Brown On Red Sox, Reynolds, Beckham
Agent Scott Boras tells Yahoo’s Tim Brown that the changes to the offseason schedule mean he’s fielding offers for his clients earlier than usual. Here are the rest of Brown’s rumors:
- The Astros appear to be close to re-signing Geoff Blum.
- The Red Sox will determine how available Adrian Gonzalez and Prince Fielder are before they start serious negotiations with top free agents. It sounds like the Padres and Brewers will at least listen to offers for their respective first basemen.
- The D’Backs are “shopping” Mark Reynolds and looking for relievers and contact hitters.
- Rival teams believe the White Sox will listen to offers for Gordon Beckham.
- Gary Matthews Jr. hopes to continue playing, according to Brown.
Red Sox Eyeing John Buck
The Red Sox have had extensive internal discussions about John Buck and are expected to pursue him aggressively in case Victor Martinez signs elsewhere, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com. Boston’s front office expects the Tigers to make a “major push” for Martinez.
The Red Sox have Jarrod Saltalamacchia, but will likely add a second catcher since Martinez and Jason Varitek are free agents. Buck, who would not cost a pick to sign, batted .281/.314/.489 with 20 homers for the Blue Jays last year after the Royals non-tendered him. The 30-year-old threw out 28% of would be base stealers and made the All-Star team for the first time in his career.
The Blue Jays will have Jose Molina and J.P. Arencibia in uniform next year, but they haven't ruled out bringing back Buck or Miguel Olivo (who became Blue Jays property in a surprising trade last week). Toronto will obtain a supplementary first round pick if Buck declines arbitration to sign elsewhere.
Red Sox, Pirates Express Interest In Duchscherer
Yesterday it was Jayson Werth; today the Red Sox have expressed interest in free agent righty Justin Duchscherer according to WEEI's Rob Bradford. Bradford adds that Duchscherer "has made it clear to clubs that he is only interested in pursuing opportunities as a starter." The Pirates have also expressed interest, reports Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
We examined Duchscherer's free agent stock here. The 32-year-old righty has made only 32 starts over the past three years due to injuries and clinical depression, but after having both hips and his elbow surgically repaired he remarked to MLB.com's Jane Lee, "I can't imagine what else could go wrong." He should require less than this year's $1.75MM guarantee, I imagine. The Red Sox and Pirates had interest in him a year ago as well.
Red Sox Rumors: Crawford, Martinez, Saltalamacchia
The Red Sox may have interest in Cliff Lee, but he's far from the only free agent they'll consider. Here are the details on which teams are interested in Boston's free agents and which players the Red Sox might like to sign:
- Not surprisingly, the Red Sox have also checked in on Carl Crawford, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- Six teams including the Red Sox have inquired about Victor Martinez, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- The Red Sox seem "firmly convinced" that Jarrod Saltalamacchia can be their regular catcher, according to MLB.com's Peter Gammons. Gammons suggests the Red Sox could bring Jason Varitek back to hit against left-handers and mentor Saltalamacchia if Martinez signs elsewhere.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says Boston’s top priority should be keeping Adrian Beltre, since they have the money and the need for the third baseman.
Seven To Eight Teams Show Interest In Cliff Lee
1:55pm: The Astros may make a run at Lee, in the opinion of SI's Jon Heyman (Twitter link). He names the Cubs, Red Sox, Angels, Dodgers, and Phillies as other surprising suitors.
11:40am: Seven to eight teams have already shown interest in free agent lefty Cliff Lee, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. He says the Yankees and Rangers are still the favorites, but the Phillies, Dodgers, and others have checked in.
As Rosenthal notes, it's questionable as to whether the Phillies or Dodgers could come up with the money for Lee. He's expected to sign for significantly more than $100MM. I imagine the Nationals checked in as well; they do have the money and are known to be interested. While the Red Sox and Angels appear poised to spend their money on position players, we won't count them out until they say so. At any rate, I'm excited to use the Mystery Team category here at MLBTR for the first time this offseason.
Odds & Ends: Werth, A’s, Yankees, Berkman, D’Backs
A few more Saturday night links….
- SI.com's Jon Heyman (Twitter link) views Boston as the most likely landing spot for Jayson Werth.
- Billy Beane spoke to Athletics After Dark, discussing Eric Chavez, Mark Ellis, and the Athletics' offseason flexibility. You can listen to the podcast here.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News wonders about the Yankees' Plan B if they can't land Cliff Lee this winter.
- It may be painful, but not pursuing Lance Berkman is the right move for the rebuilding Astros, according to the Houston Chronicle's Richard Justice.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic looks ahead to the Diamondbacks' first offseason under Kevin Towers, who says he has started making calls to agents about players of interest.
