Red Sox Rumors

Bartolo Colon Signs With Red Sox

By Tim Dierkes | February 26, 2008 at 2:29pm CDT

TUESDAY: The Boston Herald has the contract details. Colon gets $1.25MM if he’s in the bigs, and the deal can reach $7MM if he makes 30 starts.

SUNDAY: According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Red Sox have signed starter Bartolo Colon to a minor league deal. The deal has no guaranteed money. That’s a far cry from the guaranteed two-year big league deal Colon wanted at the beginning of the offseason.

Colon will add depth to Boston’s rotation, and you certainly have to like the move for the Red Sox. Maybe Colon was motivated by a chance to win or a good medical staff, because Boston seems a poor place to find innings if he’s mediocre or worse.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Roger Clemens

By Cork Gaines | February 26, 2008 at 12:22pm CDT

Last week we looked at one face of the steroid era (Barry Bonds) and wondered where he might end up playing in 2008. Today let’s take a look at the newest face of the steroid era, Roger Clemens. Clemens has yet to decide whether to pitch in 2008.

While his friends believe that the Astros are the only option, Buster Olney suggested the Cardinals could also be an option. And while the Yankees and the Red Sox have shown zero interest, we can’t rule out a mid-season return to either team. Both have question marks in their rotations, and if the proposed solutions don’t pan out, they will be in the market for a proven pitcher in July, no matter what Hank Steinbrenner says now. Another team that could be a darkhorse after the All-Star break is the New York Mets. We learned yesterday that they have tried trading Orlando Hernandez, as there appear to be serious concerns about his health. And if the Mets are fighting for a playoff spot in July, memories of last year’s collapse with the added pressure of having added Johan Santana will fuel the effort to win "at any cost." Let’s also not forget that 11 more wins would put Rocket into the Top 5 all-time and 20 wins (2009?) would make Clemens the third winningest pitcher ever, behind only Cy Young and Walter Johnson. Let’s take a look at what some are thinking about Clemens in the Blogosphere.

If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.

The Redbird Blog does not see Clemens as a difference-maker for the Cardinals, and wonder if it is worth signing him.
C70 At The Bat does not think that the Cardinals pitching situation is as dire as some have portrayed, so the need for Clemens may be minimal.
My Baseball Bias reiterates what Hank Steinbrenner stated…Clemens will not pitch for the Yankees. They also think that the Astros are the only logical destination for Clemens.
Center Field feels that the Phillies would be a good match based on an actual letter sent from PETA to Clemens urging him to become a vegetarian.

And that’s it from the Blogosphere. Is Roger Clemens pitching in ’08 a non-story? Is there a team out there that we are not considering that the Rocket could help this season? Let us know in the comments.

By Cork Gaines

Brian Roberts Rumors

By Tim Dierkes | February 26, 2008 at 11:25am CDT

Yesterday, SI.com’s Jon Heyman wrote that the Cubs-Orioles Brian Roberts trade talks still have a little life, and the O’s are scouting various young Cubs. On Sunday Jim Salisbury said the Orioles only needed to decide which pitchers they want to complete a deal.

Today, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times checks in with the latest. To begin with, Mark DeRosa’s heart complications seem under control, and won’t force the Cubs’ hand.

Wittenmyer adds that the ball is indeed in Baltimore’s court, and their scouts will need at least a week to observe various Cubs. He says the Orioles are requesting Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, and two more top youngsters. That steep price could cause the Cubs to turn to Coco Crisp or Marlon Byrd. However, neither the Red Sox nor the Rangers seem to value either as a fourth outfielder.

Theo Epstein WEEI Interview: Crisp, Santana

By Tim Dierkes | February 26, 2008 at 8:36am CDT

WEEI recently posted an interesting interview with Red Sox GM Theo Epstein. Epstein was frank with his answers and didn’t duck questions. A few points of interest:

Epstein observed a "horrible free agent market, bereft of talent." The one surplus he noted was center field, which he feels resulted in the lack of a trade market for Coco Crisp (the best defensive center fielder in the game last year, according to Epstein). Epstein said he learned his lesson with Jay Payton and does not want to be forced to trade Crisp as he was Payton. He won’t deal Crisp from a "position of weakness." Michael Silverman believes a team will have to have its center fielder significantly injured for a market for Crisp to develop. Or, a prospect like Felix Pie or Colby Rasmus will have to prove not ready or be traded.
As for Johan Santana, the Red Sox were "in it, with limits." Epstein said he left the Twins with two solid offers, but Bill Smith wanted a package that would’ve been "completely irresponsible." He felt that Boston’s offer was better than that of the Mets.

Odds and Ends: Choo, Inge, Lohse, Francona

By Tim Dierkes | February 25, 2008 at 9:42am CDT

Let’s round up some rumors and links.

Not only is Shin-Soo Choo out of options, but he’s recovering from Tommy John surgery and may have to join the South Korean military.
Brandon Inge sat out a demanding drill on Friday, causing Tom Gage to wonder if trade talks are ongoing. Dave Dombrowski spoke on the topic recently, saying all the right things about Inge.
Kyle Lohse is not interested in a minor league deal or playing in another country. He’s still waiting by the phone though.
Funny anecdote involving J.P. Ricciardi’s son.
Terry Francona was extended through 2011, with club options for ’12 and ’13.
Kenny Williams and Billy Beane: opposites attract. Given their strong relationship, perhaps the Sox could look to acquire Mark Ellis during the season if the current options fall through.
Wow – Scott Rolen would’ve accepted a trade to the Phillies. The Phils discussed him internally but decided not to pursue it.
The Giants briefly considered Sean Casey, who is "really good at life" according to Aaron Boone.

