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Rockies, Red Sox Close To Completing Scutaro Deal

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The Rockies and Red Sox are "finishing up" a trade that would send Marco Scutaro to Colorado in exchange for a pitcher, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link).  Renck believes the pitcher heading to Boston could be Clayton Mortensen, whose name was mentioned in previous discussions between the two teams (via Twitter).

Renck reported the deal as being close yesterday, though talks also seemed to fizzle just as quickly.  Today, negotiations restarted as Renck says the Rockies had to "work through financial issues" to fit Scutaro's $6MM salary into the payroll.

Scutaro fills the Rockies' need for a second baseman, as the veteran will return to the position after primarily playing shortstop over the last three seasons.  Scutaro hit .299/.358/.423 in 445 plate appearances with Boston in 2011, and is returning to the NL for the first time since he broke into the Majors with the Mets in 2002-03.

For the Red Sox, the deal frees room in the payroll for the club to pursue a starting pitcher.  It also creates a hole at shortstop, with a Mike Aviles–Nick Punto platoon being the likeliest short-term solution.  Prospect Jose Iglesias could also be in the mix if he has an excellent Spring Training.

Mortensen, 26, was a supplemental first-round pick (36th overall) for the Cardinals in the 2007 draft.  He was part of the trade package the Cardinals sent to the A's in July 2009 in exchange for Matt Holliday.  Mortensen has a 5.12 ERA, a 4.7 K/9 rate and a 3.7 BB/9 rate in 24 Major League games (13 of them starts) with the Rockies, A's and Cardinals.

This post was originally published on January 21st.

Red Sox Sign Aaron Cook

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The Red Sox have agreed to terms with right-hander Aaron Cook on a minor league contract. The deal is worth $1.5MM prorated if Cook is called up to the Major Leagues, according to Rob Bradford and Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports that Cook, who has passed his physical, could earn an additional $2MM in incentives based on games started. Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com first reported the deal.

Cook, 33 next month, has spent his entire Major League career to date with the Rockies, posting a 4.53 ERA in 1,312 1/3 innings over parts of 10 seasons. His best work came during a four-year stretch from 2006-09, when he averaged 187 innings per season and recorded a 4.11 ERA. At his peak in 2008, Cook was worth as many as 4.7 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs.

The groundballer (57.4% career rate) battled injuries each of the past three seasons, however, with his 97 innings in 2011 marking his fewest since 2005. With Cook falling short of expecations the past couple seasons, the Rockies unsurprisingly declined his $11MM 2012 option in October, making him a free agent for the first time.

With the Red Sox, Cook will compete for a rotation spot, according to Rosenthal. If he's healthy and inducing wormburners, he could prove to be a valuable, low-cost addition for the Sox. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes included Cook among such candidates in a post last week.

AL East Links: Montero, Kuroda, Red Sox, Yankees

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Here's the latest from the AL East, starting with an update on two pending moves involving the Yankees…

  • Jesus Montero is dealing with a passport or visa issue at the moment and is unable to travel to Seattle for his physical, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Once that is resolved, the trade sending him and Hector Noesi from the Yankees to the Mariners for Michael Pineda and Jose Campos will be made official.
  • Bob Klapisch of The Bergen Record says (on Twitter) that Hiroki Kuroda is still in Japan, so he has yet to take his physical and finalize his one-year contract with the Yankees. Klapisch adds that like Montero, Campos is stuck in Venezuela at the moment.
  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington indicated to MLB.com's Ian Browne that the team is unlikely to make any big changes to the roster before Spring Training. "If Spring Training were to start tomorrow, we'd feel good about where we are and [we'd be] ready to put the team together," said the GM.
  • Though the Yankees currently have $1-2MM to spend on a designated hitter, they could free up cash by dealing A.J. Burnett, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets. Burnett has $33MM remaining on his contract, and it would be a surprise if the Yankees free up more than $10MM via trade.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff suggests Raul Ibanez might be the best DH option for the Yankees, assuming Johnny Damon signs with a team that can offer more plate appearances.
  • Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports that former Oriole Brady Anderson was named special assistant to Orioles GM Dan Duquette today. Melewski also lists some changes in the responsibilities handled by other front office employees.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Ortiz Doesn’t Expect Deal Before Arbitration Hearing

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It's no secret that David Ortiz was looking for a multiyear contract this offseason, but now the long-time Red Sox DH isn't optimistic about getting one. Ortiz told reporters (including WEEI.com's Rob Bradford) at tonight's Boston BBWAA dinner that he doesn't expect the two sides to reach a deal before an arbitration hearing.

"It doesn't seem like it right now," said Ortiz when asked about a potential contract. "From a business standpoint, that's how it goes … I've been watching from the outside."

Ortiz also downplayed the arbitration process, saying "it doesn’t seem like [a big deal] to me." The 36-year-old slugger accepted arbitration last month rather than try his luck on the open market, and earlier this week he filed for a $16.5MM salary while the team countered with $12.65MM. He hit .309/.398/.554 with 29 homers while earning $12.5MM in 2011.

