Odds and Ends: Costas, Red Sox, Wigginton
A few little items worth checking out on a slow Tuesday night in the baseball world…
- Bob Costas is leaving HBO for the MLB Network. They really are assembling a heck of a cast over there (depending on your preference, of course).
- Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun interviews brand new Oriole Ty Wigginton.
- Major League Baseball suspended Marlins infielder Pascual Arias 50 games for violating terms of the league’s Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Arias tested positive for metabolites of Stanozolol.
- It looks like "Citi Field" is going to keep its name.
- The Providence Journal takes a position-by-position look at the 2009 Red Sox.
- Oh, and check out Tim’s chat transcript from earlier today.
Red Sox To Sign Brad Wilkerson
TUESDAY, 2:36pm: WEEI’s Alex Speier says the Wilkerson deal is done pending a physical. He could earn as much as $2.5MM if he hits all his incentives (Tony Massarotti says $1.5MM).
MONDAY, 11:03pm: MLBTR has learned tonight that the Red Sox have signed outfielder Brad Wilkerson to a minor league deal with roster and playing time incentives. Wilkerson, 31, hit .220/.308/.326 in 309 plate appearances for the Mariners and Blue Jays in 2008. The Ms signed Wilkerson last year for $3MM but designated him for assignment before May.
Odds and Ends: Wieters, Varitek, Ohman
Links for Tuesday…
- Chat today, 2pm CST.
- RotoAuthority explains why Matt Wieters is a good fantasy pick even if he doesn’t debut with the Orioles til mid-May.
- Baseball America’s Jim Callis has the updated ’09 June draft order.
- Cristian Guzman was wise to sign a two-year, $16MM extension when he did, his agent tells MLB.com’s Bill Ladson.
- An agreement to sell the Padres to Jeff Moorad could be done by mid-month, says Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- Jason Varitek doesn’t need to worry about regaining Type A status, says Rob Bradford of WEEI.
- Nothing appears imminent with the Phillies and Will Ohman, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News writes.
Cafardo’s Latest: Players Out Of Options
Lots of stuff in Nick Cafardo’s column in the Boston Globe to go over.
With around 100 free agents vying for less than 20 remaining roster spots, things become more interesting with 227 players on big-league rosters who are out of options. If a player is out of options and is not rostered, he has to either be traded or designated for assignment. If designated, that player has to clear waivers. This could affect remaining free agent signings. Cafardo makes note of a few who are out of options and may wind up as trade fodder or designated for assignment before the season begins:
Red Sox: George Kottaras
Yankees: Melky Cabrera
Cubs: Chad Gaudin, Rich Hill (possibly heading to Baltimore?)
Brewers: Tony Gwynn Jr.
Indians: Anthony Reyes, Andy Marte
Twins: Boof Bonser, Philip Humber
Rays: Jeff Niemann
Orioles: David Pauley
- With Jason Varitek re-signed, the Red Sox will either have to trade catcher Kottaras or designate him for assignment.
- Cafardo notes Niemann is a former No. 1 pick and the righthander should garner some attention.
- Bonser or Humber could be traded to land a reliever. Cafardo also mentions Delmon Young as a possible trading chip.
A few more bullets from Cafardo’s notebook:
- Scott Boras thinks the World Baseball Classic will showcase Ivan Rodriguez and generate "even more" interest for the 14-time All-Star catcher.
- Cafardo mentioned Manny Ramirez to Omar Minaya and Minaya laughed it off saying, "We’ll look into adding some offense, but only if it makes sense."
- All quiet on the Jake Peavy front.
- Cafardo calls Randy Johnson‘s $8MM deal from the Giants as "a stroke of genius" by his agents.
- In case you missed it, Bobby Kielty signed a minor-league deal with the Mets last week.
Reactions To Jason Varitek Signing
Here are some reactions to the Jason Varitek signing. To recap, the Red Sox will pay him $5MM this year, and they’ll have the option of bringing him back for the same price in 2010. If the Red Sox don’t exercise their option, Varitek can exercise a $3MM player option with incentives.
- Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports understands how Varitek thought he had more value on the open market than he really did.
- ESPN.com’s Rob Neyer says Varitek "gambled and lost," and the Red Sox did well.
- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe thinks the Red Sox did well to keep Varitek since he provides depth and experience. Massarotti also has details on ‘Tek’s incentives.
- The Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan argues that Varitek’s was lucky to get at least $8MM considering he’s in "obvious decline."
Salty, Teagarden Likely To Remain Rangers
Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes that the signing of Jason Varitek "should end any more talk of Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Taylor Teagarden being traded to Boston."
Saltalamacchia will head into spring training atop the Rangers’ catching depth chart, but Teagarden can win himself consideration with a strong showing in camp. Salty, 23, hit .253 last season with three home runs and 26 RBI in 198 at-bats. Teagarden, 25, batted .319 with six dingers and 17 RBI in 47 at-bats during a short time with the big league club.
