Minor Moves: Rivera, Miller, Wolf, Thurston
Keeping track of the day's minor moves…
- The Red Sox signed catcher Mike Rivera, according to the Long Island Ducks' official website. Rivera had been playing with the independent team after being released by the Brewers during Spring Training. The 35-year-old catcher has 605 plate appearances over nine Major League seasons, mostly with Milwaukee.
- The Rangers released Justin Miller, Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest tweets. The right-hander has a partial tear of his right UCL.
- The Orioles released right-hander Ross Wolf, MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli tweets. Wolf, 29, posted a 4.76 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 73 2/3 innings of relief for Houston's top affiliate last year.
- The Phillies released Joe Thurston, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Thurston signed with the Phillies last month after the Astros released him late in Spring Training. The 32-year-old has a .226/.305/.323 line in 384 MLB plate appearances with the Dodgers, Phillies, Red Sox, Cardinals and Marlins. He has appeared in one MLB game since 2009.
AL East Notes: Byrd, Bowden, Hall, Valentine, Pettitte
In lieu of their game tonight, here's a look at items on the Yankees and Red Sox..
- With the Cubs in rebuilding mode, Marlon Byrd expected to be traded but was surprised by the timing, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
- Former Red Sox pitching prospect Michael Bowden might be able to find his groove with the Cubs, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. Bowden was sent to Chicago as part of the Byrd deal and should finally be given the chance to pitch consistently at the major league level.
- Veteran Bill Hall told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that teams assume that he will not play in Triple A because he elected free agency after failing to make the Yankees’ Opening Day roster. In actuality, the utility man says that he opted out because of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's strange schedule in 2012. Because of ballpark renovations, they will be playing "home" games in six different cities this season. The 32-year-old says that he's willing to play in the minors and get started right away.
- Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) writes that manager Bobby Valentine is not to blame for the Red Sox's poor start. Olney expects the club to comb the trade market early and wouldn't be surprised to see pitcher Aaron Cook called up to the varsity squad prior to his opt-out date.
- Meanwhile, Valentine is rather critical of his own performance, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
- Andy Pettitte's comeback quickly went from an interesting story to a necessity for the Yankees, opines Mike Bauman of MLB.com.
Quick Hits: Rays, Inge, Red Sox, Indians
On this day in 1997, the Yankees traded Ruben Rivera, Rafael Medina, and $3MM to the Padres for players to be named later, Homer Bush, and minor leaguer Gordon Amerson. A little more than a month later, the Padres later sent Hideki Irabu to the Yankees as one of the PTBNLs to complete the deal. Here's a look at today's links..
- It looks like the Rays will need to go out and find help behind the plate, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Even though Tampa Bay appears to be in browsing mode at the moment, big name catchers such as A.J. Pierzynski, Geovany Soto, and Kurt Suzuki could all be available. Lower tier possibilities include Miguel Olivo, Chris Snyder, George Kottaras, and Bobby Wilson.
- As Brandon Inge continues to take more and more criticism, Terry Foster of The Detroit News thinks that it's time for the Tigers to let him go. Inge is making $5.5MM this season and can be bought out of his $6MM option in 2013 for $500K.
- The only former Rangers teammate that pitcher Vicente Padilla has had a real problem with is new teammate Marlon Byrd, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com (Twitter links). The pitcher, now with the Red Sox, was released by Texas in 2009 for behavior that was seen as a distraction to the clubhouse.
- The Indians need to do a better job of building through the draft, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.
Red Sox Notes: Cherington, Valentine, Bard, Cook
A look at the Red Sox following last night’s ugly loss to the Yankees..
- Saturday was the symbol of an organization that has made too many poor decisions in recent years, both under Epstein and new GM Ben Cherington, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The club shouldn’t be blamed for failing to match the Phillies’ offer for Jonathan Papelbon, but they can be faulted for failing to find adequate replacements for him and Daniel Bard, knowing that they planned to make Bard a starter.
- After last night’s game, Cherington, president Larry Lucchino, and principal owner John Henry met with Bobby Valentine. Not much was said after the meeting but in a brief phone interview with Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com, Henry said “This is not a 14-game problem, this is 41-game problem (including the Red Sox’ 7-20 mark last September). Our pitching has been terrible over the last 41 regular season games.”
- Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe thinks that the Red Sox should put Bard in the role of closer and recall Aaron Cook from Triple-A to fill in the back of the rotation. Cook can request his release if he’s not on the 25-man roster on May 1st and again on June 1st.
