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Red Sox Rumors: Garcia, Ortiz, Manager, Darvish

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Let's check in on the latest from Red Sox and new GM Ben Cherington….

  • Boston has inquired on Freddy Garcia, a source tells Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.
  • The Red Sox will meet with David Ortiz's agent tonight, tweets Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Rob Bradford of WEEI (Twitter link) hears from a source that the Sox have already made Ortiz a contract offer.
  • Ortiz continues to say that he'd like to return to Boston, and will give the Red Sox a chance to match any other offer he's considering, according to the Boston Herald.
  • At least one more managerial candidate, in addition to Dale Sveum, is expected to get a second interview, tweets Silverman. Principal owner John Henry says the team is making sure not to rush the process, writes Scott Lauber of the Herald.
  • In a separate tweet, Silverman says Cherington will travel to the Dominican Republic, at least in part to get a first-hand look at Yoenis Cespedes.
  • Their current investment in other starting pitchers means the Red Sox will have less interest in Yu Darvish than they did in Daisuke Matsuzaka when he was posted, says Abraham (Twitter link).
  • The Red Sox and Cubs touched base again on compensation talks today and will revisit the topic tonight, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston (via Twitter).
  • Josh Reddick will have wrist surgery, but expects to be healthy in time for Spring Training, reports ESPNBoston's Joe McDonald.

Heath Bell Discusses Possible Suitors

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With the Padres growing less optimistic about retaining their All-Star closer, Heath Bell spoke to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune about where he may pitch in 2012.

My agents have told me numerous other teams are interested with most of those on the East Coast,” said Bell. "I told my guys that if there is any shot for San Diego, hold onto it. But I haven’t really heard anything from the Padres since they changed general managers. Right now, I have no idea what to expect…. But I think there’s going to be a three-year deal out there from someone. And that's what I’d like to have. I’d rather stay on the West Coast. But I still have a home in Florida."

Bell's representatives at ACES negotiated Jonathan Papelbon's deal with the Phillies and have a reputation for working quickly to get their clients signed. Bell indicated that he'd like to have a clearer idea about his future before he leaves for a vacation to Fiji on Thursday, and even suggested that he could end up on Papelbon's old club: "I’ve heard Boston might have interest in me. I could go play with Adrian [Gonzalez] again. I could do that."

During the season, Bell said that he'd accept an arbitration offer from the Padres, but he's less certain about that decision now.

"I have to weigh all my options," said Bell. "I don’t know what I’m going to do. But it seems like there are going to be some very good options soon. And after everything that has happened with the Padres, I don’t know what is going on."

Francisco Cordero Drawing Heavy Interest

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At least seven teams have expressed interest in free agent right-hander Francisco Cordero, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Cordero's agent Bean Stringfellow told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon as much yesterday, but Morosi also names many of the clubs who have interest in Cordero: the Red Sox, Reds, Blue Jays, Marlins, Dodgers, Angels, and Mets.

Although Jonathan Papelbon is off the market, Cordero is one of many closers still available, along with Ryan Madson, Heath Bell, and Francisco Rodriguez, among others. The Reds declined their option on the 36-year-old Cordero at season's end, despite a successful 2011 campaign in which he posted a 2.45 ERA and reduced his BB/9 to 2.8.

Blue Jays Offer Scouting Position To Minaya

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The latest out of the AL East…

  • Former Mets GM Omar Minaya was offered a scouting position with the Blue Jays, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  Minaya is weighing other options.  Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun first reported Toronto's interest in Minaya, citing the Padres as another suitor.  Elliott notes that the Jays already employ three former GMs in Jim Beattie, Ed Lynch, and Chuck LaMar.  In October, Minaya interviewed for the Angels' GM job.
  • The Jays are "pushing hard for a closer," one GM tells Elliott.  Elliott reported a few days ago that the Blue Jays were shocked by the asking prices, however.
  • No matter what they say publicly, Yankees people are telling friends to expect an eventual big splash with a pitcher, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  I don't think that'd shock anyone, but there's not much out there currently.
  • The Red Sox weren't surprised Jonathan Papelbon priced himself out of their range, writes WEEI's Alex Speier.  The Sox are not looking to make a quick strike in the closer market to replace him.

Eight Teams Interested In Grady Sizemore

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TUESDAY, 11:27am: The Rockies have examined Sizemore's medical records and believe he's worth the risk on a one-year deal, reports Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.  The Rockies expect to watch Sizemore work out in the coming days.

The A's have no interest in pursuing Sizemore, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

MONDAY, 7:38pm: There's no shortage of interest in Grady Sizemore this offseason. The free agent outfielder has drawn interest from eight teams, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. The Cubs, Rangers, Giants and Yankees are potential suitors for Sizemore, along with the Phillies, Rockies, Red Sox and Indians.

The Giants are interested, even after acquiring Melky Cabrera, and the Cubs view Sizemore as a possible fit in right field. The A's, who saw their entire outfield hit free agency after the season, have also been linked to Sizemore.

Sizemore's knees have limited him to 104 total games in the past two seasons, so the Indians declined their $9MM club option after the season, making the 29-year-old a free agent. He hit 10 homers and posted a .224/.285/.422 line in 2011, but Sizemore combined power, speed and on-base skills as one of baseball's premier center fielders from 2005-08.

AL East Notes: Votto, Price, Garcia, Yankees, Red Sox

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Here's a look at some news out of the AL East..

