Yesterday, we learned that free agent catcher Russell Martin has offers from the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays. He also has a multiyear offer from a mystery team, but Boston may be the favorite to sign the former Dodger. Here are today's rumors:
Red Sox Rumors
Russell Martin Rumors: Thursday
We learned yesterday that free agent catcher Russell Martin has multiple offers in hand. The latest:
- Martin is weighing offers from the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and a mystery team, according to Marc Carig of the Star Ledger (on Twitter). The mystery team has proposed a multiyear deal.
- Matt Colleran, Martin's agent, told Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that he has multiple offers and that the Red Sox view Martin strictly as a catcher (Twitter link).
- The Red Sox are considered the frontrunner for Martin, reports ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
- Boston has an offer out to Martin, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link). The Yankees and Blue Jays are still involved.
- The Yankees and Red Sox are going very hard after Martin, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.
Odds & Ends: Jeter, Cameron, Rich Hill
Another eventful Winter Meetings has come to a close. Even with the pre-meetings action involving Adrian Gonzalez, Jayson Werth, and Shaun Marcum, we had plenty to talk about this week. Carl Crawford signed the biggest deal of the offseason so far. Paul Konerko stayed with the White Sox after some drama. Carlos Pena found a pillow contract with the Cubs. J.J. Putz assumed the Diamondbacks' closer role. The Orioles rebuilt the left side of their infield with Mark Reynolds and J.J. Hardy. The Pirates, Mariners, Padres, Royals, Rockies, Mets, and others made additions as well. On to today's links…
- Check out a couple of Rule 5 draft reviews from MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein. And of course, a pair of great links from John Manuel of Baseball America. We've got the picks from the Major League phase listed here.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff has the financial breakdown on Derek Jeter's new contract.
- The Red Sox have already gotten inquiries on outfielder Mike Cameron, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. The team plans to keep him but is willing to listen. Cameron will have to take on a part-time role with Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury, and J.D. Drew filling Boston's outfield.
- The Red Sox are expected to reach an agreement to re-sign Rich Hill in the next few days, reports Dan Barbarisi of The Providence Journal. Hill, who grew up a Sox fan, hopes to crack the bullpen this year.
- The Tigers' talks with Carl Crawford didn't get far, GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck. Dombrowski explained that a team can only have so many $20MM players, and the Tigers already have two.
- Orioles president Andy MacPhail hasn't ruled out Cesar Izturis returning, tweets MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. Izturis is a tougher fit after the Orioles acquired Hardy and Brendan Harris.
Gonzalez: No Agreement In Place With Red Sox
Adrian Gonzalez hasn't agreed to anything more than a trade. In a phone interview with the Mexican blog Puro Beisbol (link in Spanish), the normally tight-lipped first baseman denied reports from Sports Illustrated, USA Today and other sources that he and the Red Sox have tentatively agreed to an extension that won't be announced until April in order for the team to avoid luxury tax.
"Nothing about that is true," Gonzalez told Fernando Ballesteros. "It's false. I haven't signed any contract." Indeed, by Gonzalez's account, the two sides have yet to even delve into specific figures, despite word that he asked for, and received, approximately $161MM over eight years. "We discussed the trade, but we didn't reach any agreement, and we didn't negotiate numbers," Gonzalez explained. "The only thing I have for sure is the contract that I had already signed with the Padres, and what I can tell you is that over the course of the season we're going to negotiate to reach an agreement."
Left unasked was what, specifically, led to the impasse that nearly derailed the trade last week, but Gonzalez's quotes leave open the possibility that it centered on expectations of years rather than salary. When asked if eight years, $161MM was his goal, Gonzalez stayed mum, saying, "Look, the market changes every day in baseball. Right now I don't know what to tell you because the team could use it to its advantage, so the day that [the Red Sox] want to sit down and discuss my contract, we'll happily do it, and that day we'll say what we want."
Gonzalez gives no indication of discontent with his new team in the interview, insisting that he is "enthusiastic" about both the upcoming season and reports of how his power will play in Fenway Park. However, his portrayal of the negotiations tempers expectations, at least for the time being, about the dawn of a Gonzalez/Crawford decade in Boston.
Odds & Ends: Young, Francis, Twins, Fielder, Nady
A handful of links to start the final day of the Winter Meetings….
- The Mets prefer Chris Young to Jeff Francis, and are still trying to sign one of the two veteran starters, says Mike Puma of the New York Post. However, both pitchers are looking for upwards of $4MM for 2011, which is more than the Mets are willing to pay.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Twins are seeking front-end rotation help, such as Carl Pavano. They're also considering moving arms from their back-end surplus, such as Kevin Slowey.
- The amount of money being spent on free agents this offseason might be making it more obvious to the Brewers that they have little chance of retaining Prince Fielder past next year. As Danny Knobler of CBS Sports writes, that could make Milwaukee more inclined to deal Fielder sooner rather than later.
- The Diamondbacks are talking to Xavier Nady, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports initially linked the D'Backs to Nady on Tuesday.
- With Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia under contract, the Red Sox are still pursuing another catcher, according to GordonEdes of ESPNBoston.
- Astros GM Ed Wade says he doesn't intend to acquire a left fielder, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. If the Astros added an outfielder, it would move Carlos Lee to first base and leave Brett Wallace out of the picture, and the club wants to give Wallace a chance to earn the first base job.