Odds & Ends: D’Backs, Red Sox, Simmons, Bush
We're now less than 12 hours away from the start of free agency. Here are some links to help you pass the time…
- The Diamondbacks have outrighted pitchers Leo Rosales and Clay Zavada off the 40-man roster according to the team's official Twitter feed.
- Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe places odds on each of the Red Sox's four free agents returning the team.
- Larry Larue of The Tacoma Tribune reports that the Mariners have hired Ted Simmons as a senior advisor to GM Jack Zduriencik. Simmons was in the mix for various managerial jobs.
- The Rays have added Matt Bush, the first overall pick in 2004, to their 40-man roster according to The Tampa Tribune (Twitter link). Bush would have been eligible for minor league free agency otherwise.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post hears from a source that Terry Collins is anywhere from "a strong candidate to the front-runner" for the Mets managerial job. Collins will interview with new GM Sandy Alderson this weekend, and has a backer in Fred Wilpon. He's also a favorite of Paul DePodesta, who Alderson is trying to lure to New York.
- Don Wakamatsu has plenty of job opportunities these days. FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweets that he has an offer to become the Blue Jays bench coach, an interview for the Mets manager's job forthcoming, and is also in the mix to be Baltimore's bench coach.
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik unsurprisingly declined to comment about Hisashi Iwakuma two days ago, according to Larry Stone of The Seattle Times. Last night we heard that the Mariners appear to be the favorites to land the righty.
- Robert MacLeod of The Globe And Mail passes along a quote from Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos in which he indicates a willingness to bringing Kevin Gregg back. He just wasn't comfortable with the price of the reliever's options, which is why they were declined.
- Scott Boras told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that the Phillies "have the ability to do what they need to do to retain their players," referring to Jayson Werth. He compared Philadelphia's financial situation to that of the Yankees
- Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News offers some good and bad news about the Rangers' catching situation.
- Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle speculates that the Giants will keep an eye on Derek Jeter's negotiations with the Yankees. GM Brian Sabean ran New York's farm system when Jeter was drafted, so there's a connection there in the unlikely event that he can't work out a deal with the Yanks.
Olney’s Latest: Gonzalez, Lee, Crawford, Jeter
Two days ago we learned that Padres GM Jed Hoyer is willing to listen to trade offers for Adrian Gonzalez (and Heath Bell), unsurprising since the first baseman is reportedly seeking close to $22MM annually when he becomes a free agent next offseason. In today's blog post (Insider req'd), ESPN's Buster Olney lists a few reasons why the Pads are more likely to wait until the trade deadline to move their franchise player…
- Ticket sales. After surprising success in 2010, the team doesn't want to lose the trust of the fans by dealing their best player before the season.
- The Padres have a chance to compete in 2011 with Gonzalez in the middle of their lineup, but without him it'll be close to impossible.
- Other clubs wanting to acquire Gonzalez might be more desperate during the summer, which could result in a better package for San Diego.
- Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe points out that Hoyer and assistant GM Jason McLeod worked for the Red Sox before joining the Padres, so they have strong first-hand knowledge of Boston's prospects.
Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…
- Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, and Jayson Werth will dominate the headlines when free agency begins at 12:01am ET Sunday morning, but Olney lists ten more interesting free agents, led by Joaquin Benoit, Pedro Feliciano, and Orlando Hudson.
- The Yankees could place their first bid on Lee very soon, perhaps within 72 hours. Anthony McCarron of The New York Daily News hears something similar.
- Crawford is in a unique situation because he's an elite player that could have six or more teams bidding for his services. Usually players of that caliber only have three or so teams after them.
- The Yankees operate with the knowledge that no matter how popular the individual player is, the team and its fan base will move on. This of course refers to Derek Jeter.
Red Sox Not Exploring Ortiz Extension
It doesn't look like David Ortiz will get the extension he was looking for. Red Sox GM Theo Epstein says the club explored an extension with Ortiz before picking up his 2011 option and determined to go one year at a time, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter). Epstein says the one-year, $12.5MM option made the most sense for the Red Sox, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald (on Twitter).
Ortiz has repeatedly said he'd like the security of a multiyear deal and though the Red Sox aren't ruling it out completely, the chances seem remote at this point. The 34-year-old batted .270/.370/.529 with 32 homers last year.
Red Sox Acquire Brent Dlugach
The Red Sox acquired Brent Dlugach from Detroit for a player to be named later or cash considerations, according to the Tigers (on Twitter). The 27-year-old shortstop batted .258/.303/.360 at Triple-A this year. He had three plate appearances for the Tigers in 2009, but has spent the rest of his seven-year pro career in the minor leagues. Detroit drafted Dlugach in the sixth round of the 2004 draft.