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Red Sox Hopeful They Can Complete Napoli Deal

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It's been more than a month since the Red Sox and Mike Napoli initially reached an agreement on a three-year, $39MM contract, but that deal has yet to be finalized. The Boston Globe's Peter Abraham writes that the Red Sox are still working on getting a deal finalized, and the team is hopeful it will get done. It's been believed that a hip injury has held up the deal's completion.

Boston has since engaged in discussions with the representatives for Adam LaRoche. Abraham writes that Napoli hasn't talked with other teams in this time, though there were reports to the contrary last month. Back on Dec. 27, Mike Axisa polled MLBTR readers, and 57 percent of respondents thought that the deal would fall through and Napoli would sign elsewhere.

The 31-year-old Napoli is just one year removed from a .320/.414/.631 season in which he belted 30 homers for the Rangers. That production dropped significantly in 2012, though his .227/.343/.469 line and 24 long balls were more than respectable. Boston plans to use Napoli as its primary first baseman, though he'd previously stated his preference was to remain behind the dish.

Quick Hits: Rangers, Red Sox, Mets

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With Justin Verlander on his way to Lakeland, FL to prepare for the start of spring training, the countdown to the 2013 season has begun as we enter the first full week of the new year. Let's catch up on the latest stories and rumors from around the league…

  • The Rangers aren't finished building their roster for next season even after adding Lance Berkman to the mix at designated hitter, tweets CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman. Look for Texas to pursue Kyle Lohse, Justin Upton and Michael Bourn, among others. 
  • While the Red Sox failed to live up to lofty expectations in 2012, the Providence Journal's Tim Britton reflects upon both the lowlights and rare highlights of the team's season. 
  • The Mets have quite a bit more money left to spend this winter, reports Heyman (via Twitter), and will look to upgrade a variety of aspects of the roster. Heyman suggests New York would stand to benefit from adding pieces to the outfield, rotation and bullpen. Chris Young has been mentioned as a viable option for the Mets and could easily find himself playing at Citi Field next season given his experience there.

Cafardo On Cubs, Ellsbury, Morneau, Dodgers

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When Theo Epstein took over the Cubs a year ago, he took the long range view and opted for an all-out gutting and rebuilding.  This winter, however, he surprised some when he entered the bidding for Anibal Sanchez and signed Edwin Jackson to a lucrative four-year deal.  Does that mean that the Cubs are better than he anticipated?  “We’re certainly farther along than we were last year at this time,” said Epstein, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. “When we got here, we identified one core player [Starlin Castro] and now we can look around and see Anthony Rizzo, Darwin Barney, Jeff Samardzija , and others. We do have more positional prospects than pitchers, so we felt Jackson will be with us for many years to come.”  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • If Matt Garza can show teams that his elbow is in solid shape during spring training then the Cubs will consider offers for the right-hander.  It's hard to read the Cubs' intentions though since they are building for the future while also signing veteran pitchers.
  • Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is a hard sell to some teams because he is in his walk year and has struggled with injury, but there are other clubs out there looking to make a splash who may feel that one year of a motivated Ellsbury would be tempting. 
  • The Twins' Justin Morneau is in the final year of his contract at $14MM and Cafardo wonders if they would deal him if they got a nice group of young players.  Teams like the Red Sox, Orioles, and Rays (even with James Loney) could be interested in first base help.
  • Dodgers pitchers Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang are both available thanks to the club's offseason pickups and the expected return of Ted Lilly.  Capuano should draw more interest since he is a lefty and coming off a decent season.
  • The White Sox say they want to hang on to Gavin Floyd, but younger pitchers have made him expendable.  It has been speculated that the White Sox won't look to move Floyd until John Danks is healthy.
  • Andrew Bailey is slated to be the Red Sox set-up man in support of Joel Hanrahan, but Cafardo wonders aloud if they might be willing to deal him to address another need?   Bailey didn't help his trade value after he returned from thumb surgery last year, but at least teams know he’s healthy.
  • Cafardo gets the feeling that Justin Upton will be gone just as soon as D'Backs GM Kevin Towers  hears the right mix of players.  Of course, there has also been a great deal of talk surrounding Jason Kubel.

Reactions To The Lance Berkman Signing

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The Rangers and Lance Berkman agreed to a one-year contract with a vesting option earlier today, plugging the team's DH hole. Berkman will receive $10MM in 2013 with a $1MM buyout of the option. Here is a collection of news and reactions to the deal…

  • "It never really got past the tire-kicking phase," said Berkman to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart when asked about talks with the Astros (all Twitter links). Houston never made an offer and the two sides only discussed contract parameters. "I have nothing but good things to say about the Astros organization and the way our negotiations went," added Berkman.
  • The Red Sox showed interest in Berkman before he signed with Texas, reports WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. Talks never gained momentum due to his geographical preferences, however.
  • The Orioles also kicked the tires on Berkman according to Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com (on Twitter). They moved on due to his asking price.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Berkman is the type of hitter the Rangers have rarely had, meaning he's patient and willing to use the entire field (all Twitter links).
  • Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is "stunned" at the size of Berkman's contract (Twitter link). He assumes the Rangers thoroughly reviewed the medicals.

