Red Sox Close To Acquiring Marlon Byrd
2:23pm: The deal remains probable but timing issues remain, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Cubs are likely to pay most of Byrd's remaining $6.5MM salary and Red Sox pitcher Michael Bowden is in play.
2:19pm: The structure of Byrd's deal could help the Red Sox' payroll for luxury tax purposes, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com. If the Cubs sent $5.5MM to Boston to offset the outfielder's salary, then it would actually decrease the Red Sox' payroll number that sum would be subtracted from Byrd's $5MM average annual salary.
The veteran is set to earn $6.5MM in the final year of a three-year, $15MM deal.
1:34pm: Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine acknowledged to reporters that the club's talks with the Cubs are advanced, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. “The talks have been good talks, from what I gather,” Valentine said. “Ben [Cherington] will try to get as good a player as he can get.”
12:17pm: The Cubs have been actively attempting to trade Byrd according to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. A trade with the Red Sox is not final, but Bradford hears that it is "probable." Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter) that Boston has looked at other outfield options as well.
10:59am: The Red Sox are close to acquiring Marlon Byrd from the Cubs, reports Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. Boston has been actively exploring the outfield market following Jacoby Ellsbury's shoulder injury.
Byrd, 34, has just three singles and one walk in 47 plate appearances this season, resulting in a .070/.149/.070 batting line. He hit .276/.324/.395 in 482 plate appearances last season while missing time with multiple fractures after taking a pitch to the face, an injury that occurred in Fenway Park. Byrd is in the final season of his three-year, $15MM contract and will earn $6.5MM this year. He is not in Chicago's lineup this afternoon.
Ellsbury's subluxed his right shoulder last week and there is still not timetable for his return. Carl Crawford is also on the shelf with wrist and elbow problems, leaving the Red Sox with an outfield of Jason Repko, Ryan Sweeney, Cody Ross, and Darnell McDonald. Byrd has played center field exclusively during his time with the Cubs, though he has experience in all three outfield spots.
If completed, this will be the first real trade between the two teams since Theo Epstein left the Red Sox to take over as Chicago's president of baseball operations. The two sides did work out the compensation package for Epstein, however.
AL East Notes: Nunez, Valentine, Hutchison
Believe it or not, Rays left-hander Matt Moore has never started a game at Tropicana Field. The 22-year-old left-hander will take the mound at home against the Twins tonight for his first Tampa Bay start. Here are today's AL East links…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests the Yankees should use Eduardo Nunez as their primary left fielder while Brett Gardner's on the disabled list. Nunez could be part of the Yankees' future, while veterans like Andruw Jones and Raul Ibanez won't be, Sherman argues.
- It's too early to bet against Boston manager Bobby Valentine, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. Some rival executives say Red Sox president Larry Lucchino tried to regain power by hiring Valentine, according to Rosenthal.
- Ben Badler of Baseball America introduces readers to right-hander Drew Hutchison, who will make his MLB debut for the Blue Jays tomorrow. The 21-year-old could use some more minor league seasoning, but he's quite polished for his age and could fit in as a back-of-the-rotation starter not unlike Henderson Alvarez. The Blue Jays decided to rely on internal starting pitching options this offseason instead of completing trades or free agent signings.
Quick Hits: Phillies, Red Sox, Rangers, Vazquez
The latest links from around MLB…
- Placido Polanco, John Mayberry Jr. and Jim Thome aren't hitting, and David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News points out that this puts the Phillies in an uncomfortable situation. Murphy looks back at some of the Phillies' offseason decisions and wonders if the team should have prioritized a hitter over a closer.
- Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald points out that two of Boston's primary offseason additions – Andrew Bailey and Mark Melancon — are no longer contributing on the big league roster just two weeks into the season. Bailey is recovering from thumb surgery and the Red Sox optioned Melancon to Triple-A.
- Ken Davidoff of the New York Post says the Rangers might have the best 25-man roster in baseball. Davidoff believes Texas can sustain its success even if prominent players leave as free agents.
- Infielder Ramon Vazquez is looking to make a comeback and some teams are showing interest, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. The 35-year-old hasn’t played in the Major Leagues since 2009.
Quick Hits: Wright, Bowden, Jurrjens
The Rays locked Evan Longoria up to a historic six-year, $17.5MM extension on this date in 2008. Then a rookie with just six games of experience, Longoria has since evolved into one of the game's top players. Here are today's links…
- An insider recently told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that he has a gut feeling the Mets will extend David Wright (Twitter link). However, an extension for the hot-hitting third baseman isn’t a priority at the moment. The Mets have a $16MM club option for Wright's 2013 season.
- Michael Bowden hadn’t been placed on waivers as of yesterday, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com tweets. The Red Sox recently designated Bowden for assignment along with Luis Exposito, who has since been claimed by the Orioles.
- Tim Lincecum, Kevin Youkilis and Jair Jurrjens are among the players who may be making their general managers nervous so far this season, Jim Bowden writes at ESPN.com.
Red Sox Scouting Scott Podsednik
The Red Sox are scouting Scott Podsednik, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Boston is looking for outfield help following the injuries suffered by Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury.
