Red Sox Notes: Lowell, V-Mart, Beckett
Mike Lowell is playing catch, but isn't yet swinging a bat as he recovers from a thumb injury, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. That means the third baseman isn't going anywhere for now, but GM Theo Epstein says there's a chance the Red Sox trade Lowell eventually.
Offseason In Review: Boston Red Sox
Next up in our Offseason In Review series, the Red Sox.
Major League Signings
- John Lackey, SP: five years, $82.5MM. Also gave #29 pick to Angels.
- Mike Cameron, CF: two years, $15.5MM.
- Marco Scutaro, SS: two years, $12.5MM. Includes $6MM club option/$3MM player option for '12 with a $1.5MM buyout. Also gave #78 pick to Blue Jays.
- Adrian Beltre, 3B: one year, $10MM. Includes $5MM player option for '11 that can become $10MM with 640 PAs.
- Victor Martinez, C: one year, $7.7MM. Exercised club option.
- Tim Wakefield, P: two years, $5MM.
- Jason Varitek, C: one year, $3MM. Exercised player option.
- Scott Atchison, RP: one year, $430K. Club options at near league minimum for '11 and '12.
- Fabio Castro, P: one year, $400K (estimate).
- Total spend: $137.03MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
- Joe Nelson, Brian Shouse, Jorge Sosa, Fernando Cabrera, Edwin Moreno, Gustavo Molina, Angel Sanchez, Gil Velazquez, Darnell McDonald
Trades and Claims
- Acquired OF Jeremy Hermida from Marlins for Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez
- Acquired IF/OF Bill Hall, PTBNL, and $7.15MM from Mariners for Casey Kotchman
- Acquired P Boof Bonser from Twins for Chris Province
- Claimed P Ramon A. Ramirez off waivers from Rays
- Claimed P Gaby Hernandez off waivers from Mariners
Notable Losses
- Jason Bay, Billy Wagner, Takashi Saito, Casey Kotchman, Nick Green, Rocco Baldelli, Alex Gonzalez, George Kottaras, Jeff Bailey, Brian Anderson, Joey Gathright, Chris Woodward, Paul Byrd, Javier Lopez
Summary
The Red Sox did most of their tinkering in free agency, bringing in an ace starter, a center fielder, and a new left side of the infield. The defensive improvements could add eight or nine wins, theorizes John Dewan. Last year I liked the additions of Brad Penny and John Smoltz, but the pair contributed a 6.24 ERA in 171.6 innings for more than $10MM. This time around Lackey projects at a 3.97 ERA, while #4-5 starters Clay Buchholz and Daisuke Matsuzaka project in the low 4.00s.
Worried about the offense? Don't be, as CHONE projects the Sox will very nearly match last year's 5.38 runs per game. That's optimistic, since the starting nine won't play every single game, but it still looks like a deep crew. The revamped Red Sox remain one of the best teams in the AL.
Odds & Ends: Maya, Sheffield, Rays, Yankees
Monday night linkage..
- Jon Heyman of SI writes that the Dodgers and Rockies have watched Eric Gagne throw and both teams have shown the willingness to take a chance. A few weeks ago we learned that Colorado was thinking about extending a non-roster invite to the 34-year-old.
- The Red Sox might not be close to signing Cuban pitcher Yuniesky Maya, a source familiar with the negotiations tells Rob Bradford of WEEI. There's a good chance that Maya will instead choose a team that offers a better opportunity to immediately enter its starting rotation.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson writes that Gary Sheffield would not be a good fit for the Nationals as he wants to play every day. Ladson spoke to a major league source who believes that Sheffield will not accept a role as a backup.
- Jason Beck of MLB.com fielded a question from a reader, asking why the Tigers dealt Curtis Granderson, only to pursue Johnny Damon instead. Beck says that the Granderson trade brought Detroit financial flexibility and prospects. He also credits agent Scott Boras for helping to create an opportunity for Damon.
- Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg told 620-AM WDAE that the club's payroll will drop below $60MM in 2011, despite having a payroll north of $70MM this season. Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times points out that while the club didn't plan to make any big additions this year, they found room for Rafael Soriano after dealing Scott Kazmir and Akinori Iwamura.
