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Red Sox Reach Deals With Bard, Penny

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9:59pm: Ian Browne of MLB.com weighs in on Bard. He discusses the catching situation, and in particular, how the Red Sox will use Bard if free-agent Jason Varitek returns to the franchise.

SI.com points out Penny’s Interleague numbers: 7-11 with a 5.08 ERA in 24 appearances against American League opponents. Penny has spent his entire career in the National League.

8:41pm: Rob Bradford of WEEI.com spoke with Brad Penny, who confirmed his deal with the Boston Red Sox.

From Bradford:

“There were a lot of teams involved,” said Penny in a phone conversation. “But I wanted to go somewhere where I knew we had a great chance at winning, and Boston is that place.”

Bradford adds that Penny will be in Boston on Jan. 7 to take his physical and will begin his throwing program next week.

Bradford also updates the status of Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett, who has started exercises on his throwing shoulder, which is earlier than in years past. Bradford’s post states that the injury that plagued Beckett at the end of the 2008 season has subsided. The injury centered around the intercostal muscles near the ribs and not the oblique as previously thought.

7:33pm: Free-agent catcher Josh Bard has reached a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox, Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald and Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe are reporting.

The Bard agreement is a nonguaranteed major-league deal worth $1.6MM. According to McAdam, Bard is viewed as a backup, but he could see more time depending upon what Boston decides to do at catcher.

Bard, 31 in March, spent seven games with the Red Sox in 2006 before Boston traded him to the Padres. He hit .202 in 57 games with San Diego in 2008.

McAdam has more on the Brad Penny deal, too. The agreement, a one-year deal with a base salary of $5MM, will be finalized Monday. Incentives and performance bonuses can increase the total deal another $3MM if Penny pitches more than 160 innings, McAdam reports.

Penny, 31 in May, went 6-9 with a 6.27 ERA in 17 starts and two relief appearances in 2008 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The right-hander played 4.5 seasons for the Dodgers. He played with the Florida Marlins from 2000 until he was traded in 2004.

With the addition of Penny, the Boston rotation now consists of Penny, Josh Beckett, Tim Wakefield, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jon Lester.

The move also allows righty Justin Masterson to remain in a setup role for closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Red Sox Close To One-Year Deal With Penny

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According to Ken Rosenthal, the Red Sox are close to signing Brad Penny to a one-year deal.  The two sides are still hammering out the agreement, and Penny would have to pass a physical.  In November, the Dodgers chose Penny’s $2MM buyout over his $9.25MM club option.

Penny, 31 in May, dealt with shoulder and forearm pain all year.  The Red Sox have a sophisticated system for dealing with pitching shoulders, so it’s an interesting match.

Ian Browne of MLB.com expands on Rosenthal’s report. Browne notes that Penny in Boston would reunite him with fellow starter Josh Beckett and third baseman Mike Lowell, both of whom Penny played with as a Florida Marlin. The three were on the 2003 World Series-winning squad.

Cafardo’s Latest: Pettitte, Kotsay, Red Sox

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Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has a number of items to cover in today’s Sunday paper:

  • While the Mets are front-runners in the Derek Lowe sweepstakes, the Red Sox have a lot of money to play with having lost out on Mark Teixeira and could make a strong play to outbid competition.
  • The Dodgers and Rangers are interested in Andy Pettitte if he doesn’t accept the Yankees reduced $10MM offer.
  • Don’t rule out a return to the Red Sox for Mark Kotsay as a fourth outfielder and added infield depth.
  • Cafardo reports a source close to the talks says Teixeira was "very concerned" with Mike Lowell’s fate should he sign with Boston, but that financial matters and the negotiations process removed that "awkward situation."
  • Jose Fernandez can play first and third base. He’s 34 and just completed seven years in Japan, hitting 20+ HR every year. He could be an interesting right handed-hitting option for teams looking to add depth to their infield and DH.
  • The Red Sox, Orioles, Braves, Reds, and Cardinals remain interested in Kenshin Kawakami.
  • Now that Teixeira is gone, Jim Bowden is not interested in Manny Ramirez. Perhaps Adam Dunn?
  • The Sox are still unwilling to deal Clay Buchholz for Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Odds And Ends: Otsuka, Orioles, Johnson

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I’ll keep this updated as more comes in, but for now these are your Saturday links…

  • Patrick Newman found that Akinori Otsuka will work out in front of reps from all MLB teams next month. Apparently Padres GM Kevin Towers is interested if Otsuka’s healthy.
  • Roch Kubatko knows there’s pitching talent coming from the minors, but he doesn’t love the current Orioles rotation and expects them to add two more starters.
  • The difference between 69 and 72 in 2009 wins isn’t worth much to the Orioles, Peter Schmuck writes.
  • The Red Sox move on after missing out on Mark Teixeira.
  • Eric Wedge doesn’t seem bothered by the Yankees’ big acquisitions.
  • Vernon Wells knows how hard it will be to compete now that former-teammate A.J. Burnett’s in pinstripes along with a couple other big names.
  • Keith Law says the Randy Johnson signing moves the Giants "toward 2009 respectability, if not outright contention."
  • Vlae Kershner doesn’t like the possibility of Garret Anderson on the A’s.
  • Bleed Cubbie Blue argues that Adam Dunn’s patience-power combination would work well for the Cubs. Last week Dunn said he thinks so too.
  • Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi revealed his favorite meal and dream date in a Q&A with the Sporting News.

