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Red Sox, Ortiz Agree To Two-Year Deal

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There's been a lot of change in Boston in the last year or so, but David Ortiz isn't going anywhere.  The designated hitter known as Big Papi agreed to a two-year deal that will keep him with the Red Sox through 2014, the team announced today.

“He is an historic figure, a beloved hero, and an important player as we build our team for 2013 and beyond,” GM Ben Cherington said in a statement released by the team.

The deal is worth $26MM in total and includes a $14MM salary for 2013, an $11MM salary for 2014 and a $1MM signing bonus, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter links).  The value of the second year can increase to $13MM or $15MM depending on how much time Ortiz misses in 2013. Ortiz will earn $15MM in 2014 if he misses 20 or fewer days on the disabled list due to his Achilles injury in 2013, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

Ortiz, who turns 37 in just over two weeks, posted a .318/.415/.611 batting line in 383 plate appearances this past season.  The Red Sox extended a qualifying offer worth $13.3MM to the SFX client last week.  The move would have netted the club a compensatory draft pick if he signed elsewhere, but Ortiz will instead remain as a cornerstone of the Boston lineup.

The veteran ranked 13th on MLBTR's list of top 50 free agents this offseason and figured to have multiple suitors, including the Rangers.  In ten seasons with the Red Sox, Ortiz has hit .290/.389/.573, earning eight All-Star selections along the way.

Rob Bradford of WEEI.com first reported news of the agreement. Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) reported that the two sides were likely to strike a deal. Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

East Notes: Mets, Jays, Shields, Red Sox, Nationals

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As it stands now, the Mets don't have a great deal of money to spend in free agency after exercising the options on David Wright and R.A. Dickey for 2013. However, the club could free up cash by opting to trade one or both if they are unable to come to terms on contract extensions. The Mets have a serious need for outfield help and multiple baseball officials told Mike Puma of the New York Post that they see Cody Ross as a possible free agent target for the team. Here's more from the AL and NL East:

  • Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers told MLB.com's Barry M. Bloom that "the Blue Jays have kicked the tires about possibly interviewing" Matt Williams for their managerial vacancy, but have yet to formally ask for permission. Williams is scheduled to meet with top Rockies officials at Coors Field and will be the final candidate to do so, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com.
  • James Shields, who is set to become the highest-paid player in Rays' franchise history, is prepared to be a prime subject of the Hot Stove rumor mill this winter, writes the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin. "Obviously my name's been thrown around a lot," the right-hander said. "I'm just going to go about my business and not really worry about it. Obviously I want to be a Ray. I've been here 12 years, this is my home. If it does happen, it'll be a sad day."
  • Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald suggests that the Red Sox should trade Jacoby Ellsbury as they are unlikely to come to terms with him on a contract extension. The Red Sox could find a partner in the Rangers as they may prefer to give Ellsbury a long-term commitment rather than Josh Hamilton and can afford to part with shortstop Elvis Andrus. 
  • The Red Sox are bolstering their scouting department in anticipation of having, for the first time since 1993 and just the second time since 1967, a top ten pick in the amateur draft, reports WEEI.com's Alex Speier. The team rehired John Booher, the person most directly involved in the scouting process of Ellsbury in 2005 and Nick Hagadone in 2007, and hired former MLB pitcher Brian Moehler as an area scout for Georgia.
  • Tom Kotchman, who resigned last week as a manager and scout in the Angels organization, interviewed with the Red Sox on Thursday, tweets Conor Glassey of Baseball America. Glassey points to former Angels scouting director Eddie Bane's position with Boston as the club's new Special Assistant to Player Personnel for the mutual interest. 
  • The Red Sox wanted to hold on to reliever Michael Olmstead, but their current 40-man roster crunch made it impossible, explains Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The 6'7", 245-pound right-hander signed with the Brewers as a minor league free agent last night.
  • For now, people familiar with the Nationals’ thinking expect them to either trade arbitration-eligible John Lannan or allow him to walk, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The Nats could instead convert Christian Garcia from a reliever to a starter to fill out the rotation, but his history of arm trouble may make that too risky.

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

Cafardo On Shields, Twins, Wells, Red Sox, Aceves

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After 25 years as a General Manager and president of the Twins, Cubs, and Orioles, Andy MacPhail stepped away from baseball last season to take care of his ailing father.  Now, MacPhail tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that he wants to return to baseball in some capacity.  The executive was often viewed as a future commissioner and it would make sense for him to get involved with the league office.  He also won’t rule out working as a GM again, but he has yet do discuss that with any team and most clubs already have their front office leadership in place.  Here’s more from Cafardo..

