. Upton, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, but they have to be overwhelmed to move him. Upton has one year remaning before free agency.
- Rays manager Joe Maddon told reporters he's very confident of getting a contract extension, and he's had talks with the team.
- The Orioles are receiving plenty of interest in righty Jim Johnson, reports MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli, but they don't seem intent on moving him. The Orioles are undecided on whether to use Johnson as a starter or reliever next year, manager Buck Showalter told reporters today.
Twins Claim Pedro Florimon
The Twins claimed shortstop Pedro Florimon off waivers from the Orioles, tweets MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. Florimon, 24, hit .267/.344/.396 for the Orioles' Double-A club this year. The switch-hitter is a flashy but erratic defender, wrote Baseball America prior to the season. BA ranked him 29th among Orioles prospects at that point, questioning his ability to hit advanced pitching.
The Orioles also announced they've outrighted lefty Pedro Viola to Triple-A, leaving their 40-man roster at 39.
More East Links: Red Sox, Hamels, Reyes, Nix
Another batch of links surrounding the Eastern divisions, less than 12 hours after the Marlins and Jose Reyes agreed to terms on a six-year, $106MM contract:
- The Red Sox may only be able to take on a very limited amount of payroll for a number of reasons, and Alex Speier of WEEI.com has the rundown.
- The Phillies have not had any extension talks with Cole Hamels, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Still, CBS Sports' Danny Knobler says there's a strong expectation on both sides that a deal will eventually get done.
- In his "10 Degrees" column for Yahoo! Sports, Jeff Passan calls the former small-market Marlins' outbidding of the Mets for Reyes "bizarro baseball," opines that Reyes at his best is better offensively than Carl Crawford, and runs down a number of other big name free agents and hot stove issues.
- David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News breaks down Laynce Nix's two-year deal with the Phillies, but has difficulty finding the logic behind the signing.
- Jimmy Rollins is the Phillies' top priority at the Winter Meetings, writes Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Other than that, however, Brookover finds it unlikely that the Phils will make a big splash this week.
- In his latest blog, MLB.com's Bill Chastain says he doesn't think the Rays will be in on Manny Ramirez, he expects B.J. Upton to stay put, and he a "big part of him" still believes Johnny Damon could return to Tampa despite reported interest from the Orioles.
- New Orioles special assistant Lee Thomas told reporters, including Steve Melewski of MASNSports, that other teams "missed the boat" on GM Dan Duquette.
East Links: Damon, Reyes, Nats, Orioles, Manny
Some links pertaining to baseball's Eastern division teams as the Winter Meetings draw near…
- Don't rule out Johnny Damon for the Orioles, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- Marlins people are saying it's still possible Hanley Ramirez could move to center field but a source close to Ramirez says he's already agreed to play third base, tweets Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.
- Ramirez's agent will not comment on the Marlins' signing of Jose Reyes, writes Tim Brown of Yahoo. The Fish are expected to ask Ramirez to shift from shortstop to third base to accommodate Reyes.
- The Orioles are looking for a left-handed hitting outfielder who can back up in center field and possibly platoon in left field, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.
- The Nationals center field targets include Peter Bourjos, B.J. Upton, and maybe Angel Pagan if he is non-tendered, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman doesn't think he'll have any interest in Manny Ramirez if he makes a comeback, tweets Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal.
- The Nationals are one team that is maintaining interest in Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes despite his increasing price tag, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Their pursuit of the center fielder may hinge on their negotiations with Mark Buehrle, C.J. Wilson, and Prince Fielder though.
- Former Red Sox first base coach Ron Johnson will manage the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk, according to the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo (on Twitter).
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out (via Twitter) that it was new Orioles GM Dan Duquette who signed Manny Ramirez to his eight-year, $160MM contract with the Red Sox and wonders if he might sign Ramirez once more.
- SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that Duquette called Ramirez's attempted comeback an "interesting development." The Orioles are in the market for a designated hitter.
Cubs, Diamondbacks Interested In Stewart
SUNDAY: The Orioles, Mariners, Pirates, and Angels have also inquired on Ian Stewart, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
6:13pm: In addition to the Cubs, the Diamondbacks are also interested in Stewart, tweets Jon Heyman of SI. The 26-year-old is very likely to go somewhere, according to Heyman.
FRIDAY: The Rockies think highly enough of Stewart that they would not consider trading him for DeWitt, according to Renck.
11:39am: The Rockies have already moved Ty Wigginton and Chris Iannetta this offseason, and they're reportedly open to dealing Ian Stewart and Huston Street as well. Troy Renck of The Denver Post reports that Colorado has asked the Cubs for Blake DeWitt in exchange for Stewart, but talks between the two clubs have since cooled.
