Red Sox Sign Dennys Reyes
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Quick Hits: Millwood, Bautista, Hawkins
Here are some items of note for Feb. 3, 2011, the day on which former AL Rookie of the Year and MVP Fred Lynn turned 59.
- The Indians are interested in free-agent righty Kevin Millwood, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer, but not at the current asking price of one year, $4-5MM. Cleveland is among the handful of potential Millwood suitors enumerated by Ben Nicholson-Smith earlier on Thursday. The Yankees are part of the group, too, and it stands to reason that Andy Pettitte's retirement might strengthen their interest, writes Chris Bahr of the Sporting News.
- The Red Sox's interest in trading for Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista is telling because it indicates there is a belief among baseball executives and talent evaluators that Bautista's monstrous 54-homer campaign in 2010 was not a fluke, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. The Red Sox eventually got their man when they signed free-agent outfielder Carl Crawford, so Bautista-to-Boston is obviously off, notes Morosi, but it bodes well for Bautista in his final season before hitting free agency.
- Brewers reliever LaTroy Hawkins said that his surgically repaired shoulder feels good and that he'll compete for a spot in Milwaukee's bullpen, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Hawkins signed a two-year, $7.5MM deal with Milwaukee prior to last season but pitched in just 18 games before being lost to an injured labrum and rotator cuff. Hawkins has a guaranteed contract, so the Brewers will surely want him to be at full strength and pitching well, but it bears watching how they handle him if he struggles with injury and/or ineffectiveness.
Red Sox Re-Sign Matt Fox
The Red Sox announced that they re-signed right-hander Matt Fox to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to Major League Spring Training. The Red Sox claimed Fox off of waivers from the Twins last September, then designated him for assignment last month before releasing him.
Fox recorded five outs in a Red Sox uniform after Boston claimed him. While with the Twins last year, the 2004 supplementary first rounder posted a 3.95 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 123 innings at Triple-A.
The Red Sox officially announced their minor league deals with Tony Pena, Paul Hoover and Hector Luna. Those players also get invitations to big league Spring Training and, along with Fox, were placed on the Triple-A Pawtucket roster.
Red Sox Notes: Gonzalez, Hoover, Lopez
Some Red Sox tidbits to close out the evening..
- BoSox GM Theo Epstein doesn't think that the Albert Pujols negotiations will have an impact on the club's talks with Adrian Gonzalez, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. In December the slugger said that he would look for a market value deal rather than try to pattern his extension after Pujols'.
- By acquiring Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Bobby Jenks, Rays manager Joe Maddon believes that the Red Sox gained the most ground of any team in the division this winter, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
- The Red Sox signed catcher Paul Hoover to a minor league deal, tweets Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Hoover, 34, has a career .733 OPS at the Triple-A level.
- If Felipe Lopez winds up signing a minor league deal with the Rays and makes the Opening Day roster, the Red Sox still won't receive a compensatory draft pick, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
Quick Hits: Rays, Prospects, Crawford
One year ago today, the Reds signed Orlando Cabrera. After posting a .657 OPS in 537 plate appearances for the NL Central winners, Cabrera is still a free agent. Here are some links for Tuesday as we wait for Cabrera and the other remaining free agents to sign…
- Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman says he's still looking for an established reliever, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter). Friedman suggested last month that the team is more likely to acquire a reliever via trade than free agency.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law names the 20 prospects who are likely to produce the most in the majors this year and Freddie Freeman of the Braves tops the list. Click here for more on how Freeman's presence may have impacted the Braves' approach to free agency.
- Freeman is an exciting young player, but not every minor leaguer can be a prospect. Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues explains the importance of organizational players at River Ave. Blues.
- Patrick Newman of FanGraphs provides a list of the ex-MLB players who headed to Japan this offseason.
- As Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe explains, Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford is waking up early and working out hard as he prepares for his first season in Boston.