Red Sox Rumors

AL East Notes: Gonzalez, Red Sox, Liriano

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 10, 2011 at 2:30pm CDT

We've already checked out some NL Central rumors. Let's now move from the Central to the East and from the National League to the American League…

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that Adrian Gonzalez has been "on or ahead of schedule the whole winter" while rehabbing his shoulder. The Red Sox feel their new first baseman will be ready for Opening Day.
Yahoo's Tim Brown evaluates Boston's offseason and says the Red Sox are "talented, deep and expensive" with an offense that should compensate for shortcomings in other areas.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs points out that the Yankees would be the most obvious suitor for Francisco Liriano if the Twins make him available, but suggests the Yankees would likely balk at trading Jesus Montero for the Twins lefty. Minnesota is open to the idea of dealing Liriano.

Quick Hits: Marcum, Blanco, Peavy, Pujols

By Zachary Links | February 9, 2011 at 10:16pm CDT

Links for Wednesday night..

Brewers negotiator Teddy Werner told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter) that the ability for Shaun Marcum to exceed the $4MM arb midpoint via incentives was key to making the deal happen.
Royals outfielder Gregor Blanco is out of options and on the bubble, writes Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
The Mets could learn a lot from the Rangers, who also experienced financial trouble recently, writes Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal.
Jake Peavy is eager to fulfill the expecations that the White Sox had for him when they traded for him in 2009, writes Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.
Agent Adam Karon has been promoted to partner and general counsel at Sosnick-Cobbe Sports, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Karon represents Jonathan Singleton, Brent Morel, Jesse Biddle, Sean Coyle, Chris Heisey, and others.
Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (via Twitter) points out that the Cardinals have an exclusive negotiating window with Albert Pujols from the end of the team's season to five days after the World Series.
The Cards should give Pujols the dollars he's looking for but only across seven years, says Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter).
The White Sox are amongst the teams that did well this offseason, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.
Reliever Duaner Sanchez worked out for several clubs in Arizona today, though the Red Sox were not among them, tweets Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. The veteran right-hander last pitched in the majors in 2009 when he made 12 appearances for the Padres.

AL East Links: Gonzalez, Bautista, Shealy, Orioles

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 9, 2011 at 4:15pm CDT

The Yankees already added a reliever today. Here are some notes on what their division rivals are up to…

Adrian Gonzalez says he hasn't imposed a deadline for extension negotiations with the Red Sox, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Gonzalez, who worked out at Red Sox camp today, did not seem worried about talks with Boston, according to Cafardo.
The Blue Jays' arbitration hearing with Jose Bautista will take place Monday, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
The Jays signed Ryan Shealy to a minor league deal, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The 31-year-old appeared in five games for the Red Sox last year after spending the 2009 season in the minors. Shealy posted a .231/.345/.472 line at Triple-A for the Red Sox and Rays last year.
Speaking of Boston, Alex Speier of WEEI.com introduces us to the team's many bullpen candidates. They have lots of left-handers to choose from. Felix Doubront, Rich Hill, Andrew Miller, Hideki Okajima and Dennys Reyes will provide manager Terry Francona with plenty of options.
The Orioles are actively discussing deals with Luke Scott and Jeremy Guthrie, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. The O’s don’t appear to be on the verge of an agreement with either arbitration eligible player. Scott’s hearing is next Monday and Guthrie’s hearing will take place Wednesday. Keep track of all the remaining arbitration hearings with our Arb Tracker.

Red Sox Sign Alfredo Aceves

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 9, 2011 at 3:33pm CDT

The Red Sox signed Alfredo Aceves to a Major League deal, the team announced. Aceves will earn $650K and could earn $100K more in incentives, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Agent Tom O'Connell represents Aceves.

Boston takes on limited risk, since Aceves has two options remaining, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). The Red Sox see Aceves as a starter, rather than a reliever, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Speier notes that the deal is a split contract that would pay Aceves $200K in the minors. The Mets also offered Aceves a Major League contract, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.com, but Aceves preferred to play for Boston.

A lower-back injury limited Aceves to just ten games last year. He was a workhorse in 2009, when he logged 84 innings in 43 appearances for the eventual World Champions. The 28-year-old right-hander has a 3.21 ERA with 6.2 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 38.6% ground ball rate in 126 career innings.

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein has added high-profile relievers (Bobby Jenks, Dan Wheeler) and others (Dennys Reyes, Matt Fox, Hideki Okajima, Rich Hill, Lenny DiNardo, Matt Albers, Jason Bergmann, Brandon Duckworth and Andrew Miller) in his offseason-long effort to improve the team's bullpen. Check out our Transaction Tracker for the details.

Peter Abraham and Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe first reported the deal.

Red Sox Sign Dennys Reyes

By Mike Axisa | February 9, 2011 at 3:30pm CDT

The Red Sox signed Dennys Reyes to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, the team announced. Reyes will earn $900K if he makes the major league team with incentives that could push the value of the deal to $1.4MM, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com.