- Cherington hopes that Marlon Byrd will turn over a new leaf in Boston, write Peter Abraham and Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. “He’s been a good major league center fielder for a long time and is off to a tough start,” the GM said. “But our hope is that a change of scenery and maybe a new environment may get him going.”
Cafardo On Peavy, White Sox, Twins, Liriano, Rays
The Red Sox are struggling early on in the season, but no one in the American League East seems to be off to a hot start, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. However, as one American League GM said, "I will never comment on any team or even my own based on April. You just don’t get a fair assessment. You may get a snapshot of what you may be short on, or what you may have overevaluated. But even then, you have to be careful about making hasty decisions in April because there’s a long way to go." Here's more from Cafardo..
- White Sox right-hander Jake Peavy is back on some teams’ radars as a midseason acquisition after a strong start to the year. Scouts have been impressed with Peavy’s overall stuff and the fact that he is notching strikeouts and throwing 92-93 m.p.h. Peavy, 30, earns $17MM this season and the White Sox would likely have to take on a portion of what’s remaining if he’s dealt. However, he has a partial no-trade to eight teams and the White Sox may not part with him if they're still relevant in July.
- The Twins had some bites on Francisco Liriano this winter but didn’t pull the trigger. Because Minnesota probably won’t re-sign him, they're hoping to land a prospect or two for him at the trade deadline. He'll have to pitch better for that to happen, however.
- If the Rays pitching is clicking as expected, Wade Davis will be trade bait at some point this season. So far though, in his current role as long man, scouts love what they see.
A longtime National League scout who has been keeping an eye on the Rays this season says that the club could use another bullpen piece. - There has been some questioning of Blue Jays manager John Farrell’s pitching moves at times, according to a major league source.
- Cafardo asked Pedro Martinez whether he could pitch right now and he responded, "Not right now. I would need about 20 days."
- Cafardo is surprised that Ivan Rodriguez is retiring and one National League GM said that the veteran, "is probably better defensively right now than 75 percent of the catchers in the league."
Quick Hits: Red Sox, Angels, Garcia
A few odds and ends as a rather eventful Saturday in MLB winds down …
- Red Sox GM Ben Cherington offered embattled manager Bobby Valentine a vote of confidence following this afternoon's disheartening loss. Cherington told reporters, such as CBSSports.com's Danny Knobler, that he's "very satisfied" with Valentine's performance, noting that the skipper is doing the best he can with the current roster (Twitter link).
- To that end, Cherington did allow that the team's sluggish 4-10 record "does increase the urgency" to find solutions for a battered pitching staff, tweets Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
- The money saved in the acquisition of Marlon Byrd will not affect the Red Sox's luxury-tax calculation, according to Speier, a loophole MLB recently closed (Twitter links).
- Touted Angels infield prospect Jean Segura's future with the club may be in question now that the Halos have locked up shortstop Erick Aybar and second baseman Howie Kendrick to long-term contracts, writes Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
- The Halos have not fared particularly well in signing relievers to multiyear contracts of late, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, a trend that GM Jerry Dipoto is trying to rectify by piecing together a cheap but effective bullpen of undervalued types. The Angels' list of relief flops includes the likes of Brian Fuentes, Justin Speier and Fernando Rodney.
- Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he still has faith in Freddy Garcia when asked whether the right-hander was "running out of time," according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Garcia has gotten off to a poor start, including an ugly outing today, and is a candidate to be moved (either to the bullpen or perhaps elsewhere) when Andy Pettitte is called up from the minors.
Red Sox Acquire Marlon Byrd From Cubs
Cubs outfielder Marlon Byrd confirmed that he has been traded to the Red Sox, tweets Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. The Cubs will receive Michael Bowden and a player to be named later in exchange for Byrd while paying all but roughly $400K of his $6.5MM salary (the prorated minimum), according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (via Twitter).
The Red Sox designated infielder Nate Spears for assignment to make room for Byrd on the 40-man roster, the club announced. Spears, 26, appeared in four games with Boston this season, including today's loss to the Yankees.
Meanwhile, the player to be named will not be left-hander Andrew Miller, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
Byrd, 34, has just three singles and one walk in 47 plate appearances this season, resulting in a .070/.149/.070 batting line. He hit .276/.324/.395 in 482 plate appearances last season while missing time with multiple fractures after taking a pitch to the face, an injury that occurred in Fenway Park. Byrd is in the final season of his three-year, $15MM contract and will earn $6.5MM this year. He is not in Chicago's lineup this afternoon.