Manny Switches To Boras

By Tim Dierkes | February 22, 2008 at 5:00pm CDT

This should be interesting. Just in time for his contract year, Manny Ramirez has ditched agents Scott Parker and Greg Genske in favor of Scott Boras. As Jon Heyman notes, this is not necessarily a bad thing for Boston since they’re on fine terms with Boras. Manny recently spoke to the press about his $20MM option after the season, but didn’t really add new information.

There will be a lot of Boston media chatter about Manny’s situation this year, and now plenty of Boras Hall of Fame type rhetoric as well. But really, it’s a very simple situation. The Red Sox don’t have to make a decision until after the season, and they don’t owe it to Ramirez to do so. If his new workout regime helps him stay healthy for 140+ games, the Sox will probably exercise the option. They’ll certainly have other options, but Adam Dunn, Pat Burrell, and Bobby Abreu won’t sign for one year.

Odds and Ends: El Duque, Rays, Botts, Cruz

By Tim Dierkes | February 22, 2008 at 12:10pm CDT

Today’s linkage…

RotoAuthority tries to decide what to do with the fourth pick in a fantasy draft.
The rumor about the Royals moving to the NL seems unfounded.
Sean McAdam says the Red Sox will keep an eye on the free agent pitching market, but don’t intend to spend much.
El Duque has all sorts of problems, which I won’t go into. Maybe he’s just down on his luck, but he indicated a 50/50 chance of this being his last season. He’ll earn $6.5MM, and PECOTA calls for a 4.08 ERA in 98 innings.
DRays Bay talked to team owner Stu Sternberg. Sternberg mentioned that he reads Rays Index, the blog of MLBTR contributor Cork Gaines.
Evan Grant compares Rangers Jason Botts and Nelson Cruz, one of whom will not be with the team by Opening Day. They are among many on our Out of Options – 2008 list, which is growing by the hour.

Odds and Ends: Crisp, Stewart, Meyer

By Tim Dierkes | February 20, 2008 at 11:28am CDT

Let’s round ’em up!

I’m doing a fantasy baseball mailbag feature at The Hardball Times. Check out the first entry.
Nothing really new from Coco Crisp…if he loses the center field battle, he’ll probably prefer a trade.
The Brewers are close to a minor league deal with Russell Branyan, who might have a hard time sniffing the big league roster anytime this season.
The Toronto Star relays from J.P. Ricciardi that the Blue Jays no longer have an offer on the table for Shannon Stewart.
Turns out Oakland’s Dan Meyer has a fourth option, meaning he’s likely to lose the fifth starter battle to Dana Eveland.
I can’t help it…I love the Juan Gonzalez story. I’m rooting for him for no apparent reason.
Mark Teixeira didn’t offer much info regarding extension talks with the Braves. He did refute that report about building a home in Atlanta and another about a rift with Scott Boras.
Peter Abraham thinks the Yanks should trade Hideki Matsui.

Odds and Ends: Papelbon, Bonds

By Tim Dierkes | February 19, 2008 at 2:58pm CDT

Your collection of links and rumors…

Interestingly, Pirates GM Neal Huntington put out a statement for Pirates’ fans. He explains why the Pirates have been inactive this winter, and I agree with the logic. This team doesn’t need to be wasting money on mediocre free agents.
Justin Huber is out of options, so he’ll either make the Royals or end up elsewhere.
Athletics Nation paints a picture in which the A’s are buyers at this year’s trade deadline. A parallel universe with a healthy Rich Harden, if you will.
The Red Sox are exploring a multiyear deal for Jonathan Papelbon, according to Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe.
With 20/20 hindsight, Viva El Birdos rewrites how they might have conducted the Cardinals’ offseason moves.
No one wants Barry Bonds. He’s in game shape, but one exec Andrew Baggarly talked to has heard no rumors at all. Baggarly has talked to some baseball officials who believe Bonds might play in Japan in 2008. Now that would be something.

Odalis Perez Signs With Nationals

By Tim Dierkes | February 19, 2008 at 1:00pm CDT

12:45pm: It’s official; the Nats have signed Perez to a minor league deal. He certainly picked the right team to attempt to bounce back to relevancy. He gets $850K if he makes the team.

12:23pm:Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe says it appears likely Perez will sign with the Nats. I imagine both offers were of the minor league variety.

TUESDAY, 9:02am:The Nats have an offer on the table for Perez, as do the Red Sox. You’d think he’d prefer the opportunity in Washington.

MONDAY, 7:49pm: In January, the Mets met with Odalis Perez. They scouted him in the Dominican Republic. The Mets later signed Tony Armas Jr. In February, Perez worked out for the Phillies, whose interest was characterized as "lukewarm." The Phils later signed Kris Benson. A third NL East team has entered the picture – MLB.com’s Bill Ladson says the Nationals have serious interest in the southpaw.

Perez might have to settle for a minor league deal, maybe with incentives to reach $2-3MM. The 30 year-old pitched 137 innings of 5.57 ball for the Royals last year.

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