East Notes: Nationals, Yankees, Orioles, Victorino

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The Nationals had their eye on left-hander J.P. Howell for quite some time but the Dodgers swooped in on him earlier today.  After losing three lefties in Tom Gorzelanny, Sean Burnett, and Michael Gonzalez, the Nats could still add a southpaw, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Here’s more out of the AL and NL East..

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters, including Anthony Rieber of Newsday, that he isn’t interested in signing a reliever.  “I cannot talk about players on the free-agent market,” Cashman said. “But I am not looking for bullpen help, I can tell you that.“
  • Free agent Joe Saunders says that he wants to return to the Orioles in 2013 but is ultimately leaving the process in the hands of his agent, writes Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.  Saunders also has interest from the Angels, Mets, Twins, and Mariners and says that he wants to play for a contender.
  • Shane Victorino, who signed a three-year, $39MM deal with the Red Sox this winter, says that a return to the Phillies was his first choice, writes Matt Gelb of the Phildelphia Inquirer.

Quick Hits: Vazquez, Webb, Rockies, Lohse, Kubel

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Here's the latest from around the league as Friday turns into Saturday…

  • The Red Sox, Rays, Nationals, and Royals scouted Javier Vazquez during his Puerto Rican League outing tonight, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The right-hander was said to be pitching at 93 mph with the fastball.
  • The Rockies will scout Brandon Webb's throwing session, which will take place in the coming weeks according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The Twins will also be in attendance.
  • "Obviously, it's been a little slow, a little slower than anticipated … It's going to eventually work itself out. It's not like I'm not going to be out of baseball," said Kyle Lohse to MLB.com's Mike Bauman. The right-hander has yet to receive an offer other than the qualifying offer he rejected.
  • "I haven't really thought other than that … If something happens, it happens, but I'm looking forward to getting back to that beautiful facility again and start going," said Jason Kubel to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert when asked about trade rumors. The Diamondbacks are expected to move one of their spare outfielders before Spring Training.
  • The Brewers will probably announce the Mike Gonzalez signing on Monday, reports Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). The holidays delayed the finalization of the contract.

Minor Moves: Diaz, Hamilton, Garner

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Here are Friday's minor moves…

  • The Red Sox have signed infielder Jonathan Diaz to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, reports Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). The 27-year-old hit .221/.339/.284 in 563 plate appearances in the Blue Jays' system last year.
  • The Red Sox have also signed first baseman/outfielder Mark Hamilton to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training according to Abraham. Hamilton, 28, is a .197/.258/.246 career hitter in 66 plate appearances with the Cardinals over the last two seasons.
  • The Brewers signed outfielder Cole Garner to a minor league deal that does not include an invitation to Spring Training, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The 28-year-old hit .258/.311/.398 in 255 Triple-A plate appearances with the Yankees last season.

AL East Notes: Vazquez, Rays, Price, Red Sox

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Earlier today, we learned that the Nationals are interested in free agent starter Javier Vazquez, who is considering a return to MLB.  The Red Sox are also set to watch Vazquez pitch in Puerto Rico on Friday, but they're not the only team out of the American League East with an eye on the veteran.  More on that and other news from the division..

  • Alex Cora, who serves as the GM of Vazquez's team in Puerto Rico, told WEEI's Hot Stove Show that the Blue Jays have also been scouting the 36-year-old, according to Alex Speier on Twitter.  It's not clear if the Red Sox or Blue Jays would be willing to give Vazquez a big league contract, but the Nationals aren't believed to be considering it.
  • Cy Young winning left-hander David Price was happy to avoid arbitration with the Rays and says that he is open to a contract extension, writes Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.  “If it’s right, we’ll do it,” Price said. “If not, I have to understand it’s a business first and foremost. (The Rays) want to win this year but also be able to win in the future as well. They have to do what’s best for the franchise.”  Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman won't rule out an extension, but acknowledged that there are a number of variables to consider.
  • Also on WEEI's Hot Stove Show, Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein opined that the Red Sox's haul of prospects in their blockbuster deal with the Dodgers was more valuable than the financial flexibility they gained in the deal, Speier writes.  The former Boston GM spoke very highly of right-handers Allen Webster and Rubby De La Rosa.

