Free Agent Rumors: Saunders, Red Sox, Twins, Lohse
Some free agent notes from around MLB…
- The Orioles are still in talks with free agent left-hander Joe Saunders, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The Orioles have had a quiet offseason so far, but they do want to add a starter.
- Though the Red Sox won't rule out the possibility of adding another outfielder, they feel "comfortable" with Ryan Kalish or Daniel Nava as a left-handed hitting platoon partner for Jonny Gomes, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports (on Twitter).
- It sounds like the Twins are still interested in adding a starting pitcher, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). “I think we have to continue to look," GM Terry Ryan said. The Twins have added Vance Worley, Kevin Correia, Alex Meyer and Mike Pelfrey so far this offseason.
- Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com examines the market for Kyle Lohse, explaining the free agent right-hander's strengths, shortcomings and potential destinations. Once Edwin Jackson agrees to a deal, Lohse will clearly be the top free agent starter available.
- Bobby Crosby, who last played at the MLB level in 2010, plans to make a comeback, agent Paul Cohen told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The free agent infielder will work out for for teams in mid-January. Crosby, who turns 33 next month, was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2004.
- Be sure to check out MLBTR’s Free Agent Tracker.
Heyman & Knobler On Hanrahan, Rangers, Bourn
The latest from Jon Heyman and Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com…
- Both the Dodgers and Red Sox have interest in Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan, reports Heyman. He hears Los Angeles could also make a play for Indians closer Chris Perez or Mets right-hander Bobby Parnell as well.
- The Rangers were interested in Anibal Sanchez and Russell Martin before they signed elsewhere, Knobler reports. Now Texas is pursuing Edwin Jackson, A.J. Pierzynski and Cody Ross. Michael Bourn and Kyle Lohse aren't thought to be "front-burner" items for the Rangers now, Knobler reports. Knobler suggests the Rangers are interested in a relatively short-term deal for Jackson, who's also drawing serious interest from the Cubs.
- The Dodgers have talked about trading Andre Ethier and signing Bourn to replace him, reports Knobler. Los Angeles is looking for a leadoff hitter. Earlier this week we heard they've considered trading Ethier and signing Nick Swisher.
- The Rangers may be the best bet for Pierzynski since the Yankees still can’t get excited about the backstop, Heyman reports (on Twitter). Instead, New York is looking to go with Austin Romine.
- The Braves continue eyeing a left fielder and would prefer to add a leadoff type, Heyman reports (on Twitter).
- Bobby Abreu, who is now playing winter ball, hopes to play for two or three more years, Heyman reports (on Twitter).
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Olney On Soriano, LaRoche, Braves
Baseball’s most recent collective bargaining agreement introduced new rules regarding draft pick compensation, and the changes were expected to help free agents. However, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports that some agents and general managers say certain free agents who obtained qualifying offers are now seeing reduced interest from teams. These players are talented, but general managers are hesitant to give up draft picks. Here are more notes from Olney’s column…
- One GM pointed out that teams aren’t “wild about giving up a draft pick for a reliever," even though Rafael Soriano is a good pitcher. The Yankees almost certainly won’t consider taking him back, according to Olney.
- The Red Sox have targeted players who aren’t linked to draft pick compensation, as Olney points out.
- Adam LaRoche is tied to draft pick compensation and it’s “really hurting him,” Olney writes. The first baseman has been sitting on a two-year offer from the Nationals.
- It appears that the Braves would be fairly comfortable going into the season with Martin Prado playing both left field and third base. They’d use Reed Johnson in left field against left-handers and Juan Francisco at third base against right-handers in that scenario.
Red Sox Notes: Napoli, Ellsbury, Drew
The Red Sox officially announced the signing of Ryan Dempster to a two-year, $26.5MM contract earlier today. Here's what GM Ben Cherington had to say to reporters following the announcement…
- "(We are still) working through some issues, and we'll continue to do so. … Until something's done, it's not done," said the GM when asked about Mike Napoli, tweets Scott Lauber of The Boston Herald. Napoli's three-year, $39MM contract reportedly hit a snag due to a red flag found during his physical.
- Cherington reiterated that he intends to keep center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, tweets ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes. The 2011 AL MVP runner-up can become a free agent after next season.
