Red Sox Rumors

Latest On A’s-Red Sox Andrew Bailey Talks

By Steve Adams | December 7, 2011 at 8:49am CDT

8:49am: The talks are not that far along and the A's have not asked for Middlebrooks, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. The A's would need more, but WEEI's Alex Speier tweets that they've liked Lars Anderson, Raul Alcantara, and Brandon Workman. Things are currently quiet on the Bailey-Red Sox trade front, tweets Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.

6:39am: The A's asked the Red Sox for third base prospect Will Middlebrooks, writes the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo. It's probably safe to assume that Middlebrooks, 23, is not one of the prospects mentioned in Gammons' proposal.

5:01am: Peter Gammons of MLB Network tweets that the Athletics are considering a trade offer from the Red Sox that includes Josh Reddick and prospects in exchange for Andrew Bailey. Jed Lowrie is not in this proposal.

The 24-year-old Reddick appeared at all three outfield spots for the Sox in 2011 (earning stellar reviews from UZR and DRS in an admittedly small sample) and hit a solid .280/.327/.457 in 278 plate appearances.

The A's stand to lose their entire starting outfield of David DeJesus (already signed with the Cubs), Coco Crisp, and Josh Willingham to free agency this offseason, so it makes sense that they would have interest in controllable outfielders.

The two teams were reportedly set to meet on Tuesday to discuss a potential Bailey trade, though is is the first we've heard of the results.

Red Sox Rumors: Wakefield, Varitek, Trade Talks

By Luke Adams 2 | December 6, 2011 at 9:40pm CDT

We heard earlier this evening that David Ortiz plans to return to Boston next season, either through arbitration or a multiyear deal. Now let's check in on some other Red Sox news:

GM Ben Cherington's comments today suggest the Red Sox won't be bringing back Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek, says Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
The Sox have talked to other clubs about Marco Scutaro and Jed Lowrie, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
The Red Sox and White Sox met to discuss a possible Carlos Quentin trade, but there's no match at the moment, says Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
Boston has checked in on Brad Lidge, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
DeMarlo Hale, the club's bench coach for the last two seasons, won't be returning for 2012, writes ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes. Hale is expected to take a job in the Orioles' organization.

Closer Rumors: Madson, K-Rod, League, Street, Soria

By Tim Dierkes | December 6, 2011 at 7:20pm CDT

The Blue Jays, Twins, and Marlins added closers in recent days, and it's not clear whether the remaining teams with ninth inning openings are willing to spend big. The latest on several closers…

There is "no interest" from Madson or Rodriguez in accepting arbitration, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB Network. However, one agent believes that if the Red Sox trade for Andrew Bailey, which is a "real possibility," Madson and K-Rod could be in trouble, tweets ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
The Angels are interested in trading for Seattle's Brandon League, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Angels have also expressed interest in free agents Todd Coffey and Jason Isringhausen, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times, but they probably won't move on a reliever until C.J. Wilson decides what to do.
There's lots of buzz that Ryan Madson and Francisco Rodriguez could accept arbitration with the Phillies and Brewers, respectively, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. I still think Scott Boras will advise both to decline tomorrow night.
The Rockies are willing to eat all of Huston Street's $8MM salary for prospects, tweets Stark. He says the Padres are a possibility. Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link) hears the Rockies would take on some "but not all" of Street's salary.
Stark confirms yesterday's rumor that the Royals will listen on Joakim Soria, but they want a front-line starter in return.

David Ortiz Plans To Accept Arbitration

By Luke Adams 2 | December 6, 2011 at 5:56pm CDT

David Ortiz plans to accept Boston's arbitration offer and remain with the Red Sox, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes. In that case, Ortiz would be in line for a one-year deal with a slight raise on last year's $12.5MM salary.

Considering there didn't seem to be many suitors for Ortiz on the open market and the reported two-year deal on the table from the Red Sox would have paid just $9MM annually, the decision makes sense. However, there is still time for the two sides to work out a multiyear deal, and ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link) expects them to continue talking. WEEI's Rob Bradford hears that Ortiz's reps and the Red Sox plan to meet tonight before any decision is made on arbitration.

The 36-year-old is coming off a strong 2011 campaign in which he hit .309/.398/.554 in 605 plate appearances.

Cold Market For David Ortiz

By Tim Dierkes | December 6, 2011 at 3:37pm CDT

3:37pm: The Red Sox offered Ortiz a two-year deal worth $18MM, tweets Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston, but he seeks $7MM more. He's undecided on whether to accept arbitration tomorrow.

2:46pm: The draft pick cost associated with signing free agent designated hitter David Ortiz killed his market, tweets Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. The Blue Jays and Mariners are seen as unlikely, so Big Papi might have to reconsider Boston's reported two-year offer or else accept arbitration tomorrow night.

