The Red Sox avoided arbitration with Jacoby Ellsbury, agreeing to a one-year, $9MM contract for 2013, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Scott Boras represents Ellsbury, who is on track to hit free agency following the 2013 season.
Red Sox Rumors
Red Sox, Jarrod Saltalamacchia Avoid Arbitration
The Red Sox announced that they avoided salary arbitration with catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The Munsey Sports Management client obtains a one-year, $4.5MM deal for 2013, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports.
Saltalamacchia had a projected salary of $3.9MM following a season in which he hit 25 home runs and posted a .222/.288/.454 batting line in 448 plate appearances. The 27-year-old had been arbitration eligible for the third and final time. He remains on track to hit free agency after the 2013 season.
The Red Sox have eight remaining arbitration eligible players, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows. Right-handers Alfredo Aceves, Andrew Bailey, Daniel Bard, and Joel Hanrahan, left-handers Craig Breslow, Andrew Miller and Franklin Morales, and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury are also eligible.
AL East Notes: Oliver, Price, Red Sox, Hendrickson
Jeff Frye, Darren Oliver's agent, was apparently not speaking for his client when Frye said earlier this month that Oliver wanted a raise to return to the Blue Jays or else the veteran southpaw would retire, Oliver said during a conference call with reporters (including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca). "I was out of town when that article was written, and I didn't say those things, that was coming from Jeff Frye," Oliver said. "Obviously if I had something to say, I would have said it a long time ago, not once did I ever demand anything from the Blue Jays or Alex [GM Alex Anthopoulos]." The Jays announced today that Oliver would return to pitch in Toronto in 2013.
Here are some more items from around the AL East…
- David Price's one-year deal with the Rays was structured in a way that both saved Price several hundred thousand dollars in taxes and also gave the Rays the ability to potentially save $4MM in salary deferred to Price in 2014 if the southpaw is dealt by then, reports Jon Paul Morosi for FOX Sports.
- Price loves playing in Tampa Bay but knows the franchise has financial limits and feels a responsibility to get a fair multiyear contract, the Rays ace tells Yahoo Sports' Tim Brown. "I don't want to mess up for the future of other guys that could be in my position as well," Price said. "You don't want to do that, because that's not only affecting you, that affects everybody else. I want to be happy. I don't want to sell myself short. I guess 'appreciation' is the word I could use the most. I just want to feel appreciated."
- The Red Sox talked to the Nationals about Mike Morse but Washington's asking price was too high, reports Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Now that Morse has been dealt to the Mariners, Abraham wonders if Mike Carp is now expendable in Seattle and could fit as left-handed bench depth in Boston.
- Xander Bogaerts is "as close to untouchable as any player in the Boston organization," writes CSNNE.com's Sean McAdam in an interview with the highly-touted Red Sox prospect. Sox GM Ben Cherington reportedly turned down several trade offers involving Bogaerts this winter.
- Mark Hendrickson looked good during a tryout at the Orioles' minicamp today and will pitch again for the team on Friday, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. We heard earlier this week that Hendrickson is trying to return to the Major Leagues as a sidearm pitcher.
- In AL East news from earlier today, the Orioles extended Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette, the Yankees avoided arbitration with Phil Hughes and the Red Sox made progress with Mike Napoli.
Progress For Red Sox, Mike Napoli
9:46pm: Brian Grieper, Napoli's agent, says it is "reasonable to expect" that Napoli will have made his decision about signing with the Red Sox by next week, ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes reports. "All signs point to" the two sides eventually agreeing to a one-year contract, Edes says, though Napoli may have to undergo another physical before things are finalized (all Twitter links).
3:49pm: The Red Sox and Napoli are making significant progress toward a one-year agreement, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (on Twitter).
11:05am: Mike Napoli and the Red Sox have made progress toward a new agreement, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. The deal isn’t done, however, and both sides are keeping their options open. The situation should be resolved by next week at the latest, according to Heyman.
The sides had agreed to a three-year, $39MM contract, but the deal didn’t go through as expected. Napoli has a hip issue that prompted the Red Sox to seek protective language in the deal. The 31-year-old has remained Boston’s top first base target and seems like a more probable solution than trade candidate Michael Morse, Heyman writes. Despite the hip issue, Napoli expects to be ready for Opening Day. He is said to be talking to a couple of other American League clubs, according to Heyman.