Crawford Fallout: Lee, Downs, Ordonez, Beltre
While Boston's agreement with Carl Crawford is, of course, a huge move in its own right, the impact it could have on other free agents can't be overlooked. Here are a few players and teams who may be affected by the Crawford signing:
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post speculates (via Twitter) that the Angels and Rangers, who were in on Crawford, could make a stronger push for Cliff Lee now. Brian Cashman, however, says the move won't affect the Yankees' tactics with Lee (Twitter link). Regardless, Crawford's contract is widely viewed as great news for the southpaw. Newsday's Ken Davidoff writes that "it just gets better and better to be Cliff Lee this winter."
- As Lou Merloni writes at WEEI.com, the Red Sox could become more interested in Scott Downs now that the Type A free agent wouldn't cost a first round pick. Boston will send its first round pick to Tampa Bay as compensation for Crawford, so they'd only have to surrender a second rounder if they signed Downs.
- The Red Sox have almost certainly been eliminated as a suitor for Magglio Ordonez now, which is good news for the Tigers. According to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, Detroit "badly wants to re-sign" Ordonez, and while the veteran has a handful of suitors, it appeared Boston's interest was serious.
- Having missed out on Crawford, the Angels are expected to turn their "full attention" to Adrian Beltre and perhaps Rafael Soriano, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
Carl Crawford Signing Reactions
The Red Sox landed another big bat Wednesday night, outbidding other suitors to reach an agreement with Carl Crawford. After Jayson Werth signed his $126MM deal with the Nationals, it was thought that it might take an eight- or ten-year contract to secure Crawford's services; ESPNBoston's Gordon Edes (Twitter link) hears that Crawford was originally seeking $20MM annually over ten years. However, Boston got it done for seven years and $142MM. Here are some early reactions to the move:
- Dave Cameron of Fangraphs likes the deal for the Red Sox, noting that just because a contract is unique doesn't mean it's bad.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law (Insider required) is also fairly positive, opining that Crawford figures to hold his value through the length of the contract.
- At least one AL executive thinks Crawford's athleticism will be wasted in left field at Fenway, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman.
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com passes along another executive's first impression on the deal: "Holy (expletive). Think about that lineup."
- It appears few people took news of Crawford's signing harder than Torii Hunter, who congratulated the outfielder, but is disappointed he won't get a chance to play with him. "That hurts my heart, man," Hunter told Scott Miller of CBS Sports. "But hey, what can you do?" (all Twitter links). Speaking to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, Hunter said, "I'm sitting here in a daze right now, like, what the heck just happened?"
- There's virtually no downside to the move for the Red Sox, writes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.
- A former teammate of Crawford tells Dan Barbarisi of the Providence Journal that, even at $142MM, the Sox got a bargain.
Damon Would Play In Boston; Giants Not Interested
Johnny Damon told Lou Merloni of WEEI.com that he would love to play in Boston again. He vetoed a trade that would have sent him from Detroit to Boston this summer, but he says things are different now that he's a free agent.
“Obviously, I’d love to return to Boston,” he said. “I loved playing there, and I think it would be a perfect fit, with the chance to win again. I know I could do that in Boston.”
Agent Scott Boras says he'll call the Giants about Damon and Rick Ankiel, but a Giants source tells John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that the team isn't interested in either player. Though he's previously expressed interest in the Rays and Yankees, Damon would play on the West Coast, according to Boras.
Magglio Ordonez Rumors: Wednesday
The latest on Magglio Ordonez…
- Today's workout was only meant for the Tigers and was not an open audition, tweets MLB.com's Ian Browne.
- The Orioles did not watch Ordonez work out today and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail refuted the report that they're interested, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (Twitter link).
- Interestingly, the Red Sox did not have a representative at Ordonez's workout today, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. The Tigers were there, GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck.
- It's doubtful that the Red Sox would give Ordonez a two-year deal, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe hears (Twitter link).
- The Red Sox appear to be focusing on Ordonez in their search for an outfielder, reports CBS Sports' Danny Knobler. This would not be good news for Carl Crawford. The Tigers, Phillies, and Orioles are also said to be in the mix for Maggs. Ordonez is coming off a broken ankle, but worked out for teams today. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says Boras is seeking at least two years and $20MM.
Russell Martin Rumors: Wednesday
Recently non-tendered catcher Russell Martin is drawing plenty of interest on the open market; here's the latest. He's recovering from a hip fracture, but teams have already examined his medical records.
- Martin has multiple offers, according to Hernandez (on Twitter).
- A return to LA seems unlikely, since the Dodgers are nearing a deal with Dioner Navarro, but Martin has at least one offer from another team, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).
- Boston's interest depends on Martin's willingness to play other positions than catcher, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (on Twitter).
- The Red Sox remain in play on Martin but haven't made a decision, tweets Edes.
- The Dodgers' final offer to Martin was $4.2MM plus $1.5-1.7MM in incentives based on games played, reports Yahoo's Steve Henson. Henson says letting Martin go was a gut-wrenching decision for GM Ned Colletti. Will he match the amount he turned down from the Dodgers?
- Teams are now making offers to Martin's agent Matt Colleran, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, and the Yankees and Red Sox are in the center of the mix. Gordon Edes' source says the Red Sox are making a strong push.