Reyes, 34 in April, had agreed to a one-year Major League contract worth $1.1MM with the Phillies earlier this offseason, but the deal was called off after the two sides "hit a snag." In 59 appearances with the Cardinals last year, the southpaw posted a 3.55 ERA with nearly as many walks (21) as strikeouts (25) in 38 innings. Left-handed batters gave him trouble, tagging him for a .307/.409/.453 batting line, but over the last three years it's a much more respectable .234/.312/.314.

Reyes will join a rebuilt Boston bullpen that now features Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler, assuming he makes the team. The Red Sox will be his 11th team.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported the agreement.

Red Sox Designate Robert Coello For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 9, 2011 at 3:24pm CDT

The Red Sox announced that they designated right-hander Robert Coello for assignment to create roster space for Alfredo Aceves. Coello pitched in both the Dominican Winter League and the Mexican Pacific League this winter after leading Red Sox minor leaguers with 130 strikeouts in 2010.

Coello, a Cincinnati Reds draft choice who signed with Boston as a free agent in 2008, appeared in six games for the Red Sox last year. The 26-year-old spent most of the season pitching for Boston's top affiliates, where he posted a 3.86 ERA with 10.9 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 107 1/3 innings as a swingman.

AL East Links: Lowell, Guerrero, Jeter

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 7, 2011 at 2:58pm CDT

This round of Monday afternoon links includes updates on one player who is leaving the AL East, one who is just arriving in it and one who has played his entire career there…

Former Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he knows he'll miss playing this year, though his transition to retirement has been smooth so far.
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun explains that Orioles owner Peter Angelos and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail wanted to sign Vladimir Guerrero and that Guerrero wasn't wavering on his $8MM asking price. The sides agreed to a deal last Friday.
Derek Jeter tells Brian Costello of the New York Post that that he's "done with" feeling hurt by his contract negotiations with the Yankees and not worried about potential position switches.

Cafardo’s Latest: Pettitte, Millwood, Blanton

By Luke Adams 2 | February 6, 2011 at 9:04am CDT

Even now that Andy Pettitte has announced his retirement, it seems the debate over whether he'll pitch again won't die. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe talked to one scout who, following Pettitte's press conference, was still unconvinced the left-hander is done for good.

"I get the feeling his career isn’t over. For one, he can still pitch at a high level. Secondly, he didn’t retire with any conviction. The stuff about going back and forth on whether or not to pitch leads me to believe he’ll decide to pitch again."

Whether or not the scout is on to something, the Yankees are looking elsewhere for starting pitching. Cafardo has a couple notes on their search among this week's hot stove updates….

We heard yesterday that the Indians were "making progress" with Kevin Millwood, who is talking to multiple clubs. Cafardo names the Yankees, Mets, and Tribe as teams still in on the right-hander, with salary as the primary hang-up. Given Scott Boras' success so far this offseason, it would actually be somewhat surprising if he and Millwood don't eventually get what they're asking for.
The Yanks will "see what they have" with pitchers like Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon, and Sergio Mitre before they consider trading for someone like Joe Blanton.
The Red Sox are eyeing former Yankee Alfredo Aceves as a potential injury rehab project.
According to Cafardo, it would be the "shock of the century" if Adrian Gonzalez and the Red Sox don't come to terms on a contract extension by the end of Spring Training.

Quick Hits: Pedro, Diamondbacks, Astros, Pettitte

By Zachary Links | February 4, 2011 at 10:03pm CDT

Friday Night Links..

Pedro Martinez isn't working out and a comeback is looking less and less likely, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. If Martinez does return in 2011, it'll be on a second-half deal again.
Jeff Moorad's stake in the Diamondbacks is finally close to being sold, writes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Moorad parted ways with the D'Backs more than two years ago to lead a group that purchased the Padres.
Since Astros owner Drayton McLane announced in November he was going to put the team up for sale, he has been purposely tight-lipped about the process, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Even though McLane has kept things quiet, McTaggart writes that there is probably plenty of negotiating going on behind the scenes.
WEEI.com's Alex Speier remembers Boston's pursuit of Andy Pettitte in 2003.

Red Sox, Dennys Reyes Close To Deal

By Zachary Links | February 4, 2011 at 6:33pm CDT

The Red Sox and reliever Dennys Reyes are close to agreement on a minor league deal, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The reliever reached agreement with the Phillies on a one-year, $1.1MM deal in December before the deal hit an undisclosed "snag".

Reyes, 33, would be the latest in a series of upgrades to the Boston bullpen. This winter the club has already signed Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler while retaining Hideki Okajima. Reyes would be fifth notable lefty the BoSox have inked to a minor league deal this winter after signing Rich Hill, Andrew Miller, Randy Williams and Lenny DiNardo.

In 59 games for the Cardinals last season, Reyes turned in a 3.55 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9.

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