- If Mike Jacobs doesn't make the Mets major league roster, Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News doesn't expect him to play for the club's Triple-A affiliate. Even though his minor league deal doesn't have an out-clause, Rubin is "virtually positive" that the Mets would accommodate him with a trade or release.
- In his latest mailbag, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch supports Yankees GM Brian Cashman's decision to wait to negotiate with upcoming free agents Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. Hoch believes that both players should be confident that they'll both be taken care of eventually.
Odds & Ends: Molina, Maya, Damon, Marlins
Links for Monday…
- With catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia recovering from shoulder surgery, the Rangers are interested in free agent catcher Jose Molina, industry sources tell T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Molina would be the seventh catcher in camp for Texas if he is willing to sign a minor league deal and compete for a job.
- WEEI's Rob Bradford says the Red Sox are in preliminary negotiations with Cuban pitcher Yuniesky Maya. Sox president Larry Lucchino appears to say the Sox "would soon sign" Maya, in this Terreno de Pelota column by Uziel Gomez (translation credit to Nick Collias).
- Joe Morelli of the New Haven Register has plenty of quotes from Yankees GM Brian Cashman regarding Johnny Damon (hat tip to River Ave. Blues).
- Jack Moore of FanGraphs suggests that the Marlins' quiet offseason could cost them a shot at the playoffs.
- SI's Jon Heyman names his biggest offseason surprises, led by the Mariners' moves.
Victor Martinez Hopes To Avoid Free Agency
Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald has an excellent article about Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez this morning. Martinez explained that unlike some other players, he doesn't want to test free agency:
"I don't want to be jumping around, I don’t want to go somewhere else, First, I didn’t want to go out of the Indians organization. Then I'm out, and now I'm here. I came to the place where a lot of players dream to come and a lot of players wish to play here in Boston. So I'm here, I do really want to stay here and hopefully end my career in Boston."
Regarding possible extension talks, Martinez says he's "open now until the season starts." The Red Sox have a shot at getting a reasonable deal done, just as the Indians did when they locked Martinez up for five years at $15.5MM back in '05. For more Martinez discussion, check out this MLBTR post from Wednesday.
Odds & Ends: Franklin, Red Sox, Cardinals, Mauer
Some links for Sunday…
- As A's were unable to land Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro this offseason, GM Billy Beane says that the club had to work harder than ever to fill their holes, writes MLB.com's Jane Lee.
- Cody Ross' arbitration hearing with the Marlins will take place tomorrow morning at 10:00, tweets Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. Ross – who is one of seven remaining players who has an arbitration hearing scheduled – is seeking $4.45MM while the Marlins are countering with $4.2MM.
- Maury Brown of Biz of Baseball brings us the record of each club in arbitration hearings since the process was first put into place in 1974. In this span, the A's have had the most hearings with 35.
- Brady Gardiner of Sirius XM Radio tweets that Ryan Franklin's agent said that in 2007, his client turned down a more lucrative offer from Toronto to sign with the Cardinals in order to play for Dave Duncan. Franklin signed a one-year, $1MM deal with St. Louis in January of '07.
- Dustin Pedroia takes exception to those who question Boston's offense in 2010, writes WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. Pedroia feels the Red Sox lineup can score more runs than the 2009 club. He also voices high praise for Josh Beckett and says he wants Beckett around "for a long time."
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Dispatch answers 10 questions for Cardinals fans, and notes that Russ Springer would take a marked-down contract to return to St. Louis. St. Louis stands to enter camp with rougly a $92,625,000 payroll
- Sid Hartman of The Minneapolis Star Tribune says that Twins' owner Jim Pohlad may have to change his policy of not deferring money if they want to re-sign Joe Mauer. Hartman says Mauer would save millions in income tax by deferring some payments until after he retires.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post names his winners and losers of the offseason. Roy Halladay and the Twins head the winners, while the Dodgers and Royals highlight the losers.
- Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe runs down each team's offseason, and looks at what lies ahead for each during the 2010 season.
Odds & Ends: Blue Jays, Gomes, Lincecum
Links for Saturday…
- Jordan Bastian of MLB.com provides his list of the top 10 prospects in Toronto's system and answers other Jays-related questions in a reader mailbag.
- MLB.com's Mark Sheldon writes that the holding pattern between Jonny Gomes and the Reds is continuing. Sheldon says that Gomes might make his decision once one of the other second-tier outfielders – guys like Garret Anderson, Cliff Floyd, Endy Chavez, or Marlon Anderson – sign with a club.
- Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle says that Tim Lincecum's contract with the Giants will have future ramifications because it'll help keep his salary down after it expires. Lincecum will still have two more years of arbitration eligibility left when this new deal expires.
- The Yankees will be serious bidders for Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechevarria once he is "unblocked" by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, reports George A. King III of The New York Post.
- Despite signing Mike Lamb to a minor league deal, the Marlins are still on the lookout for a lefty bat off the bench, tweets MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
- In a separate tweet, Frisaro says that the chances of the team bringing Kiko Calero back are slim, even on a minor league deal. They have concerns about his shoulder.
- Jim McLennan of AZ Snakepit posted Part Two if his interview with Diamondbacks' GM Josh Byrnes.
- John Tomase of The Boston Herald says that the Red Sox don't look like a team in transition, despite GM Theo Epstein's comments earlier this offseason.
- Here are the latest minor league transactions, courtesy of Baseball America's Matt Eddy. The Marlins signed outfielder Jason Lane to a minor league deal.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Braves, Scutaro, Carroll
On this date eight years ago, Major League Baseball acquired the Montreal Expos from owner Jeffrey Loria for $120MM, who then purchased the Marlins for $158MM. Loria took everything not nailed down in Montreal with him to Florida, including manager Jeff Torborg. MLB ran the Expos for the next four-plus years until ownership was transferred to Ted Lerner in July 2006.
Here's a look at what's being written around the web…
- Capitol Avenue Club analyzes the players the Braves are bringing to Spring Training as non-roster invitees.
- The Bottom Line wonders if Marco Scutaro is going to be the next Julio Lugo.
- Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness thinks the Dodgers jumped the gun when they signed Jamey Carroll.
- Mets Merized looks at the best of what's left on the free agent market.
- Camden Crazies tries to make sense of the Orioles' interest in Jarrod Washburn.
- U.S.S. Mariner breaks down the incentives in Erik Bedard's contract.
- TAUNTR touched on the Tigers' reported offer to Johnny Damon.
- Fantasy Rundown links to every prospect ranking you can think of.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Discussion: Josh Beckett
When the Red Sox signed John Lackey earlier this offseason, many wondered if Josh Beckett's time in Boston was coming to an end. Beckett's $12.1MM option for 2010 vested in early September, though with Lackey joining incumbents Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Clay Buchholz, and Tim Wakefield, the Sox could probably afford to let Beckett walk after the season instead of giving him a huge payday.
Beckett will turn 30 in May, and during his four years in Boston he's posted a 4.05 ERA in 122 starts, twice appearing in an All Star Game and once winning the World Series. His 4.38 K/BB ratio over the last three seasons trails only Mariano Rivera, Kevin Slowey, Dan Haren, and Roy Halladay, while his 3.28 xFIP lags behind only Tim Lincecum among starters in that time. The performance is not an issue, but as WEEI.com's Rob Bradford writes, the health of Beckett's shoulder might be.
We've already heard that Boston would probably use Halladay's three-year, $60MM deal (minus $6-8MM) as a guideline for a Beckett extension instead of Lackey's five-year, $82.5MM deal. However if he has a strong 2010 season, it shouldn't be too hard for Beckett to find more than that on the free agent market, even in this economic climate.
What do you think the Sox should do with Beckett after the season? Offer him the long-term deal he probably deserves, or hold the line like they did with Jason Bay and take him back on their terms only? Aces in their prime don't exactly flood the market, after all.
Red Sox Claim Gaby Hernandez; Designate Manuel
The Red Sox claimed righty Gaby Hernandez off waivers from the Mariners, according to a team press release. He'd had been designated for assignment when the Ms signed Ryan Garko. Hernandez, 24 in May, posted a 6.0 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, and 5.23 ERA in 146.3 Triple A innings last year. The Red Sox claiming Hernandez means all but a handful of MLB clubs passed on him.
To make room for Hernandez, the Red Sox designated pitcher Robert Manuel for assignment. They'd claimed him from the Mariners off waivers in November. Manuel, 26, posted a 2.88 ERA, 6.7 K/9, and 2.2 BB/9 in Triple A last year.
Yusmeiro Petit, designated to make room for Erik Bedard, cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Mariners' Triple A Tacoma club.