Red Sox Re-Sign Andrew Miller

By Tim Dierkes | December 6, 2011 at 1:02pm CDT

The Red Sox re-signed lefty Andrew Miller, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Miller had been arbitration eligible. He received a non-guaranteed Major League deal worth $1.04MM, tweets WEEI's Alex Speier.

Miller, 26, posted a 5.54 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 5.7 BB/9, 1.11 HR/9, and 45.4% groundball rate in 65 innings for the Red Sox this year, faring a little better in 65 2/3 Triple-A frames. The big southpaw might have been a non-tender candidate had he made it to the December 12th deadline unsigned. Miller is represented by Frontline.

Red Sox, A’s To Discuss Bailey Tuesday

By Steve Adams | December 6, 2011 at 4:00am CDT

4:00am: A team source tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that the Red Sox will make an attempt on Bailey (Twitter link).

12:41am: The Red Sox have yet to be aggressive on the Andrew Bailey front, but will meet with Oakland to discuss the former AL Rookie of the Year tomorrow, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.

Bailey, 27, is a logical target for the BoSox who lost Jonathan Papelbon to free agency very early this offseason. The Red Sox haven't hidden their interest in acquiring a closer. One report stated that it was their second priority behind David Ortiz, and they've been linked to Ryan Madson multiple times. It also appears that top setup man Daniel Bard is comfortable transitioning to the rotation should new GM Ben Cherington acquire a closer.

Bailey, who posted a 3.24 ERA and 8.9 K/9 with 24 saves in 41 2/3 innings this season, has also drawn interest from the Padres, Angels, and Rangers.

C.J. Wilson Rumors: Monday

By Tim Dierkes | December 6, 2011 at 2:01am CDT

The latest on free agent lefty C.J. Wilson…

The Angels talked with Wilson's agent late into Monday night, tweets Scott Miller of CBS Sports. The Angels and Marlins remain in the thick of the Wilson sweepstakes, according to Jon Paul Morosi. Wilson's agent met with the Angels on Monday and will speak with the Marlins on Tuesday. The Marlins "are as aggressive as anyone" (Twitter links here).
The Rangers are set to make their first offer of the offseason to Wilson on Tuesday, writes ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.
The Angels are making a "serious push" for Wilson, tweets Morosi.
According to Morosi (via Twitter), the Red Sox are still involved in the Wilson sweepstakes. Morosi's fellow FOX scribe Ken Rosenthal adds in a separate tweet that the Cubs have spoken with Garber in an attempt to gauge the market for the southpaw.
Wilson has a six-year offer in hand from a team other than the Rangers, reports Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The Rangers, Angels, Marlins, Nationals, and a mystery team are currently in the mix, and it's known that the Nationals did not offer six years. Wilson hopes to sign this week, but won't sign with a team just because it offered six years. Agent Bob Garber will meet with the Rangers tonight or Tuesday morning. Yesterday, it was reported that Wilson had offers from four teams.
Wilson and Roy Oswalt are represented by Garber, who said, "I have the two best clients out there. C.J. is comfortable with the process and confident with how things have been going. Roy basically said, 'Take care of C.J. I'll wait in the wings. Once C.J. and [Mark] Buehrle have signed, my market will open up."

Darren Oliver Likely To Return To Rangers

By Steve Adams | December 6, 2011 at 1:50am CDT

Darren Oliver "appears to be headed back" to the Rangers, tweets Jon Heyman of the MLB Network. Heyman says the Red Sox are also in the mix for the left-hander, but "Dallas is home."

Earlier tonight, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan wrote that the Rangers were in search of left-handed relief, and general manager Jon Daniels' preference was to fill that role with Oliver. The 40-year-old Oliver has spent the last two seasons with Texas, posting a combined 2.40 ERA in 112 2/3 innings with a strong 8.7 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9.

Red Sox “Confident” About Re-Signing Ortiz

By Luke Adams 2 | December 5, 2011 at 8:51pm CDT

The Red Sox seem "pretty confident" they'll be able to re-sign David Ortiz to a two-year deal, assuming he doesn't accept arbitration, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Here are a few more Red Sox updates from Ben Cherington's first Winter Meetings as Boston's GM:

While Boston was thought to have interest in free agents like C.J. Wilson and Roy Oswalt, Cherington said today that he doesn't anticipate the Red Sox pursuing high-end starting pitching options, as WEEI's Alex Speier writes.
Cherington also said today that Daniel Bard had indicated a preference for his 2012 role, though it seems he and Bard may not have been on the same page. In a text message to the Providence Journal's Brian MacPherson, Bard said he stated a willingness to move to the rotation rather than a preference to do so: "I guess making it clear that I would be willing to start may have made it seem like a preference, but I just want to make it clear that I feel like I could thrive in either role."
It doesn't appear that the Orioles will be signing longtime Red Sox backstop Jason Varitek. According to John Tomase of the Boston Herald, O's skipper Buck Showalter addressed the topic in Dallas: "Right now, it’s not a fit for us."

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