  • The Twins have already inquired on Rays pitcher James Shields.  Tampa Bay will field plenty of other calls on Shields in the coming weeks but whether they pull the trigger to obtain offense remains to be seen.  The Dodgers say they’re not shopping Andre Ethier, but it may make sense to use him to get Shields if they have their eye on Josh Hamilton.  The problem there is that the Rays may not be able to carry Ethier’s contract.
  • The Angels are shopping Vernon Wells in an effort to clear some of the $42MM still owed to him.  The Halos have tried to start talks with the Red Sox and would like to get John Lackey back, but the Sox are curious to see what Lackey looks like after Tommy John surgery.
  • There was speculation that the Red Sox were trying to include Alfredo Aceves in a deal for Dan Haren.  The Red Sox love Aceves’ arm and stuff, but could do without the high maintenance. Aceves is very much available, but they won’t give him away for nothing.  The pitcher can fill different roles, but he still prefers to start.
  • The Dodgers would love to reunite with free agent Hiroki Kuroda.  The hurler could have more suitors than any other pitcher this winter if the Yankees don’t tie him up quickly.
  • Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia is taking a wait-and-see approach on his agents, the Levinson brothers.  A few clients have already jumped ship but Pedroia noted that they have been good to him and his family.
  • The Red Sox would like to re-sign Vicente Padilla, but he is on the radar of a few teams, including the Angels, who are desperately looking to retool their bullpen.  Padilla ran out of gas late in the year but turned in a decent year in total.

AL Links: Ross, Red Sox, Angels, Orioles

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In an Insider-only piece, ESPN's Keith Law broke down the market for corner infielders. He lists Kevin Youkilis as the best value buy and James Loney as the worst. Both players ended the season in the AL, and here are some more links from the so-called Junior Circuit…

  • Cody Ross told WEEI.com's Rob Bradford that he and the Red Sox never got close to a new deal during the exclusive negotiating period this week. "They had a ton of opportunities," said the outfielder. "We talked about this back in July and we couldn't work anything out up until the deadline. Now it only makes sense to listen to other teams."
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Angels have lost leverage against Zack Greinke following the trade of Ervin Santana and the declining of Dan Haren's option. GM Jerry Dipoto still has plenty of time and pitching options available to him at this point of the offseason, however.
  • Rich Dubroff of CSN Baltimore.com listed the five worst contracts in Orioles history, led by the five-year, $65MM pact given to Albert Belle. He hit a superb .297/.400/.541 in the first year of the deal, but he slid to .281/.342/.474 in year two and didn't play at all in years three, four, and five.

Red Sox Make David Ortiz Qualifying Offer

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The Red Sox extended a qualifying offer to David Ortiz, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports (on Twitter). The free agent designated hitter now has one week to accept or decline the offer.

If Ortiz accepts, he’ll earn $13.3MM on a one-year deal in 2013. If he declines, he’ll be linked to draft pick compensation in free agency — his new team will have to surrender a top selection to sign him. Ortiz ranks 13th on MLBTR’s list of top 50 free agents. The Rangers appear to be interested in signing him, though a return to the Red Sox seems probable.

Blue Jays Targeting Several Free Agent Pitchers

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The Blue Jays are casting a wide net in their search for pitching, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They have already shown interest in Zack Greinke, Anibal Sanchez, Kyle Lohse, and Ryan Dempster, among others.

Toronto is also one of several clubs to inquire about Scott Baker, joining the Red Sox, Cubs, and Rangers. The Twins recently declined the right-hander's option but hope to sign him to a new deal. The Blue Jays have made no secret of their goal to add pitching this offseason, either through trades or free agency. Free agents can begin signing with new teams tomorrow morning.

Rangers Interested In David Ortiz

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The Rangers have expressed serious interest in free agent designated hitter David Ortiz, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. Texas executives envision Ortiz as someone who could replace the offense of Josh Hamilton should the outfielder sign elsewhere.

The Red Sox are still considered the favorites to sign Ortiz, Rosenthal reports. The sides continued discussing a two-year deal worth as much as $25MM this week. Only the Red Sox can sign Ortiz for now, but their exclusive negotiating period ends first thing Saturday morning.

Ortiz will likely obtain a qualifying offer from Boston later today. If he declines the offer to pursue other options he'll be linked to draft pick compensation, meaning a team such as the Rangers would have to surrender a draft pick to sign him.