Varitek, Red Sox Talking

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According to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox and Scott Boras "continue to exchange ideas on Jason Varitek’s potential return."

If the sides don’t reach an agreement, Benjamin writes that the Red Sox would still like to trade for a catcher, but a team source said no trades are imminent. The price remains high for teams in need of catching help and the Red Sox are reluctant to deal Clay Buchholz.

Odds and Ends: Teixeira, Dickey, Takahashi

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Links for Friday…

  • In the aftermath of the Yankees’ spending, Joe Posnanski reminds us that two thirds of MLB teams have won the World Series in the last 30 years.
  • UmpBump doesn’t like the idea of a salary cap.
  • FanGraphs now shows a hitter’s wins over replacement level, as well as the player’s dollar value.  You don’t need to be a stathead to enjoy this.  For example, here’s the Carlos Pena page.  Scroll to the bottom.  Value Wins shows he was worth 6.0 wins over replacement level in 2007.  That made him worth $24.6MM, but he earned just $800K.
  • If you are a stathead, you’ll like this 1981 SI article on Bill James.
  • A look at the only five players who should be considered within the first five picks of a fantasy baseball draft next year.
  • Mark Teixeira leftovers…Murray Chass says Tex and his wife didn’t want to live in Boston, while Kat O’Brien details the hard stance the Yankees took with Scott Boras.  The Nationals did everything they could to sign Teixeira, but he wanted to win now.
  • ESPN’s Keith Law explains why the draft pick compensation system is broken.  Brewers GM Doug Melvin had interesting comments on this in a recent Buster Olney blog.
  • The New York Times Company is trying to sell its stake in the Red Sox.
  • La Velle E. Neal III tries to figure out the Twins’ signing of knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker takes a closer look at lefty reliever Ken Takahashi.

Mets Target Lowe, Perez

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Now that Mark Teixeira has found a home in New York, the Mets would like to talk with two other Scott Boras clients about following suit, Ben Shpigel of the New York Times reports. The Mets are interested in Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez, in that order, and believe that the market may be shaping up to allow them to obtain their first choice.  Nothing is imminent for the Mets at this time.

With the Yankees (almost) definitely out of the picture, and the Red Sox seemingly focused more on hitting, the Mets are optimistic that they can get Lowe for considerably less than the five-year $90MM deal he was rumored to be looking for initially. If for some reason this doesn’t work out, the enigmatic Perez would be their next choice, Shpigel says.

Lowe, 35, had a 3.24 ERA in 211 innings for the Dodgers in 2008. Perez, 27, had a 4.22 ERA in 194 innings for the Mets.

Mets’ Minaya: Nothing Imminent

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1:38pm: The New York Daily News has, essentially, the same report. Roger Rubin writes that Derek Lowe is a top priority for the New York Mets, but nothing’s imminent. Something could happen during the next week, though.

Rubin sees the Boston Red Sox as being competition for Lowe’s services.

9:48am: Mets general manager Omar Minaya told Kat O’Brien of Newsday to “Go enjoy the holiday” and that nothing was happening on the New York Mets’ front today.

Minaya did say the team has been talking to free-agent starting pitchers, including Derek Lowe, Oliver Perez and Randy Wolf.

As far as outfielder Manny Ramirez, “a Mets source” told O’Brien in the same article that the Mets will not sign him.

Red Sox Next Moves

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After missing out on Mark Teixeira, Boston Red Sox fans have been asking what the team will do to respond. Here are a few links about the current (and therefore future) state of the franchise.

  • Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald goes through the health of designated hitter David Ortiz and third baseman Mike Lowell, and he looks at pitching and the open slot behind the plate.

  • In this article, McAdam takes a look at the free agent market with the goal of determining who would work well with the Red Sox. Overall, McAdam writes that the homegrown talent has reduced the pressure the Red Sox have on the market. Because of this, McAdam believes the Red Sox view free agency as “unnecessarily expensive.”

  • Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe expands on what we learned yesterday about first baseman Kevin Youkilis’ contract: A one-year deal stands.

Odds & Ends: Lowe, Penny, Padres, Red Sox

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A couple of links from around the baseball world on a slow Christmas Eve…

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