Earlier this offseason we learned that the Sox did offer Ortiz a two-year contract, though it was only worth $18MM. Arbitration hearings start in February, though the two sides can come to an agreement on a contract of any size before then.

Red Sox Still Interested In Gavin Floyd

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WEDNESDAY, 11:30am: The Red Sox are still showing interest in Floyd, tweets Morosi.

TUESDAY, 9:15am: We haven't heard a ton about righty Gavin Floyd lately, but the White Sox are still listening on the soon-to-be 29-year-old, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  White Sox GM Kenny Williams has traded Carlos Quentin, Sergio Santos, and Jason Frasor this winter, but he's held onto his starting pitching and even extended John Danks.

This winter top young starters Michael Pineda, Mat Latos, Gio Gonzalez, and Trevor Cahill have been traded, but all came with at least four years of team control.  Floyd and crosstown hurler Matt Garza are in the next tier along with Jair Jurrjens, with two years of control at higher prices.  Two years of Floyd will cost $16.5MM in salary plus prospects.  Floyd is capable of 30 starts and a sub-4.00 ERA, so he's still plenty valuable and may represent a more reasonable commitment than a four-year deal for Edwin Jackson.  The Yankees figure to be done rotation shopping, but the Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Pirates are potential fits in my opinion.

Epstein Compensation In Selig’s Hands

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The Red Sox requested in late December that MLB commissioner Bud Selig resolve the Theo Epstein compensation issue, reports Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.  The Cubs were granted permission to speak to Epstein by the Red Sox and hired him as president of baseball operations in October.  Since then, the two teams have been unable to determine what compensation the Red Sox should receive for Epstein, since he had a year remaining on his contract.

Back on November 17th, Epstein said talks were "very amicable" and lots of jokes were being made on the topic.  At that point, the plan was to re-engage after the Rule 5 draft, which happened on December 8th.  

Last Thursday on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan show, Epstein said he and new Red Sox GM Ben Cherington were trying to work it out, but they might need some help to get it done.  Epstein explained his stance: "Throughout the history of baseball, there's really only a handful of instances in which there's been any compensation whatsoever for executives."  He added that in those cases, "compensation has been pretty reasonable.  When Andy MacPhail, who had won two World Series, left on a lateral move from Minnesota to Chicago back in '94, his compensation was the 30th-ranked prospect in the Cubs' system [Hector Trinidad] and a little bit of cash."  In Epstein's opinion, "There's no precedent for major, major compensation here."  The Red Sox feel that Epstein is more valuable than MacPhail or any manager, according to Wittenmyer, and CEO Larry Lucchino has at various points floated the names of Matt Garza and Brett Jackson.

AL East Links: Red Sox, Ellsbury, Crawford, Niemann

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Let's round up the latest from the AL East…

  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said there was nothing new to report as far as their pursuit of pitching, reports Scott Lauber of The Boston Herald (on Twitter).
  • The Red Sox avoided arbitration with Jacoby Ellsbury by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $8.05MM today, and WEEI.com's Rob Bradford says that Cherington confirmed the two sides did not discuss a multiyear contract.
  • Cherington confirmed that Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left wrist and may not be ready for Opening Day, reports Bradford.
  • Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times that being unable to avoid arbitration with Jeff Niemann is "definitely a sub-optimal outcome." (Twitter link)
  • Rays owner Stuart Sternberg met with St. Petersburg mayor Bill Foster for two hours today to discuss the future of baseball in the city, reports The Tampa Bay Times. The team asked the city to allow them to speak to Hillsborough officials about a new stadium in the county.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: Tuesday

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Dozens of arbitration eligible players have agreed to deals with their respective teams today and we've been tracking all of the developments right here.  Several teams, including the Rays, Nationals, Marlins, White Sox, Blue Jays, Braves, and perhaps Astros, are known for committing to going to hearings if they get to the point of filing.  Keep track of all the madness with MLBTR's arbitration tracker, which shows settlement amounts, filing figures, and midpoints.  Today's players to avoid arbitration on deals worth less than $4MM:

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Arbitration Filing Numbers

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Many players avoided arbitration today, but dozens of others exchanged figures with their teams in anticipation of hearings. Most cases won't go to arbitration hearings, but teams such as the Rays, Nationals, Marlins, White Sox, Blue Jays and Braves have stuck to 'file and trial' policies in the past. 

MLBTR's arbitration tracker will keep you up to date on every one of the filing numbers from around the game, but here are the highlights — players who filed for $4MM or more. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com had most of the info with MLBTR and others also contributing:

Red Sox Avoid Arbitration With Jacoby Ellsbury

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The Red Sox avoided arbitration with center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury on a deal worth $8.05MM, tweets MLBTR's Ben-Nicholson-Smith.  MLBTR projected a $7.9MM salary for Ellsbury, who finished second in the AL MVP voting.  The Red Sox still have multiple arbitration cases to settle.

Some say Ellsbury's salary is a record for a second-time arbitration eligible player, but Miguel Cabrera received $11.3MM in 2007 a few months before agreeing to a multiyear deal (in which his '07 salary remained unchanged).

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