Quick Hits: Vazquez, Red Sox, Padres, Astros, Cubs

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The Red Sox will scout right-hander Javier Vazquez in Puerto Rico on Friday, according to Victor Ramos of Solo Beisbol (on Twitter, Spanish link).  An industry source confirmed the news to Rob Bradford of WEEI, who notes that Vazquez has been throwing a fastball in the 92-93 mph range in recent workouts.  Vazquez said earlier this week that he would consider a return to MLB and would like to play for a contender.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • Speaking of the Red Sox, Andrew Bailey says that he's happy to have Joel Hanrahan on board, even though it means that he won't be closing, Bradford writes.  Meanwhile, Bailey believes that he's poised for a strong year thanks to his offseason training.
  • Padres General Manager Josh Byrnes indicated today that the team likely won't pick up a starting pitcher in free agency, writes MLB.com's Corey Brock.  The Padres signed Jason Marquis to a one-year deal last month, adding him to an already lengthy list of rotation candidates.
  • General Manager Jeff Luhnow says the Astros aren't likely to add any additional key players between now and spring training, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.  Houston's biggest pickups this winter were the signings of slugger Carlos Pena and relief pitcher Jose Veras.
  • The Cubs expect free agent Nate Schierholtz to be a regular in right field, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.  Chicago inked Schierholtz to a one-year, $2.25MM deal with $500K in performance bonuses.

Checking In On Teams In Need Of Pitching

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MLBTR’s Zach Links recently checked in on some of baseball’s lowest scoring offenses, noting that clubs such as the Dodgers and Mariners could score more often in 2013 thanks to some of their recent moves. Let’s now turn from run scoring to run prevention and check in on the teams that allowed the most runs in 2012. 

Seven teams — the Rockies, Indians, Twins, Red Sox, Astros, Blue Jays and Cubs — posted team ERAs of 4.50 or more this past season, and each club allowed at least 750 runs in total. We'll take a look at those bottom seven teams and see what they've done to improve their pitching and defense so far this offseason. Team name links go to a summary of the moves on MLBTR's Transaction Tracker and 2012 runs allowed totals are in parentheses. For reference, the average MLB team allowed 701 runs this past season.

Jeff Francis - Rockies (PW)

Rockies (890 runs allowed, 5.22 team ERA) – Jeff Francis, who led the 2012 Rockies with 113 innings pitched, re-signed on a one-year deal. Jorge De La Rosa exercised his player option and Colorado traded for reliever Wilton Lopez. Dan O’Dowd and Bill Geivett must do more to address their run prevention issues in the coming months, or they’ll risk a similarly poor showing in 2013.

Indians (845 runs allowed, 4.78 team ERA) – The Indians started the offseason by exercising Ubaldo Jimenez's 2013 option, and they haven't stopped there. GM Chris Antonetti acquired pitching prospect Trevor Bauer from Arizona along with relievers Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw. They have since agreed to terms with Brett Myers, who projects as a starter in Cleveland.

Twins (832 runs allowed, 4.77 team ERA) – GM Terry Ryan has re-worked his team's pitching staff, trading for Alex Meyer and Vance Worley and signing Kevin Correia, Mike Pelfrey and Rich Harden. The Twins also re-signed a number of pitchers to minor league deals, creating depth. However, the Twins parted with Ben Revere and Denard Span to upgrade their pitching, which creates questions about Minnesota's outfield defense.

Red Sox (806 runs allowed, 4.70 team ERA) – The Red Sox upgraded their rotation by signing Ryan Dempster to a two-year contract. They've also addressed their bullpen, trading for Joel Hanrahan and signing Koji Uehara to a one-year contract. On defense, Shane Victorino will play right field, but defensive standout Jose Iglesias no longer projects as a starter and it looks as though Mike Napoli will replace the sure-handed combination of Adrian Gonzalez and James Loney at first base.

Astros (794 runs allowed, 4.56 team ERA) – The Astros have made some relatively low-profile changes to their pitching staff as they prepare for their first season in the American League. The club acquired Alex White for Wilton Lopez, claimed Philip Humber off of waivers, traded for John Ely, and signed reliever Jose Veras to a one-year deal. At this point it looks as though Houston will have trouble preventing runs again in 2013.

Blue Jays (784 runs allowed, 4.64 team ERA) – The Toronto front office overhauled a starting rotation that lacked depth in 2012. Defending Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey joins newcomers Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle in a rotation that now looks like a strength instead of a major weakness. GM Alex Anthopoulos also traded for Esmil Rogers and added numerous others via waiver claims and minor league signings. The future of Darren Oliver still has to be determined, but other than that Toronto's pitching staff seems essentially set.

Cubs (759 runs allowed, 4.51 team ERA) -  The Cubs have upgraded their rotation in a meaningful way, adding Edwin Jackson, Scott Feldman, Carlos Villanueva and Scott Baker on free agent contracts. They also retained free agent Shawn Camp and signed right-hander Kyuji Fujikawa and left-hander Hisanori Takahashi. Chicago’s pitching staff could be much stronger in 2013.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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