- Stephen Drew is expected to take his physical "soon," tweets Tim Britton of The Providence Journal. The shortstop agreed to a one-year deal worth $9.5MM earlier this week.
- Earlier today the Red Sox designated Pedro Beato for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Dempster.
Red Sox Designate Pedro Beato For Assignment
The Red Sox announced that they designated right-hander Pedro Beato for assignment. The move creates 40-man roster space for Ryan Dempster, whose two-year deal became official today.
Beato, 26, joined the Red Sox in August as the player to be named later in the Kelly Shoppach trade. He appeared in four games for the Red Sox after pitching in seven games for the Mets. Beato spent most of the 2012 season in the minor leagues, where he posted a 3.33 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 46 innings of work.
Red Sox To Sign Ryan Dempster
The Red Sox announced that they will formally introduce Ryan Dempster at Fenway Park today. The Red Sox agreed to sign the free agent right-hander to a two-year, $26.5MM contract last week, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported (Twitter links). LSW Baseball represents Dempster.
Dempster, 35, posted a 3.38 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 43.5% ground ball rate in 173 innings for the Cubs and Rangers in 2012. The 15-year veteran saw his average fastball velocity dip below 90 mph, but he continued generating swings and misses. His 10.4% swinging strike rate was right around his career mark of 10.8%. He's not linked to draft pick compensation, which means the Red Sox won't have to surrender a pick to complete the deal.
Earlier in the offseason Dempster turned down a two-year, $25MM offer from the Boston. The Brewers also made a two-year offer and the Royals were interested. Dempster ranked 16th on MLBTR's list of top 50 free agents this year.
The Red Sox needed rotation depth for the 2013 season. Their rotation options now include Dempster, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, John Lackey and Franklin Morales.
Photo courtesy of US Presswire.
AL East Links: Orioles, Ellsbury, Ross, Iglesias
We've already had one batch of AL East Notes on MLBTR today, but here are some more items on a busy day around the division…
- The Orioles have had a quiet offseason while their division rivals have been spending, writes Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun. While the O's didn't make any major signings en route to a playoff appearance last year and face a payroll increase due to several arbitration-eligible players, Schmuck thinks spending on a big free agent like Adam LaRoche would help the team contend again.
- A Dodgers official flatly denied that the Dodgers and Red Sox could make an Andre Ethier/Jacoby Ellsbury swap, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Ethier's name has come up in recent rumors but L.A. isn't shopping the outfielder and doesn't appear eager to move him.
- Also from Cafardo, he hears from an AL general manager that the Red Sox may be trying to deal Ellsbury so they can shift Shane Victorino to center field and then sign Cody Ross. Several teams are interested in Ross but none have yet met his desired price of a three-year, $21-$31MM contract.
Earlier updates:
- Jose Iglesias has "always been available, but nobody has knocked down [Boston's] door," writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe about the Red Sox prospect's trade value. Given that Stephen Drew was signed to just a one-year contract, it's too early to say that the Sox have given up on Iglesias as a long-term solution at shortstop.
- Also from Cafardo's piece, he thinks that Rafael Soriano and Matt Garza could both still be targets for the Red Sox.
- Right-hander Daniel McCutchen has received multiple offers to play in Japan, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes has learned. McCutchen’s minor league deal with the Orioles permits him to accept an offer from a Japanese team. The 30-year-old appeared in one game for the Pirates this past season, but he spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a 2.98 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 63 1/3 innings.
- The Blue Jays were picked as the 2013 AL East champions by 13 of 20 scouts and executives polled by FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi. In that same poll, the Orioles were picked to finish last by 10 voters, while the Red Sox received six last-place votes and were the only team that didn't get at least one pick as division winners. Morosi himself picks Toronto for first place and Boston for last.
- From earlier today, the Rays signed Roberto Hernandez, the Red Sox finalized the signing of Koji Uehara and I compiled some Yankees-related notes.
MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith also contributed to this post
Rosenthal On Rangers, Nakajima, Upton
The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…
- Rangers officials aren’t overwhelmed by the remaining free agent position players available, Rosenthal reports. Texas has done background work on A.J. Pierzynski, and could work to sign him. However, Adam LaRoche, Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn seem like less likely targets. The Rangers are particularly concerned about makeup, according to Rosenthal. Manager Ron Washington knows Swisher from their days in Oakland and likes the outfielder, Rosenthal reports.