Ellsbury's subluxed his right shoulder last week and there is still not timetable for his return. Carl Crawford is also on the shelf with wrist and elbow problems, leaving the Red Sox with an outfield of Jason Repko, Ryan Sweeney, Cody Ross, and Darnell McDonald. Byrd has played center field exclusively during his time with the Cubs, though he has experience in all three outfield spots.
Boston has been actively exploring the outfield market following Jacoby Ellsbury's shoulder injury. The deal will be announced after today's Red Sox game, according to Levine's tweet.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Red Sox Close To Acquiring Marlon Byrd
2:23pm: The deal remains probable but timing issues remain, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Cubs are likely to pay most of Byrd's remaining $6.5MM salary and Red Sox pitcher Michael Bowden is in play.
2:19pm: The structure of Byrd's deal could help the Red Sox' payroll for luxury tax purposes, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. If the Cubs sent $5.5MM to Boston to offset the outfielder's salary, then it would actually decrease the Red Sox' payroll number that sum would be subtracted from Byrd's $5MM average annual salary.
The veteran is set to earn $6.5MM in the final year of a three-year, $15MM deal.
1:34pm: Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine acknowledged to reporters that the club's talks with the Cubs are advanced, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. “The talks have been good talks, from what I gather,” Valentine said. “Ben [Cherington] will try to get as good a player as he can get.”
12:17pm: The Cubs have been actively attempting to trade Byrd according to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. A trade with the Red Sox is not final, but Bradford hears that it is "probable." Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter) that Boston has looked at other outfield options as well.
10:59am: The Red Sox are close to acquiring Marlon Byrd from the Cubs, reports Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. Boston has been actively exploring the outfield market following Jacoby Ellsbury's shoulder injury.
Byrd, 34, has just three singles and one walk in 47 plate appearances this season, resulting in a .070/.149/.070 batting line. He hit .276/.324/.395 in 482 plate appearances last season while missing time with multiple fractures after taking a pitch to the face, an injury that occurred in Fenway Park. Byrd is in the final season of his three-year, $15MM contract and will earn $6.5MM this year. He is not in Chicago's lineup this afternoon.
Ellsbury's subluxed his right shoulder last week and there is still not timetable for his return. Carl Crawford is also on the shelf with wrist and elbow problems, leaving the Red Sox with an outfield of Jason Repko, Ryan Sweeney, Cody Ross, and Darnell McDonald. Byrd has played center field exclusively during his time with the Cubs, though he has experience in all three outfield spots.
If completed, this will be the first real trade between the two teams since Theo Epstein left the Red Sox to take over as Chicago's president of baseball operations. The two sides did work out the compensation package for Epstein, however.
AL East Notes: Nunez, Valentine, Hutchison
Believe it or not, Rays left-hander Matt Moore has never started a game at Tropicana Field. The 22-year-old left-hander will take the mound at home against the Twins tonight for his first Tampa Bay start. Here are today's AL East links…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests the Yankees should use Eduardo Nunez as their primary left fielder while Brett Gardner's on the disabled list. Nunez could be part of the Yankees' future, while veterans like Andruw Jones and Raul Ibanez won't be, Sherman argues.
- It's too early to bet against Boston manager Bobby Valentine, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. Some rival executives say Red Sox president Larry Lucchino tried to regain power by hiring Valentine, according to Rosenthal.
- Ben Badler of Baseball America introduces readers to right-hander Drew Hutchison, who will make his MLB debut for the Blue Jays tomorrow. The 21-year-old could use some more minor league seasoning, but he's quite polished for his age and could fit in as a back-of-the-rotation starter not unlike Henderson Alvarez. The Blue Jays decided to rely on internal starting pitching options this offseason instead of completing trades or free agent signings.
Quick Hits: Phillies, Red Sox, Rangers, Vazquez
The latest links from around MLB…
- Placido Polanco, John Mayberry Jr. and Jim Thome aren't hitting, and David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News points out that this puts the Phillies in an uncomfortable situation. Murphy looks back at some of the Phillies' offseason decisions and wonders if the team should have prioritized a hitter over a closer.
- Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald points out that two of Boston's primary offseason additions – Andrew Bailey and Mark Melancon — are no longer contributing on the big league roster just two weeks into the season. Bailey is recovering from thumb surgery and the Red Sox optioned Melancon to Triple-A.
- Ken Davidoff of the New York Post says the Rangers might have the best 25-man roster in baseball. Davidoff believes Texas can sustain its success even if prominent players leave as free agents.
- Infielder Ramon Vazquez is looking to make a comeback and some teams are showing interest, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. The 35-year-old hasn’t played in the Major Leagues since 2009.