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Red Sox Sign Lenny DiNardo

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The Red Sox have brought back a familiar face, signing lefty Lenny DiNardo to a minor league contract according to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. He originally broke in with Boston back in 2004.

DiNardo, 31, owns a 5.36 ERA in 257 big league innings, most of which came as a member of the Athletics. He spent last season with Oakland's Triple-A affiliate and hasn't appeared in the big leagues since the end of the 2009 season with the Royals. DiNardo has experience both as both a starter and reliever, though he's performed considerably better coming out of the bullpen.

Relievers On Boston’s Radar

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4:23pm: The Red Sox are having ongoing discussions with Dan Wheeler about a possible deal, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. One of Speier's sources is optimistic about the negotiations.

1:16pm: The Red Sox liked Matt Guerrier well enough to offer him a two-year deal, but the Dodgers offered a third guaranteed year and the right-hander has agreed to play for Los Angeles. The Red Sox will have to move on to other targets as they look to round out their 'pen. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has the details on what he says is the biggest challenge of the offseason for GM Theo Epstein.

Two former Twins, right-hander Jesse Crain and left-hander Brian Fuentes are the team’s priorities now. The Red Sox are also considering trades and would “love” to reacquire Justin Masterson, according to Cafardo. The Indians have been reluctant to part with Masterson, whom they acquired in the 2009 Victor Martinez trade.

There are a number of alternatives for Epstein to pursue, including Indians relievers Joe Smith and Rafael Perez, who “could be on Boston’s radar.” The A’s are likely willing to listen on their relievers and the Mariners would listen on David Aardsma, Cafardo writes.

Red Sox Notes: Soriano, Crain, Guerrier, Cameron

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The AL East is a busy division these days. The Yankees have to finalize their rotation, the Rays have to reconstruct their 'pen and the Orioles are acquiring players in bunches. The Red Sox have added two star players to their lineup, but they're still contemplating more moves. Here's the latest:

Yankees Re-Sign Mariano Rivera

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The Yankees re-signed Mariano Rivera to a two-year deal, the team announced today. The contract will pay Rivera $30MM, according to Christian Red of the New York Daily News. 

Now 41, Rivera is coming off yet another dominant season. He posted a 1.80 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 60 innings of work. It's logical to assume that Rivera will slow down at some point, but recent history suggests Rivera can still be an effective late-inning reliever. He has a 1.64 ERA with 8.9 K/9, 1.3 BB/9 and three All-Star selections since 2008.

Rivera received competitive offers from rival teams, including the Red Sox, but wanted to stay in pinstripes. Agent Fernando Cuza confirmed that interested teams other than the Yankees called about Rivera and Jon Heyman of SI.com reported that the Red Sox and Angels were two of three teams that offered the closer three-year deals (all Twitter links).

Orioles Still Have Offer On Table For Gregg

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2:48pm: Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets that the Orioles have not made a two-year, $12MM offer to Gregg and they don't feel a deal is imminent.  They've still got a two-year offer in the $8-10MM range on the table.

2:44pm: The Orioles are close to a two-year, $12MM deal with reliever Kevin Gregg, reports ESPN's Joe McDonald.  He notes that the Red Sox and Nationals are still involved in talks with Gregg, but the Orioles are the frontrunner.

The potential Baltimore deal is the same as the one they struck with Mike Gonzalez a year ago, and I think they'll have similar regrets in overpaying for saves again.  Gregg, 32, posted a 3.51 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 4.6 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9, and 42.3% groundball rate in 59 innings this year.  He saved 37 games in 43 tries, an improvement on his 76-77% success rate of the previous two years.    

Red Sox Considering Matt Albers

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The Red Sox are considering reliever Matt Albers as a depth signing, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  We've seen Boston linked to most high-profile relievers, but Albers would likely be signed cheaply.

Albers, 28 in January, posted a 4.52 ERA, 5.8 K/9, 4.0 BB/9, 0.7 HR/9, and strong 56.5% groundball rate in 75 2/3 innings for the Orioles this year before being non-tendered.  The Orioles had acquired Albers three years ago as part of the Miguel Tejada deal.  He was diagnosed with a torn labrum in the middle of the '08 season, but chose rehab over surgery.

Phillies, Red Sox Discussed Joe Blanton

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7:54am: No agreement has been finalized, reports WEEI's Rob Bradford.  A deal is unlikely, tweets ESPN's Gordon Edes.  The talks were never serious, reports Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.

7:35am: Word is that the Phillies have a Blanton deal in place with the Red Sox, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  As one MLBTR commenter noted below, Boston's goal might have been to help facilitate Lee signing with a National League club.  The Red Sox could always flip Blanton in the coming months, taking that burden off the Phillies.

7:14am: The Phillies were deep in discussions yesterday about sending Joe Blanton to the Red Sox, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Moving some of the $17MM owed to Blanton seems to be a priority for the Phillies now that they've added Cliff Lee's huge salary to the payroll.

The Red Sox would be a surprising match for Blanton, as they've already got John Lackey, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Josh Beckett penciled into the rotation with Tim Wakefield under contract as well.  Some teams have inquired on Matsuzaka, but Blanton wasn't great in his last American League stint and might not be an upgrade.

Odds & Ends: Rivera, Mets, Bruce, Orioles, Dodgers

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Links for Sunday….

Cafardo’s Latest: Red Sox, Pavano, Buehrle, Millwood

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Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe names the winners and losers of the Winter Meetings in his newest piece, with the Red Sox, Nationals, and White Sox topping his list of winners. Cafardo also shares a handful of hot stove notes. Here are the highlights:

  • Before they signed Carl Crawford, the Red Sox "did a ton of work" on Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Beltran.
  • Carl Pavano figures to wait for Cliff Lee to sign, so he can see the type of offers he receives as the top pitcher on the market. Cafardo thinks Pavano could be a backup plan for the Rangers if they don't land Lee, though the Twins still remain the favorites for the 34-year-old. Texas has also inquired on Matt Garza and James Shields.
  • The White Sox will listen to offers for Mark Buehrle, whose contract expires after the 2011 season. Buehrle earned ten and five rights this year, so he'd have the option of vetoing any trade.
  • Agent Scott Boras says a strong market is developing for Kevin Millwood.
  • Team officials that spoke to Cafardo had mixed opinions on free agent backstop Russell Martin. One opined that Martin "can't call a game," while another raved about the enthusiasm the catcher brings each day.
  • According to Cafardo, the Red Sox were the only team to discuss Justin Upton with the Diamondbacks, balking at Kevin Towers' insistence that Daniel Bard be included in a potential deal.
  • The Astros would have interest in trading Matt Lindstrom and Jeff Keppinger.
  • Grant Balfour is seeking a three-year contract. The Red Sox have looked into him, but are hoping Matt Guerrier will accept their offer. As Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston noted today (via Twitter), Guerrier is one of the top relief targets for Boston, along with Brian Fuentes and Jesse Crain.

Odds & Ends: Arroyo, Varitek, Angels, Werth

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The Red Sox officially introduced Carl Crawford to Red Sox Nation at a press conference this morning, but that's not the only hot stove news today…

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