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Cafardo On Oswalt, Angels, Bourjos, Rodriguez, Lowe

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Here's a look at some highlights from today's column by Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe..

  • One National League GM said that Roy Oswalt's desire to pitch closer to home has some teams wondering if the hurler might not be enthused about pitching this season.  "Everyone knows he has back issues, but the thing that bothered teams was that all of a sudden, he wanted to be closer to home and wanted to start picking and choosing where he wanted to be. A lot of people felt he lost that desire he used to have to pitch, and now we’re seeing him say, ‘Maybe I’ll show up somewhere around midseason and make just as much as I’d make if I signed now,'" said the GM. 
  • The Angels are unlikely to outright release Bobby Abreu as they owe him $9MM, but their efforts to deal him have been fruitless so far.   
  • Peter Bourjos, meanwhile, is still prominent on the Nationals’ wish list for center fielders, but the Angels want considerable value back if they deal him.   With Torii Hunter in the final year of his contract, there is room for the Halos to keep both Bourjos and Mike Trout.
  • Astros left-hander Wandy Rodriguez will be a top "go get" guy before the deadline for teams needing an extra piece. Astros people remain surprised at the lack of interest in Rodriguez, even with the club willing to pick up about half the $36MM owed to him.
  • Indians pitcher Derek Lowe has strong interest in returning to the Red Sox after this season as a starter or reliever.  Cafardo writes that the veteran could have been an interesting solution as the BoSox's fourth or fifth starter, but picking up a large chunk his salary from the Braves didn't interest Boston.
  • Jason Varitek's friends still insist that he is leaning toward retirement as he can’t envision himself in a non-Red Sox uniform.  However, he feels that he can still play and at least be a backup catcher somewhere.

Red Sox Ownership On Scutaro, Payroll, Valentine

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The Red Sox ownership group spoke to the media at the team's Spring Training complex this morning, with chairman Tom Werner saying this season "is going to be a new chapter." Here's a recap of their media session, with all source links going to Twitter…

  • When asked if he and his partners would consider selling the Red Sox, ownerJohn Henry said, "It's a valid question … people involved in RedSox partnership, we've made enough money," tweets Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com.
  • Henry didn't sound thrilled about the compensation his team received from the Cubs for Theo Epstein, says Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Henry did say that's how tough negotiations go, calling it a "basic misunderstanding" according to Tim Britton of The Providence Journal.
  • Team president Larry Lucchino said the Marco Scutaro trade was "a little bit of both," meaning a baseball move and a financial move. They believe they can get similar production from other players. (Heyman)
  • Henry said the luxury tax will be a "bigger issue every year moving forward" and the team has to be "more careful" spending money, according to Heyman and Britton. He noted that other clubs are catching up economically.
  • Lucchino said payroll would be upwards of $190MM according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier, adding that the team will have money to make moves within the season.
  • "So far, he's done everything we could have hoped," said Werner when asked about new manager Bobby Valentine, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com.
  • Henry backed off his comments about not wanting Carl Crawford from earlier this offseason according to McAdam, saying: "I should have never made those comments."

AL East Links: Soler, Orioles, Dice-K, Jeter, A-Rod

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Red Sox ownership already spoke to the media this morning, so now let's check in the on the rest of the AL East…

  • Orioles GM Dan Duquette wouldn't comment on the team's interest in Jorge Soler, telling Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com that tipping his hand wouldn't benefit the team. The O's watched the 19-year-old outfielder work out earlier this month.
  • The Orioles lead all clubs with ten out of options players, and manager Buck Showalter told MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli that he estimates they'll have to make "2-4 moves" before the end of camp (Twitter link).
  • Daisuke Matsuzaka told WEEI.com's Rob Bradford that he still wants to pitch until he's 40. The right-hander is in the final year of his contract with the Red Sox, and is expected back from Tommy John surgery at midseason.
  • “If I didn’t think that I was capable of playing the game at a high level I would go home," said Yankees captain Derek Jeter to reporters yesterday, including George King of The New York Post. "If I wasn’t enjoying myself or enjoying the competition I would go home. Right now I am an enjoying myself. I can’t comment on what would force me to retire because I have a lot of confidence and if that starts to waver I would do it."
  • Joel Sherman of The New York Post wrote about Alex Rodriguez, wondering what kind of contract the Yankees third baseman would have received had he been a free agent his offseason.

AL East Notes: Martin, Red Sox, Vizquel

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A few odds and ends to pass along from the AL East. For more news out of the division, be sure to check out this afternoon's earlier post.

  • The Yankees and catcher Russell Martin have decided to table extension talks until after the season, writes Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com. Martin, 29, is eligible for free agency after this season, and is apparently seeking more than the three years and $20MM the Yankees were willing to offer, as reported by Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington addressed his club's shortstop situation today, according to the Associated Press: "[W]e feel good about the mix that we have, and we'll certainly keep our eyes open if there are ways to improve that. But right now we're focused on the guys we have." The current starting candidates are Nick Punto, Mike Aviles and, less likely, Jose Iglesias.
  • Blue Jays infielder Omar Vizquel passed on an offer to manage a winter league team in his native Venezuela so that he could focus on playing in the Majors for what is presumably a final season, writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. Davidi adds that Vizquel, signed to a minor league deal this offseason, is the favorite to claim the backup infielder's role with the Jays. Vizquel also says managing is likely in his future.