DeWitt, 26, is a left-handed bat with experience at second, third, and in left field. He's hit .258/.309/.396 with nine homers in 447 plate appearances for the Cubbies after coming over in the deal that sent Ted Lilly to the Dodgers at the 2010 trade deadline. Renck says the Rockies would prefer to get a pitcher in any deal involving Stewart as well.
O’s Add Lee Thomas, Fred Ferreira To Front Office
The Orioles have added executives Lee Thomas and Fred Ferreira to their front office, according to a team press release.
Thomas, who will serve as Special Assistant to the Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations, last worked as a scout for the Brewers from 2002-2006. Prior to that he spent six seasons as a Special Assistant and Assistant GM to Dan Duquette, the current Orioles GM, when Duquette was GM of the Red Sox. Thomas was named the 1993 Executive of the Year as GM of the Phillies when they went to the World Series.
Ferreira, who will serve as Executive Director of International Recruiting, has worked as VP and Director of International Operations and Scouting for the Marlins and Expos in the past. He's signed 57 international free agents in his tenure, highlighted by names such as Vladimir Guerrero, Bernie Williams, and Javier Vazquez.
AL East Notes: Lucchino, Youkilis, Orioles
Yesterday, we learned that the landscape for free agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda is now "wide open". The Red Sox have long been interested in the right-hander and was involved in trade talks to acquire him over the summer before Kuroda decided that he would rather finish the season with the Dodgers. The Yankees are also expected to be in the mix for the hurler. Here's more news out of the American League East..
- The Orioles will announce more front office hires today, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter).
- Red Sox CEO/president Larry Lucchino said he would not attend the Winter Meetings, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. This could be a sign that Lucchino is willing to back off or that he is showing full confidence in his new management team of GM Ben Cherington and skipper Bobby Valentine.
- Cafardo also writes that Boston could use Jed Lowrie and Josh Reddick as trade bait and wonders if the club would part with Kevin Youkilis in a bigger deal.
- More from Cafardo, as he writes that Red Sox VP of player personnel Allard Baird is likely to come up in connection with the Astros' GM job. Baird was in the mix for Baltimore's GM vacancy but ultimately opted not to interview for the position.
- There has been little connection between the Orioles and any starters on the free-agent market which could mean that a trade is their best option, writes Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun. The O's could also use a middle infielder and a DH but both are considered to be back burner issues.
- New Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich says he'd like to hire some new amateur scouts by the end of the year, writes Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com. Rajsich will look to adding a scout in central Florida and add a scout for the New England area to replace Keith Connolly, who recently left the organization.
AL East Notes: Chong, Blue Jays, Yankees
A few notes to share from around the AL East, where the soon-to-be officially retired Pedro Martinez spent the prime of his career with the Red Sox.
- Korean right-hander Tae-Hyong Chong is still mulling a contract offer from the Orioles, as well as one from a team in the Korean Baseball Organization, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The O's have offered Tae-Hyon a two-year, $3MM deal, Connolly hears.
- Having acquired a backup catcher in Jeff Mathis, the Blue Jays will focus on adding a starting pitcher, a closer and a second baseman at the Winter Meetings, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. For second base, Davidi suggests the Jays could target Alberto Callaspo or Maicer Izturis if the Angels make one or both of them available, and they will keep tabs on the White Sox's Gordon Beckham, whom "they have long admired."
- The Yankees may be in the market for a second lefty out of the bullpen to go along with Boone Logan, and Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News suggests White Sox southpaw Matt Thornton could be a good fit. Thornton is under contract through 2013 and owed $11MM, with a $6MM club option or a $1MM buyout for 2014, and would probably only cost a fringe prospect at best to acquire, as the South Siders are looking to offload his salary.
Orioles Links: Pitching, Jones, Player Development
Here's the latest from Baltimore, less than 48 hours before the winter meetings begin…
- "I don't know that we have the kind of pitching depth that we need," said GM Dan Duquette to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. "It would be hard for us to trade pitching unless we got some pitching in return or we had a viable alternative in place." Yesterday we heard that Jeremy Guthrie is being shopped.
- "I can't really tell you, I haven't looked at the numbers or the contract," said Duquette to Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com when asked about a potential contract extension for Adam Jones. "That is something that if we are going to take a look at, it would be after the first of the year."
- Duquette also told Melewski that his first order of business over the next few weeks is to put a productive player development system in place and expand the team's international efforts.
- Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun believes the Orioles will make more than one move during the winter meetings next week, including a trade. He expects the moves to be generally underwhelming, though.
- Kubatko tweets that the team is expected to announce two front office hires tomorrow. He's heard that Fred Ferreira will be brought in as international scouting director and Gordon Blakeley as a special assistant, though those moves are not confirmed yet.