Jason Varitek, Red Sox Reach Agreement
1:28pm: Contract details from Massarotti:
Varitek will earn $5MM in 2009, with the club holding a $5MM option for 2010. If the Red Sox do not pick up that option, Varitek has the choice of remaining with the club on a $3MM deal. In ’10, he can earn another $2MM in incentives based on playing time, beginning at 80 games started. The incentives apply to the player option only.
The Boston Herald breaks down the 2010 bonuses. ESPN’s Jayson Stark and Jerry Crasnick add:
Had he declined or not responded, the team was gearing up to trade for another catcher.
1:01pm: From Jon Heyman: the Red Sox reached an agreement on a two-year deal with Varitek.
12:38pm: Nothing too huge here, but check out Massarotti’s latest. He says a resolution is expected by day’s end.
8:57am: Joe McDonald of the Providence Journal says there’s no morning deadline, though "a decision is likely to be made by this afternoon." WEEI’s Alex Speier and ESPN’s Jayson Stark heard something similar.
8:35am: So that deadline on Boston’s contract offer to Jason Varitek…what time zone is it in? Tony Massarotti believes it’s 11:30 EST. As Massarotti has said, Varitek is "seriously considering sitting out the 2009 season or retiring rather than accepting the offer."
Jason Varitek Rumors: Thursday
7:58pm: Alex Speier of WEEI provides us with a Varitek-relevant quote from Curt Schilling’s appearance on the Big Show:
“I’ve talked with Jason a couple different times about this. I think there’s probably some discussion going on around the parameters of a deal since it was put on the table. In fact, I know there (has been). I think you’re going to end up with a deal that nets Jason the $10 million over two years, somehow guaranteed or tied into some incentives, that keeps him here, or I think he might end up taking the one-year deal. I’m not positive, but at the end of the day I think it’s going to be Jason Varitek catching for the Boston Red Sox, which is really all I care about."
5:01pm: Former teammate Sean Casey had this to say on the MLB Network Thursday:
"I’d be shocked if ‘Tek doesn’t come back to Boston. The fans love him there. The guys in that clubhouse love ‘Tek. I can’t imagine Jason Varitek putting on a uniform besides the Boston Red Sox. I saw him a few weeks ago. I know he wants to come back to the Red Sox. So I hope they get that done. I think it would be good for both sides, no doubt about it, especially that pitching staff."
3:50pm: Varitek faces a Friday morning (8:30am) deadline, says Tony Massarotti. Massarotti’s source adds that Varitek is "very seriously considering the option of sitting out the 2009 season and/or retiring rather than accepting the contract offer made to him last week."
Massarotti adds that the Red Sox are expected to reopen trade talks for Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Miguel Montero, independent of Varitek.
9:55am: A quote from WEEI’s Michael Holley in regard to Jason Varitek this morning:
"I have moles who have told me if the deadline were today, no deal." Catch the audio here, about 13 minutes in.
The deadline is tomorrow. Michael Silverman noted today that if Varitek declines the current $5MM plus an option offer, the Red Sox would either move on or make a lesser offer.
Odds and Ends: Kotsay, Redding
Links for Thursday…
- RotoAuthority ranks the catchers for fantasy baseball.
- Dave Cameron reminds us that talented minor leaguers often have delayed success in the bigs.
- MLB.com’s Mychael Urban talked to Mark Kotsay, who did not enjoy the free agent experience.
- MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone transcribes a Tim Redding MLB Network interview, where it was revealed that the Rockies, Pirates, and Orioles had interest before the pitcher signed with the Mets.
Rosenthal On Abreu, Garland, Glavine, Sisco
The latest from Ken Rosenthal…
- The Mariners and Giants are interested in Bobby Abreu, if the price is right. Yesterday Buster Olney suggested that Abreu is willing to take a one-year deal. The A’s and Nationals have other targets, while the Mets, White Sox, and Braves are seen as long shots.
- Rosenthal examines the nuances of Jon Garland‘s December 7th decision to reject arbitration, saying that it wasn’t an obvious mistake at the time.
- Tom Glavine‘s agent Gregg Clifton did not attend yesterday’s meeting with Frank Wren; it was a health update and not a contract negotiation. Rosenthal says Glavine figures to seek a Freddy Garcia-like deal. The Braves need to save money to add an outfielder, with Nick Swisher atop their list. The Yankees’ goal in moving Swisher or Xavier Nady would be to recoup prospects.
- The Brewers are not interested in projects such as Kris Benson, Jason Jennings, Mark Redman, and Victor Zambrano. They’re just lukewarm on Mark Mulder. Benson is drawing interest from the Dodgers, Rangers, and Cardinals; one exec reviewed his audition as "so-so."
- Rosenthal doesn’t seem to buy the idea that Jason Varitek and Scott Boras feared the Red Sox could cut him if he accepted arbitration, noting that Boras client Travis Lee was advised to accept years ago.
- The Braves have reservations about re-signing Andruw Jones, who could be a Spring Training cut.
- The A’s deal for Russ Springer will be worth more than $3MM plus incentives. They’re also eyeing Brian Shouse and Andrew Sisco as possible pen additions. Sisco, recovering from Tommy John, has also auditioned for the Rockies and Giants.