AL East Notes: Davis, Carpenter, Soler, Beeston

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The latest from Florida, where all five AL East teams are preparing for Opening Day…

  • Rays starter Wade Davis told Bill Chastain of MLB.com that he doesn't want to get traded, despite the uncertainty surrounding his role on the 2012 team.
  • Red Sox right-hander Chris Carpenter tells Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that it was "kind of cool" to be traded for Theo Epstein earlier this week. Epstein called Carpenter to explain the situation.
  • All of Boston's top talent evaluators including GM Ben Cherington have seen Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reports. The 19-year-old appeals to the Red Sox more than Yoenis Cespedes did, according to Edes.
  • Blue Jays president Paul Beeston, who is entering the final year of his contract, told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca that he'd like to continue in his current role. “I guess I would say that, but I’m not even thinking about that right now," he said. The Blue Jays promoted Alex Anthopoulos and invested in scouting and player development since Beeston assumed his current role following the 2008 season.
  • The Orioles aren't likely to add a catcher from outside of the organization any time soon, MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli tweets.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Rays, Rivera, Vizquel

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Roy Oswalt probably won't be signing in Boston any time soon and the Yankees are discussing a multiyear deal with Russell Martin. Here are some more updates of note from the AL East…

  • Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said he's ready to move on without Oswalt, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports. “I think I may have been more comfortable, but I wouldn’t have been totally comfortable,” Valentine said of potentially signing Oswalt. “What did he pitch, 136 innings last year?” Valentine was close — it was 139.
  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington says he doesn’t anticipate making any more additions in the near future, Alex Speier of WEEI.com tweets.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports discusses the Rays’ impressive rotation depth and explains why it’s a good ‘problem’ to have. Manager Joe Maddon told Rosenthal the club could use a six-man rotation at times this year and said top prospect Matt Moore won’t be relegated to the bullpen.
  • Mariano Rivera seems to be savoring the early days of Spring Training, so Joel Sherman of the New York Post won’t be surprised if the closer chooses to retire after the season.
  • Blue Jays infielder Omar Vizquel said he'll likely become involved in coaching next year, according to MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm (on Twitter). The 44-year-old doesn't anticipate playing after 2012 and would eventually like to manage in the Major Leagues.

Roy Oswalt Rumors: Thursday

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Roy Oswalt could decide on a new team by today, Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio reported yesterday. The Red Sox, Rangers and Cardinals have all been linked to Oswalt, but the way this offseason has unfolded, it's still too soon to rule out a surprise. We'll keep track of the latest rumors right here until there's word of a decision:

  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak insists Oswalt "will not be pitching for the Cardinals," according to Strauss (on Twitter).
  • At this point, Oswalt is not going to the Rangers or Red Sox, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
  • A close friend of Oswalt's "would not be surprised" if the right-hander accepts the Cardinals' terms, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets.
  • Agent Bob Garber said Oswalt will make an announcement today, Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reports. The Red Sox aren't sure what Oswalt intends to do, but they still have interest in him, according to Edes.

Red Sox Notes: Hill, Ortiz, Epstein, Valentine

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Eleven years ago today, the Red Sox purchased Jorge De La Rosa from Monterrey of the Mexican League. He spent close to two years in their farm system, then was traded to the Diamondbacks as part of the package for Curt Schilling prior to the 2004 season. Here's the latest from Boston…

East Notes: Hill, Hanley, Collins

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The Red Sox finally received compensation earlier today for Theo Epstein's defection to the Cubs, adding reliever Chris Carpenter and a player to be named. Here's more on Boston and a couple other stray items of note out of MLB's East divisions:

  • The Red Sox added left-hander Rich Hill to their 40-man roster and placed starter John Lackey on the 60-day DL in a corresponding move, tweets Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. The move is a show of faith in Hill's recovery from 2011 Tommy John surgery, according to Britton, and Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe tweets that Hill had an opt-out clause that he could have exercised early in Spring Training were he not on the 40-man. So, it appears the Sox didn't want to lose the lefty.
  • Marlins slugger Hanley Ramirez said he has no problem moving to third base to accomodate the arrival of newly signed shortstop Jose Reyes, according to Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post. “I never said I’m not going to do it,” he said.
  • Mets manager Terry Collins is under contract through 2013, though Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal wonders whether the skipper will be retained beyond then if the Mets are ready to move past their current transitional phase.

Red Sox Receive Chris Carpenter, PTBNL From Cubs For Epstein, PTBNL

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The Red Sox received 26-year-old righty reliever Chris Carpenter and a player to be named later from the Cubs as compensation for Theo Epstein and a player to be named later, announced the teams today.  The Cubs hired Epstein as their president of baseball operations in October, despite one year remaining on his contract as Boston's GM.  Nearly four months after that announcement, Epstein and new Cubs GM Jed Hoyer reached a compensation agreement with former colleague and new Red Sox GM Ben Cherington.  Epstein said in a statement:

"I am relieved that this process is over and particularly pleased that the teams were able to reach agreement on their own without intervention from MLB.  I truly hope and believe that this resolution will benefit both clubs, as well as Chris, who is an extremely talented reliever joining a great organization at a time when there's some opportunity in the major league bullpen.  More than anything, I'm excited that we can all move forward and focus exclusively on getting ready for the season.  I wish Chris and the Red Sox nothing but the best in 2012 and beyond."

Carpenter, who made his big league debut with the Cubs last year, was recently ranked 13th on their prospect list by Baseball America.  The Cubs converted Carpenter to relief late in 2010, and he averaged 96.5 miles per hour on his fastball in the Majors last year.  His command and control are works in progress, but Baseball America thinks he could develop into a setup man.  The Red Sox placed Bobby Jenks on the 60-day DL to create a 40-man roster spot for Carpenter.

The inclusion of two players to be named later means this saga has not quite reached its conclusion, but an April 15th deadline is already in place and Cherington expects resolution by the end of spring training.  The Cubs also owe compensation to the Padres for Hoyer, which Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune notes will get done very soon and will not involve anyone on the team's 40-man roster.

WEEI's Alex Speier first reported the Red Sox would receive a pitcher from the Cubs' 40-man roster.

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