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AL East Notes: Kuroda, Blue Jays, Camp, Selig

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Some news from the AL East…

  • Hiroki Kuroda's one-year, $10MM deal with the Yankees includes a full no-trade clause, reports FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link).
  • Kuroda said he received offers from five or six Major League clubs and he eventually narrowed his choices down to the Yankees and the Hiroshima Carp, his former Japanese team, reports Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.  Kuroda's desire to play for a contender led to his Yankee contract, as he turned down some more expensive offers to sign with New York.
  • MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm doesn't think Manny Ramirez is a fit with the Blue Jays, as the Jays weren't interested in Ramirez last year since they want flexibility with the DH spot.  Toronto did send scouts to see Ramirez hit in an indoor cage earlier this month.  
  • Also as part of Chisholm's fan mailbag, he thinks the Jays' bullpen additions spell the end of Shawn Camp's days with the club, though Camp should find Major League work elsewhere.
  • Commissioner Bud Selig told reporters at the Chicago SoxFest event (including CSNChicago.com's Jim Owczarski) that he would like to get the issue of the Theo Epstein compensation package between the Red Sox and Cubs solved "as expeditiously as possible."  Since the two teams weren't able to settle on compensation, it's now up to Selig.  "It’s in my lap and I have information from both clubs and we’ll take it from there," the commissioner said. 
  • The Red Sox would use any extra payroll space on a player later in the season, rather than spend it now in "a bidding war" for Roy Oswalt or Edwin Jackson, a source tells WEEI.com's Rob Bradford.
  • In case you missed it earlier today, the Rays signed Jeff Keppinger and designated Russ Canzler for assignment to create 40-man roster space.

Red Sox Notes: Edwin Jackson, Conor Jackson, Payroll

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Some news items out of Fenway Park…

  • The Red Sox weren't close to a deal with Edwin Jackson as of late Thursday evening, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  It was reported two days ago that the Sox had offered contracts to both Jackson and Roy Oswalt.
  • Oswalt is Boston's "No. 1 target," reports Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston, and if Oswalt signs elsewhere, the Red Sox will then explore a trade for White Sox right-hander Gavin Floyd.  Jackson would be "a long-shot option" to sign.
  • Manager Bobby Valentine is satisfied with his current rotation and admits another starting pitcher is "not at the top of my wish list," reports Joe McDonald of ESPN Boston.
  • "Free agency is not fun these days," Conor Jackson tells WEEI.com's Rob Bradford.  "Obviously at the end of the day you have to be a realist. That’s the big thing. I just want people to be honest with me where I stand with them. I understand nothing is going to be handed to me. I’ve had a couple of bad years so I have to prove I can play everyday again.”  Jackson is looking to find a backup spot and doesn't think it will be in Boston since the Red Sox now have Cody Ross in the fold.
  • The Red Sox are already projected to pass the luxury tax threshold, reports WEEI.com's Alex Speier as part of his breakdown of the club's 2012 payroll and what the Sox hope to gain by sticking to their budget.

Red Sox Sign John Maine

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The Red Sox signed right-hander  John Maine to a minor league contract, Steve DeShazo of the Fredericksburg Freelance-Star reports. Agent Rex Gary told DeShazo that the Red Sox will look at Maine as a reliever.

Maine, 30, last pitched in the Majors with the 2010 Mets. He had a strong 2007 season, when he posted a 3.91 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 191 innings, but his performance later dropped off and he missed considerable time with shoulder injuries. Maine posted a 7.43 ERA in 46 innings with the Rockies' top affiliate in 2011.

Minor Moves: Sweeney, Tuiasosopo, Redding, Cabrera

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The latest minor league deals…

  • The Mariners signed former MLB reliever Brian Sweeney to a minor league contract, MLB.com's Greg Johns reports. Sweeney spent the 2011 season with the Mets' top affiliate and last appeared in the Majors with the 2010 Mariners.
  • The Twins signed left-hander Luke French, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports (Twitter links). French owns a 4.99 ERA with 4.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 155 Major League innings.
  • The Mets signed infielder Matt Tuiasosopo, who picked up MLB experience with the Mariners from 2008-10, Eddy reports.
  • The Blue Jays signed right-hander Tim Redding and left-hander Bill Murphy, according to Eddy. Redding has substantial MLB experience as a starter for the Astros, Nationals and Mets.
  • Eddy reports that four catchers signed minor league deals: Mitch Canham joined the Rockies, Orlando Mercado agreed to terms with the Marlins, Kyle Phillips caught on with the Blue Jays and Max St. Pierre signed with the Red Sox. Phillips appeared in 36 games for the 2011 Padres and St. Pierre made his debut with the 2010 Tigers after 14 minor league seasons.
  • Former MLB starter Daniel Cabrera signed a minor league deal with the Pirates, Mario Rojas of CandelaDeportiva reports. Cabrera, 30, was a fixture in Baltimore's rotation from 2004-08, but hasn't pitched in MLB since 2009.
  • The Cubs re-signed infielder Bobby Scales, who started the 2011 season in Chicago before going to Japan, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweets.
  • The Phillies re-signed former Tigers outfielder Brent Clevlen, Goldstein tweets.
  • The Orioles signed 18-year-old outfielder Andres Aguilar, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets. The speedy Guatemala native has a strong throwing arm.

Edwin Jackson Rumors: Thursday

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The Red Sox have offered Edwin Jackson a contract and the Orioles would consider offering a four year deal. The market for Jackson — arguably the top free agent remaining — seems to be picking up. Here are the most recent rumors from around MLB:

  • The Red Sox are believed to be one of a few teams with which Jackson would accept a one-year deal, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe tweets.
  • The Cardinals checked in on Jackson, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. The right-hander, who finished the 2011 season in St. Louis, has a multiyear offer from an unknown team that's not the Red Sox or Cardinals.