The Red Sox are exploring trades for a left-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (Twitter link). Boston would like to complement right-handed hitters such as Napoli and Jonny Gomes, who both have a history of effectiveness against left-handed pitching.
Quick Hits: Wuertz, Webb, Wheeler
Rafael Soriano’s two-year, $28MM agreement with the Nationals dominated headlines this afternoon, but let’s not let the news overshadow some other notes from around MLB. Here are Tuesday’s links…
- Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN in Minneapolis suggests reliever Michael Wuertz will soon sign a minor league deal with a National League team (Twitter link).
- NL East teams such as the Phillies, Marlins, Nationals and Mets are keeping tabs on free agent right-hander Brandon Webb, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
- The Mets won’t trade Zack Wheeler to acquire Justin Upton from Arizona, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter link). The Mets and Diamondbacks don’t see a fit for a deal involving Upton at this point, Heyman adds. New York does have interest in high-profile outfielders such as Upton.
- The Red Sox have seen all of Javier Vazquez's starts in Puerto Rico, Peter Gammons of MLB Network reports (on Twitter). Many clubs will be watching the free agent right-hander pitch today, Gammons notes. Vazquez, 36, has said he's not in a hurry to sign.
East Notes: Orioles, Mets, Wilson, Blue Jays
We know that the Orioles aren't looking to trade J.J. Hardy based on recent comments from manager Buck Showalter, but that doesn't mean that Baltimore won't look to make other deals. "I know from talking to Peter [Angelos], if there's a deal there that everybody thinks works, we're going to go. Nobody's scared here. Nobody's afraid to make a deal here. Trust me. Trust me. It's just, we've got to get the right one," said the skipper, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (on Twitter). Here's more out of the AL and NL East..
- The Mets are reportedly showing serious interest in Brian Wilson, but Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (onTwitter) doesn't see a signing in the immediate future. At this stage, Rubin is told that Wilson still has a ways to go after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year.
- Don't look for the Mets to actively pursue Grady Sizemore thanks to an outfield already full of left-handed hitters, adds Rubin (via Twitter). The former Indians star's health remains an issue heading into 2013 as Sizemore works to recover from microfracture surgery on his knee.
- Other teams in the AL East, like the Blue Jays, claim that they're not building with the idea of pouncing while the Yankees are cost-conscious, but Ken Davidoff of the New York Post isn't necessarily buying it. Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos has said that his club has a three-to-five-year window to seriously contend, and a person familiar with the the Blue Jays’ internal discussions says that it ties back into the Yankees’ apparent weakening and the Red Sox's disappointing 2012.
- The Red Sox have high hopes for their recently-replenished youth movement, writes Tim Britton of The Providence Journal. Boston has placed a greater emphasis on developing talent from within their system ever since their August trade with the Dodgers.
Daniel Seco contributed to this post.
Cafardo On Napoli, Lohse, Upton, Bourn, Soriano
It has been six weeks since the Red Sox and Mike Napoli agreed to terms on a three-year, $39MM contract. The holdup in finalizing the deal is concern with one of Napoli's hips and the team's desire to write protective language into the contract. Recently, we learned the Red Sox are continuing negotiations with Napoli, but would like to shorten the deal to just one year and have been in contact with the Nationals about Mike Morse. A major league source told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe this about Napoli's hip, "It’s one of those things where it could go anytime or five years from now. Nobody really knows, which is why the Red Sox want strong language after putting $40 million on the table for him.” Cafardo believes it's starting to make sense for the Red Sox to trade for Justin Morneau or to make Daniel Nava a first baseman/left fielder. More from Cafardo:
- That Kyle Lohse is still available at this late date is somewhat of a stunner to Cafardo. Lohse's market has been stunted with him being tied to draft pick compensation and that no one seems willing to go beyond two years, although several teams needs starting pitching and his stuff translates to both leagues.
- Draft pick compensation has also shrunk the market for Michael Bourn. Another factor, according to a NL GM, has been the Twins trading both Denard Span and Ben Revere and the Braves signing B.J. Upton.
