Rangers Interested In David Ortiz
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
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
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).
Red Sox Interested In Haren; Wells Not In Play
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.
East Links: Ortiz, Hunter, Oliver, Marlins, Phillies
Earlier tonight we had some West and Central links, so now let's complete the trifecta with some notes from baseball's two East divisions…
- The Red Sox and David Ortiz are still "not very close" to a new contract, reports Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. The two sides have reportedly been discussing a new two-year deal recently.
- The Yankees have some interest in Torii Hunter, reports Mark Feinsand of The New York Daily News (on Twitter). Since the Angels are unlikely to make Hunter a qualifying offer, it wouldn't cost a draft pick to sign him.
- Earlier today the Blue Jays exercised their $3MM option for Darren Oliver, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com hears that the veteran left-hander is still leaning towards retirement (Twitter link).
- The Marlins looked into trading for Ervin Santana before the Royals acquired the right-hander earlier today, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).
- Bob Brookover of The Philadelphia Inquirer listed the pros and cons of some free agent corner outfielders who could be of interest to the Phillies.
Managerial Notes: Butterfield, Blue Jays
The Tigers signed manager Jim Leyland to a one-year contract extension today, which means there are still just three teams looking for managers. Here are the latest managerial notes, starting in the AL East…
- The Red Sox announced that they've hired longtime Blue Jays coach Brian Butterfield to coach third base in Boston. Butterfield joins manager John Farrell and bench coach Torey Lovullo as former Blue Jays personnel in Boston.
- Multiple teams were actively courting Butterfield before he signed in Boston, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
- The Dodgers have granted the Blue Jays permission to interview third base coach Tim Wallach for their managerial opening, Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times reports. The Blue Jays wanted to interview Wallach the last time they had a managerial opening, in 2010. However, Wallach wasn't allowed to interview because of a clause in his contract. Sandy Alomar Jr., DeMarlo Hale and Don Wakamatsu also appear to be in the mix for the Toronto job. Butterfield had been a candidate before accepting his new position in Boston.
Cafardo On Dodgers, Hamilton, Brewers, Otani
For most of his eight-year tenure with the Dodgers, General Manager Ned Colletti had to mindful of the budget and the bottom line. Now, Colletti has the financial freedom to make bold moves, such as the trade with the Red Sox which brought Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Nick Punto, and Carl Crawford aboard. Colletti has no doubt that Crawford is ready to regain his old form. "He’s still a dynamic player," Colletti said. "A couple of years ago, he was one of the most sought-after free agents in the game for good reason. People in Tampa saw it a lot. People in the AL East saw it a lot — a combination of abilities not many players have. In this league, the ability to hit and steal, doubles and triples — this is a tough park for home runs sometimes — his ability to create things offensively with speed and ability to hit." Here's more from today's column..
- There’s mounting evidence that the Brewers could be one of the teams that emerges in the market for Josh Hamilton. Milwaukee is at least looking into the possibility, though their top priorities are still finding a starting pitcher and revamping their bullpen.
- The Cubs appear to be players for 18-year-old pitcher Shohei Otani, but Theo Epstein recently expressed trepidation about plunging back into the Japanese market. Otani was recently taken with the first-overall pick in the NPB draft and the Nippon Ham Fighters have until March to try and sign him. A major league club can still sign him at any time, but it would likely irritate Japanese baseball officials.
- Bobby Valentine declined to say whether he'd like to be considered for the managerial openings with the Rockies, Marlins, and Blue Jays. The manager also clarified some of his recent remarks on the Red Sox and noted that his line about leaving a note for incoming manager John Farrell was merely an old-time baseball joke.
- After removing himself from the interview process with the Astros and declining to meet with the Marlins, it's possible that Brad Ausmus only had his eye on the Red Sox job. However, teams will still try to lure the former catcher who quickly found himself in high demand.
- Terry Francona did speak with the Marlins earlier this year, but he wanted to be with the Indians all along.
AL East Links: Peterson, A-Rod, Otani, Orioles, Loney
The Red Sox will interview Rick Peterson for their pitching coach job, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). The Orioles granted Boston permission to interview Peterson, who is currently Baltimore's director of pitching development and is a former pitching coach with the A's, Mets and Brewers.