  • The Rays are concentrating on upgrading at first base, DH, and landing two relievers, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  They want to hang on to their pitching depth, but that would change if Joey Votto of the Reds became available. 
  • More from Sherman (via Twitter) on the Rays as he writes that the club is always open to anything, but have it in their budget to keep David Price at $4-$4.5MM as a Super Two.  Price could earn $7-8MM in 2012 through arbitration according to MLBTR's projections.  Sherman adds that it would take a gigantic return for them to move him.
  • As expected, the Yankees intend to follow up with Freddy Garcia’s agents once more, a person with knowledge of the situation, told Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger.  Yankees GM Brian Cashman has already talked with Garcia’s representatives, even before the right-hander was a free agent.
  • Dale Sveum is interviewing again Wednesday with the Red Sox and GM Ben Cherington is unsure if they will bring back anyone else for an interview, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
  • Talks between the Red Sox and Cubs over compensation for Theo Epstein will continue this week but Commissioner Bud Selig is likely to settle matter, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald tweets. Cherington says that Selig hashing things out is probably what's best for both parties.

Epstein On Zambrano, Managerial Search, Hale

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Earlier today, Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein had lunch with embattled pitcher Carlos Zambrano to discuss his future.  Here are Epstein's comments on the meeting and more..

  • Epstein said that Zambrano has a chance to "earn his way back' to being a Cub, tweets Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer. 
  • Epstein also hopes to make progress on naming a manager this week and will have "follow-ups" with candidates, Hoynes tweets.
  • The Cubs conducted a phone interview with DeMarlo Hale for the managerial job, tweets Bruce Miles of The Daily Herald.  Epstein said that they know the Red Sox bench coach well enough that a face-to-face meeting wasn't necessary.
  • Epstein hopes that the Red Sox and Cubs can make headway on their compensation talks now that they're in the same building, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com (via Twitter).
  • In other Cubs news, scouting director Jason McLeod is headed to the Dominican Republic this week to see several players, including outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, Muskat tweets.

Boras Talks Drew, Fielder, Andruw, Madson, Pelfrey

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Agent Scott Boras says J.D. Drew has not retired and will play in 2012 if the right opportunity emerges, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Here are more details from Boras’ conversation with reporters (most links go to Twitter)…

  • Boras said Prince Fielder will appeal to teams looking to win now and to those that are more than a year away from contending, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. “I do think there are a lot of teams that … look long-term with a younger player that may not be in the market for a player that is four or five years older," Boras said, comparing Fielder to Albert Pujols.
  • Boras told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that Fielder is an "amazing athlete" who's just stepping into his prime. "This guy can fly," he said. "He's like Warren Sapp. That man was an athlete. People said he had this square body or he wasn't big enough or whatever, but he was still an All-Pro."
  • Boras and the Yankees have discussed the possibility of a new deal for Andruw Jones, according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger. The Yankees are in the market for a fourth outfielder and Jones, who hit .247/.356/.495 for New York in 2011, would be a fit, especially because he bats from the right side.
  • Boras has not spoken with the Red Sox about free agent closer Ryan Madson, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
  • Boras explained that there will be strong interest in Carlos Beltran, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. "It's hard to get those players to free-agency and the ones who get there there's a real demand for them," he said.
  • Boras will meet with Indians to discuss possible free agent fits, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Hoynes points out that Carlos Pena is a possible fit for the Indians at first base. Matt LaPorta is an option for the 2012 Indians, but he doesn’t appear to have any guarantees.
  • Boras will also speak to the Cubs, possibly about Pena, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
  • Boras “fully expects” the Mets to tender Mike Pelfrey a contract, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

Phillies Sign Jonathan Papelbon

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Jonathan Papelbon's desire to set the market for closers was never a secret — it's now a reality. The Phillies have agreed to sign the 30-year-old to a precedent-setting four-year, $50,000,058 deal that establishes the record for guaranteed money for a reliever.  The Phillies announced the deal today, noting that Papelbon will continue to wear #58.

Papelbon

The contract includes a $13MM option for 2016 that vests with 55 games finished in 2015 or 100 in 2014-15, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. The Phillies appeared to have a deal with Ryan Madson earlier this week, but talks fell through and the sides didn't complete the rumored four-year, $44MM deal. Papelbon's agents at ACES stepped in and the Phillies have their closer.

Papelbon posted a 2.94 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 64 1/3 innings for the Red Sox in 2011, saving 31 games. He's a Type A free agent who will cost the Phillies their first round draft pick in 2012, assuming the upcoming collective bargaining agreement doesn't change draft pick compensation for this offseason. Boston will obtain the 31st overall pick in next June's draft unless the Phillies sign an additional Type A free agent with a higher ranking than Papelbon. If the Phillies lose Madson to another team after offering him arbitration, they'll surrender one pick and gain two.

Papelbon is the first of MLBTR's top 50 free agents to sign. Check out MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker for the details. Bryan Grosnick examines the fantasy baseball implications of the move at CloserNews.

Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com first reported the deal and its terms. Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, Jon Heyman of SI.com, Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM and others added detail.

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

East Links: Ramos, Red Sox, Jones

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A late-night snack for those of you with a hunger for news on baseball's two Eastern divisions:

  • Even after his kidnapping, Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos plans to begin playing for the Aragua Tigres on Wednesday of this week, tweets Mark Zuckerman of CSNwashington.com.
  • FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweets that the Red Sox will conduct a second interview with Dale Sveum and least one other candidate in their search for a new manager.
  • While the organization doesn't sound like they're considering the idea, CSNbaltimore's Rich Dubroff wonders if the Orioles should entertain the thought of trading Adam Jones. Dubroff quotes one rival scout who thinks they should hang onto the 26-year-old center fielder, saying: "If they're willing to move him, they're stupid."
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