Ortiz, who turns 37 later in November, posted a .318/.415/.611 batting line in 383 plate appearances this past season. He hit 23 home runs and 26 doubles, but appeared in just one game after suffering a right Achilles strain on July 16th. An SFX client, Ortiz ranks 13th on MLBTR’s list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents.

AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Oliver, Reynolds, Cherington

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We covered some Yankees news in an edition of New York Notes and also noted Boston's interest in Dan Haren earlier today on MLBTR, so let's take a look around the rest of the AL East…

  • The Blue Jays are "leaning toward" hiring a manager with Major League experience, reports FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.  This would seem to make Jim Riggleman and Don Wakamatsu the favorites among the known contenders, as ex-managers Jim Tracy and Manny Acta reportedly aren't under consideration and candidates such as Sandy Alomar, Tim Wallach and DeMarlo Hale have never managed in the bigs.  Rosenthal notes that the Jays could still hire a non-experienced manager if "they are unimpressed by the more seasoned options."
  • Darren Oliver is "not sure at all and he's in no rush to make a decision" about playing in 2013, Oliver's agent Jeff Frye tells Sportnet.ca's Shi Davidi.  The veteran reliever has hinted about retiring, though the Blue Jays exercised their $3MM option on Oliver yesterday to retain Oliver's rights in case the southpaw does return.
  • The Orioles declined Mark Reynolds' $11MM option yesterday, though CSNBaltimore.com's Rich Dubroff thinks the two sides will eventually agree to a new two-year deal for Reynolds given the Orioles' lack of depth at first base.
  • The Orioles have selected the contract of right-hander Zach Clark and added him to the 40-man roster, according to a team press release.  The 29-year-old Clark has a 3.68 ERA in 171 career minor league games (116 of them starts), including a combined 2.79 ERA in 167 2/3 innings at Double-A and Triple-A last season.
  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said during an appearance on WEEI Radio's Red Sox Hot Stove Show today that the team would like to add a new pitcher to the rotation without dealing any of their own pitching prospects.  The Sox have several internal options for the bullpen but Cherington "would not rule out" adding a new reliever as well.  (Both links are via the Twitter account of WEEI.com's Alex Speier.)
  • The Red Sox should pursue Nick Swisher, Ryan Madson and Mike Napoli this winter, as well as an innings-eating starting pitcher on a short-term contract suggests Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe as part of his five proposals to upgrade the Sox on the free agent market.

Red Sox, Ortiz Agree To Two-Year Deal

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6:37pm: The deal is now in the language stage, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

6:23pm: The deal will also include incentives that can boost the overall value to $30MM across two seasons, Bradford tweets.

6:10pm: Once the deal is finalized, it will be for two years and at least $26MM, tweets Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (via Twitter).

5:20pm: Two sources told Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) that they expect Ortiz to sign a deal before the night is out.

4:50pm: The sides are "very close" to a deal, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports (on Twitter).

NOVEMBER 2nd, 9:47am: The Red Sox and Ortiz are starting to close the gap in their negotiations, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). Texas' interest is real, Cafardo writes.

11:02am: It appears likely that Ortiz will hit the open market, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. Boston's exclusive negotiating period ends Saturday morning, at which point Ortiz will be free to discuss a contract with any team. The Red Sox are expected to extend Ortiz a one-year qualifying offer.

NOVEMBER 1st, 8:13am: The sides hope to bridge the "modest gap" and agree to a contract within the next 24 hours, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter).

OCTOBER 23rd: Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe hears from both sides that Ortiz isn’t close to a deal, though talks are amicable (Twitter link).

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Red Sox Interested In Haren; Wells Not In Play

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11:14am: The Red Sox have no interest in acquiring Wells, Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal reports. 

10:15am: Dipoto could try to send Vernon Wells to the Red Sox along with Haren, Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times suggests (Twitter link). Perhaps the Angels would obtain John Lackey in an exchange of bad contracts.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Wells is in play for others (Twitter links). The Angels are actively trying to trade Wells, who has a full no-trade clause and $42MM remaining on his contract through 2014.

9:00am: The Red Sox are among the teams interested in Dan Haren, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). The Angels appear to be working to trade Haren and have been weighing possible deals for at least three days.

Haren's contract includes a $15.5MM option with a $3.5MM buyout. The Angels are expected to decline the option if they don’t complete a trade first. Yesterday GM Jerry Dipoto sent Ervin Santana to Kansas City for minor league left-hander Brandon Sisk in a move that could be a precursor to a trade involving Haren.

The 32-year-old started 30 games for the Angels this past season. He posted a 4.33 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 176 2/3 innings, numbers that fall short of his career norms.

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