Here's the latest from around the AL East…
- No teams have yet contacted the Yankees about a possible Alex Rodriguez trade, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
- The Orioles have scouted Japanese right-hander Shohei Otani, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun, confirming an earlier report from Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News that the O's had interest in the 18-year-old prospect. Since Otani has already been drafted (though not signed) by the NPL's Nippon Ham Fighters, Connolly suspects the O's might not make any quick attempts to sign Otani given the Orioles' issues last season in trying to sign Korean southpaw Seong-Min Kim.
- Zack Greinke and Josh Hamilton are both too expensive for the Orioles' taste, writes MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko in an analysis of free agents who won't be pursued by the O's this winter. The team doesn't have interest in free agent pitchers Derek Lowe, Jeremy Guthrie, Edwin Jackson or Erik Bedard, while Kevin Youkilis is a longshot based on Baltimore's concerns about his health.
- James Loney has a less than 50-50 chance of returning to the Red Sox, reports MLB.com's Evan Drellich, though the Sox see Loney as a "Plan B" if they're still looking for first base help later in the offseason.
- The Rays have been denied permission by St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster to explore new stadium sites in nearby counties in Tampa Bay, reports Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune. The Rays' lease at Tropicana Field runs through the 2027 season.
- Mariano Rivera's retirement could help the Yankees avoid a tough decision with the closer's job, opines Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York. If Rivera retired, the Yankees could then pursue a new contract with Rafael Soriano without worrying about committing too much payroll space on closers.
- From earlier today, Joel Sherman of the New York Post had more items about the Yankees.
Minor Moves: Lin, Del Rosario, Thompson, Cubs
Here are some of the minor transactions from around the league…
- The Astros have claimed outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin off waivers from the Red Sox, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (Twitter link). Lin made his Major League debut this season, appearing in nine games for Boston before being designated for assignment last week.
- In a corresponding move, the Astros announced that right-hander Enerio Del Rosario has been designated for assignment. Del Rosario posted a 9.00 ERA in 19 relief innings for Houston last season.
- Outfielder Rich Thompson has elected free agency, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Thompson was outrighted to Triple-A by the Rays earlier this week. The 33-year-old appeared in 23 games for the Rays last season, his first taste of Major League action with a six-game stint with the Royals in 2004.
- The Cubs outrighted Joe Mather, Blake Parker and Justin Germano to Triple-A Iowa, tweets MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Manny Corpas was also among Chicago's outright assignments today and the reliever has already chosen to become a free agent.
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America recaps the week's minor league transactions, including the news that the Orioles have officially released Dontrelle Willis, who intended to retire back in July.
Managerial Notes: Marlins, Rockies, Red Sox
The Rockies (98 losses), Marlins (93 losses) and Blue Jays (89 losses) are all searching for new managers as they look to rebound from disappointing seasons. Here are the latest managerial notes from around MLB…
- The Marlins have also interviewed former MLB player and manager Larry Bowa for their managerial opening, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). Marlins candidates are conducting separate interviews with owner Jeffrey Loria and the baseball operations department, according to Rosenthal.
- Bryan Price interviewed for the Marlins' managerial opening today, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. Price has been the Reds' pitching coach since 2009.
- The Marlins asked to speak with Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus about their managerial opening only to hear that the former MLB catcher isn't interested, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports. Ausmus interviewed for Boston's managerial vacancy and was considered by the Astros before withdrawing his name from consideration. Price and Mike Redmond are also candidates for the position in Miami.
- The Rockies have spoken with former MLB shortstop Walt Weiss regarding their managerial vacancy, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports. Weiss, the 1988 American League Rookie of the Year, joins Jason Giambi and Tom Runnells as a contender for the position.
- The Rockies are also expected to interview Matt Williams, Renck reports (on Twitter). The former third baseman hit 378 home runs over the course of a 17-year MLB career.
- The Red Sox officially named Torey Lovullo their bench coach today. The 47-year-old former second baseman coached first base for the Blue Jays last year under current Red Sox manager John Farrell.