Podsednik, 36, is currently hitting .158/.304/.158 in 23 plate appearances for the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate. They are willing to trade him for a fair return despite their scuffling offense. The Red Sox are actively exploring the outfield market, but earlier tonight we heard that they have not inquired about J.D. Drew's availability.
Red Sox Did Not Inquire About J.D. Drew
The Red Sox did not inquire about J.D. Drew's availability following Jacoby Ellsbury's injury, reports WEEI.com's Rob Bradford (on Twitter). Ellsbury subluxed his right shoulder last Friday and there is no timetable for his return. Carl Crawford is also on the disabled list.
Drew, 36, was reportedly "very likely" to retire during the offseason, though no official announcement has been made. He spent the last five seasons in Boston, hitting .264/.370/.455 overall but missing lots of time due to injury. Last year he hit just .222/.315/.302 in 286 plate appearances. The Red Sox are actively exploring the outfield market, but right now they're relying on Cody Ross, Darnell McDonald, Jason Repko, and Ryan Sweeney.
Orioles Claim Luis Exposito, Designate Josh Bell
The Orioles announced that they claimed catcher Luis Exposito off of waivers from the Red Sox. To create 40-man roster space for Exposito, Baltimore designated infielder Josh Bell for assignment.
The Red Sox designated Exposito and Michael Bowden for assignment in a recent roster shuffle. The 25-year-old Exposito spent last season at Triple-A, where he posted a .242/.298/.367 line in 359 plate appearances. He prevented one third of stolen base attempts from behind the plate.
Bell, once considered a top prospect, has fallen out of favor in Baltimore. He spent most of last season at Triple-A, where he posted a .253/.320/.438 line in 438 plate appearances as Norfolk's third baseman. He has a .485 OPS in 226 plate appearances at the MLB level.
AL East Notes: Jones, Cooper, Ellsbury
It was on this day in 1945 that Jackie Robinson (along with fellow Negro League players Marvin Williams and Sam Jethroe) participated in a tryout for the Red Sox at Fenway Park. None of the trio were signed and Robinson signed his ground-breaking contract with the Dodgers later in the year. The Red Sox ended up being the last team to integrate its roster — Pumpsie Green appeared in a game as a pinch-runner on July 21, 1959, over 12 years after Robinson's Major League debut.
Here's the latest from the AL East…
- If Adam Jones hasn't signed a contract extension with the Orioles by July, the team should consider a trade, opines Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com. Jones and the O's discussed a multiyear deal over the winter but talks were tabled. The 26-year-old has only helped his case for a big contract with a hot start to the season (a 1.052 OPS though Sunday's action) and has one more year of arbitration eligibility before potentially hitting the free agent market after the 2013 season. A Jones trade would be an unpopular move in Baltimore but the Orioles would undoubtedly receive a good haul of prospects in return for the center fielder.
- With Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind filling the Blue Jays' DH and first base spots, minor league first baseman David Cooper could become trade bait later this year, writes MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm. Cooper posted a .974 OPS at Triple-A last season and led the Pacific Coast League with a .364 average but hit just nine homers, leading to doubts about whether he has the power to contribute at the Major League level.
- The Red Sox have enough hitting to weather the loss of Jacoby Ellsbury, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, but the team's key problem is still its lack of rotation depth. In the same piece, Morosi notes that the Giants also have the bullpen arms to survive Brian Wilson's season-ending elbow injury but could have an unexpected starting pitching problem of their own if Tim Lincecum continues to struggle.
Quick Hits: Red Sox, Gregg, Soler
The Braves announced that they’re retiring John Smoltz’s number 29 to honor the right-hander’s contributions over the course of 20 seasons with Atlanta. Here are today’s links…
- Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine publicly questioned Kevin Youkilis' commitment, but GM Ben Cherington says the entire organization knows Youkilis works and plays hard. "Bobby's acknowledged that he shouldn't have said what he said and spoke to Kevin about it,'' Cherington told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
- The Red Sox aren’t likely to deal for an outfielder to fill in while Jacoby Ellsbury’s on the disabled list, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe hears from a team source.
- MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli wonders if it’s time for the Orioles and Kevin Gregg to part ways (Twitter link). Gregg, who had a rough outing in Toronto yesterday, will earn $5.8MM this year. I expect the Orioles to decline their $6MM club option for Gregg this coming offseason.
- As far as MLB teams know, Jorge Soler isn’t officially a free agent yet, Ben Badler of Baseball America tweets. This means teams can’t yet negotiate with the promising young outfielder.
Red Sox Actively Exploring Outfield Market
The Red Sox are “actively” exploring the market for available outfielders, a major league source told Alex Speier of WEEI.com. However, it’s unlikely that the Red Sox will find a starting center fielder on the trade block this early in the season.
Two American League talent evaluators wondered aloud to Speier whether the A’s Coco Crisp could be a fit. Crisp has been displaced from center field, where his value is greatest, to left field by the signing of Yoenis Cespedes. Oakland is also said to like several prospects in the Red Sox’s system and the two teams came close on a deal that would have brought Gio Gonzalez to Boston in a prospect-driven deal.