Red Sox Designate Scott Atchison For Assignment

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The Red Sox designated right-hander Scott Atchison for assignment, the team announced. The move creates roster space for outfielder Cody Ross, whose contract became official today.

Atchison, 35, posted a 3.26 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in 30 1/3 innings for the Red Sox in 2011. He spent post of the season at Triple-A, where he pitched 61 1/3 more innings with a 2.64 ERA, 10.6 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9. He is not yet arbitration eligible.

Red Sox Sign Cody Ross

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The Red Sox have signed outfielder Cody Ross to a one-year deal, the team announced.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement, and ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes reports the deal is worth roughly $3MM plus incentives (all Twitter links).  Ross is represented by SFX. 

Ross played all three outfield positions for the Giants last season and hit .240/.325/.405 line with 14 home runs in 461 plate appearances.  A right-handed hitter, Ross projects to join the left-handed hitting Ryan Sweeney in a right field platoon, though Ross could also get a few starts in left field for Carl Crawford (also a lefty bat) against tough southpaws.

The Mets, Athletics, Reds, Braves and Rockies were all connected to Ross at various points this winter, with Boston seemingly moving into the lead once they freed up some payroll space by trading Marco Scutaro to Colorado.  With Ross in the fold, a source tells Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that the Sox will still try to add a starting pitcher with the money saved from the Scutaro deal.

Roy Oswalt Rumors: Thursday

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The latest rumors on Roy Oswalt suggest the Cardinals, Rangers, Red Sox, Nationals, Indians and Brewers are in the mix for the right-hander. Oswalt wasn't interested in joining the Tigers, but the Cardinals and Red Sox have also made him offers and the other clubs appear to be monitoring the situation. Here are today's Oswalt rumors:

  • The Red Sox offered Oswalt about $5MM, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports. The Red Sox don't seem interested in signing pitchers to long-term contracts, as Olney points out.
  • There's some debate in the Rangers' front office over whether Oswalt is necessary given Texas' existing starting pitching depth, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick tweets.

Rosenthal On Fukudome, Uehara, Orioles, Jackson

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A look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • Kosuke Fukudome wants to remain in the majors, according to a source with knowledge of his thinking.  Some executives, however, believe he could end up back in Japan.  The Brewers had interest in Fukudome before signing Japanese outfielder Norichika Aoki.
  • Rangers right-hander Koji Uehara enjoyed his time so much in Baltimore that he recommended the Orioles to the two free-agents the team signed out of the Japanese league, Tsuyoshi Wada and Wei-Yin Chen, according to a major-league source.  A trade back to the O's is possible for Uehara, who rejected a deal to the Blue Jays this week.
  • The Red Sox are talking to Edwin Jackson, who might be open to a one-year pact. However, one executive points out that the AL East isn't an easy landing spot for a starting pitcher. If Jackson signs for one year, he might be better off in the NL, where he could produce better numbers before trying the open market again.
  • The bright side of the Nationals’ failure to sign Prince Fielder is that it allows the club to retain positional flexibility, particularly in center field.  A long-term deal for the slugger eventually might have pushed the Nats to use an outfield of Michael Morse in left, Jayson Werth in center and Bryce Harper in right.  Now, they can move Morse to first after Adam LaRoche plays out his contract this season and go after a center fielder.

Latest On Roy Oswalt

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10:35pm: The Cardinals made a bid approaching $5MM on Oswalt weeks ago but that deal is not likely to happen, tweets Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Strauss predicts that the Rangers will win the bidding on Oswalt with $2-3MM more and other perks.

9:36pm: Some executives believe that the Rangers are the favorites to land Oswalt, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Other interested clubs include the Cardinals, Red Sox, Nationals, Indians, and Brewers.

Even after acquiring Gio Gonzalez, Rosenthal writes that the Nats value Oswalt's veteran presence and makeup.  The Indians are in the mix as they face the possible loss of the pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona.  Milwaukee would only sign Oswalt at the right price.

The big question with the 34-year-old is whether he'll continue playing if neither the Cardinals nor Rangers want him.  One friend of the pitcher says that he again mentioned retirement as an option, though two sources close to Oswalt insist that he will pitch in 2012 and perhaps even sign a two-year deal.  Sources also say that the right-hander turned down a strong offer from the Tigers.

4:35pm: There's mutual interest between the Rangers and Oswalt, but for him to be a fit, it'd have to be on Texas' terms, Heyman tweets.

1:33pm: The Red Sox made Oswalt an offer, but are unsure of his interest level, since he has yet to accept, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.

8:13am: Now that Prince Fielder has agreed to terms with the Tigers, Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt are the top unsigned free agents. It wouldn’t surprise many if Oswalt, who now seeks a one-year deal, signs in Boston, but two general managers think he wants to join the Rangers and another says he’d like to sign in St. Louis, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB Network.

Oswalt would like to join Mike Maddux and Nolan Ryan with the Rangers, Gammons reports. However, both of last year’s World Series teams enter the 2012 season will rotations that appear to be full.

Though Oswalt had two back-related stints on the disabled list in 2011, he finished the season with six strong September starts and a season ERA of 3.69 with 6.0 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9. The 34-year-old Bob Garber client made 23 starts and completed 139 innings this past season, posting a 3.69 ERA with 6.0 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 45.1% ground ball rate overall. His average fastball velocity dropped to 91.4 mph, however. Oswalt was a Type A free agent, but the Phillies declined to offer him arbitration and he won't cost a draft pick.

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