- Cafardo thought it was strange for Justin Upton to reject his trade to Seattle since it's one of the nicest cities in the country and the fences at Safeco Field have been moved in.
- Cubs President Theo Epstein has come to realize Alfonso Soriano is an excellent clubhouse presence because of his willingness to help younger players. With that and his excellent 2012 season, Epstein wants a player of note in any deal where the Cubs eat a majority of the $36MM left on Soriano's contract.
- Discussions to include Garrett Jones in the Joel Hanrahan trade never progressed very far because "the Pirates really valued Jones highly," a major league source told Cafardo.
- One NL GM told Cafardo Roy Oswalt may still want to pitch, but on his terms and perhaps for only a half a season. Many teams have given up trying to persuade the 35-year-old to pitch, feeling the vibe is that he just doesn’t want it bad enough. Cafardo also notes Oswalt suffered a forearm strain at the end of his time with the Rangers last season.
- Bobby Valentine has turned down some opportunities to serve as an advisor for teams. Valentine has instead decided to focus on expanding his restaurant business, growing his film company, and working for NBC Sports since being fired as manager of the Red Sox.
AL East Notes: Dickerson, Hardy, Orioles, Red Sox
Here's today's look at the American League East..
- Trade talks involving Chris Dickerson never came to life after the outfielder was designated for assignment, reports Chad Jennings of The Journal News. Teams expected him to be released and available as a free agent, and sure enough the Yankees released him on Saturday.
- When asked if the Orioles would have to be overwhelmed to trade shortstop J.J. Hardy, manager Buck Showalter responded "What word is above "overwhelmed?", tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The Tigers reportedly wanted Hardy in a three-way deal in order to ship Rick Porcello to the Cubs.
- The Yankees are still interested in acquiring a right-handed bat but one baseball official says that the club remains in a holding pattern, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post. The Bombers are interested in Scott Hairston but the outfielder is holding out for a two-year deal while the Nats aren't in a rush to trade Michael Morse.
- A source tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that the Red Sox have shown interest in free agents Casey Kotchman and Lyle Overbay, but there's "nothing active" right now on either front. We learned yesterday that Boston has explored signing Kotchman as well as Nick Johnson.
- Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald looks at what it might take for the Red Sox to pry Mike Morse away from the Nationals.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Latest On Red Sox, Mike Napoli
9:29pm: ESPN's Jim Bowden says (on Twitter) the Red Sox would like to shorten the deal to just one year. GM Ben Cherington told Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe that negotiations continue with Napoli (Twitter link).
4:41pm: The three-year, $39MM agreement between Mike Napoli and the Red Sox has yet to be announced, and before the Red Sox sign off on a contract, they want to restructure the deal to include protective language, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. The Red Sox still seem hopeful that they’ll be able to reach an agreement with the catcher/first baseman, according to reports earlier in the week.
The Red Sox want to add protective language to the deal because they found an issue with one of Napoli’s hips, Rosenthal reports. The Red Sox have included protective language in past deals for players such as J.D. Drew. Before Drew signed his deal, Detroit signed Ivan Rodriguez to a free agent contract that allowed the Tigers to buy the catcher out if he spent a certain amount of time on the disabled list for designated reasons.
Another team has expressed interest in Napoli. However, Rosenthal says no team has made a serious effort to sign him.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Michael Morse Rumors: Friday
Minutes after news broke that Adam LaRoche had agreed to return to the Nationals on a two-year deal, the speculation about trades involving Michael Morse began. Morse, a free agent next offseason, offers right-handed power at a time that it’s very much in demand. The Nationals don’t have an everyday role for him after signing LaRoche, but many other teams are interested. Here’s the latest on Morse, starting in the American League East…
- The Yankees called the Nationals about Morse after Washington signed LaRoche, Jack Curry of the YES Network reports (on Twitter). The sides will eventually discuss a deal, but the Nationals weren’t ready to talk trades when the Yankees first called.
- The Red Sox are one of the teams in contact with the Nationals about Morse, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. Rosenthal suggests Morse could be an alternative to Mike Napoli at first base in Boston. However, the Red Sox would need to part with young talent and possibly a left-handed reliever to obtain Morse.
- The Rays have also been linked to Morse, who's drawing interest from several teams.