- The Rangers still want to add to their bullpen, and Rosenthal suggests they could make a play for Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan. The team is also exploring other bullpen options via trades and free agency. Hanrahan’s projected salary of $6.9MM limits interest from the Dodgers and Tigers, Rosenthal writes.
- Hiroyuki Nakajima has range that is average “at best,” one executive told Rosenthal. However, the A’s agreed to sign the 30-year-old free agent to a two-year deal in part because they like his offensive potential.
- Now that many free agent third basemen have signed, the Marlins could pursue a top third base prospect who’s close to contributing at the MLB level. However, it would be difficult to put together a package for a player such as Mike Olt.
- Some executives believe the Diamondbacks will trade Justin Upton even after GM Kevin Towers said a deal seems unlikely. There’s a perception that the Diamondbacks are down on Upton, Rosenthal notes.
- When Mets executive Paul DePodesta watched outfield prospect Wuilmer Becerra in 2011, he liked the prospect’s athleticism and effort. The Mets acquired the 18-year-old Becerra in the R.A. Dickey trade.
- The Red Sox are always looking to upgrade their bullpen, Rosenthal adds.
Red Sox Sign Koji Uehara
The Red Sox announced that they signed reliever Koji Uehara to a one-year deal. Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News first reported the agreement, which includes a $4.25MM base salary, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Uehara is represented by SFX.
Uehara, 38 in April, posted a 1.75 ERA, 10.8 K/9, 0.8 BB/9, 1.00 HR/9, and 32.5% groundball rate in 36 innings this year, missing time with a strained lat muscle. He'll join Andrew Bailey and Junichi Tazawa at the back end of Boston's bullpen. Uehara came to MLB from Japan in 2009, and has dominated as a reliever when healthy despite an average fastball velocity below 89 miles per hour. Among pitchers with at least 200 career innings, Uehara's 7.97 career K/BB ratio is the best in baseball history. He ranked 35th on my top 50 free agents list.
The Red Sox have committed $150.95MM to free agents Uehara, Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, David Ortiz, Jonny Gomes, Ryan Dempster and David Ross this offseason. However, Napoli's $39MM deal hasn't been announced, as there appears to be something holding the agreement up.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AL East Notes: Drew, Orioles, Blue Jays, Rays
On this date 21 years ago, the Blue Jays signed free agent starter Jack Morris to a two-year contract. The right-hander had recently led the Twins to a memorable World Series win over the Braves, out-pitching John Smoltz with ten shutout innings in the deciding seventh game. Morris won 21 games for the 1992 Blue Jays, and Toronto captured its first World Series title. Though Morris struggled in 1993, the Blue Jays successfully defended their title. Now 57, Morris is a candidate for Hall of Fame induction. Here are today's AL East links…
- Stephen Drew will obtain $500K if he reaches 500 plate appearances in 2013, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Drew agreed to terms with the Red Sox on a one-year, $9.5MM deal yesterday.
- The Orioles have spoken with at least six teams about possible trades, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports. The Orioles are seeking a middle of the order bat, but aren't willing to trade their best prospects to obtain one. While there's some interest in pitchers such as Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta, Chris Tillman and Zach Britton, there are indications the Orioles wouldn't want to trade more than one of them. Plus, their trade value isn't particularly high.
- The Blue Jays are prioritizing present gains over future potential, Shi Davidi writes at Sportsnet.ca. But it's not about a one-year gamble for GM Alex Anthopoulos. "This allows us to really put what we feel is a contending team together for an extended run, for a three-to-five year period," Anthopoulos said. An interesting note from Davidi's piece: Zack Greinke will out-earn Dickey's $30MM contract about a month into the 2014 season. The two contracts were signed under different circumstances, of course, but it’s still noteworthy.
- Curtis Granderson expects to hit free agency after the 2013 season, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post reports. The Yankees have a team policy of waiting until players hit free agency before negotiating extensions, and Granderson doesn’t expect GM Brian Cashman to make an exception for him. “I’m just excited to play this year, and then, once we get to the end, we’ll take it at that point,” he said.
- In a separate piece, Davidoff suggests that the best-run teams — he cites the Rays as one example — look to contend every year instead of targeting specific windows.