Many Teams Eyeing Gerardo Concepcion
Cuban left-hander Gerardo Concepcion has been declared a free agent and is drawing interest from many MLB teams, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports. The 18-year-old recently established residency in Mexico and was said to be close to declaring free agency last week.
The Rangers, Yankees, Cubs and White Sox have expressed the most interest in Concepcion, agent Jaime Torres said. The lefty worked out in front of Rangers personnel, including Nolan Ryan, in the Dominican Republic today. The Phillies, Giants, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Royals have also expressed interest.
Concepcion has an offer on the table and will likely sign within two weeks, according to his agent. He defected from Cuba last June while playing in the Netherlands.
Red Sox Keeping Tabs On Wandy Rodriguez
Carlos Lee's name has been the one most frequently mentioned in Astros trade rumors recently, but Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports cautions not to forget about Wandy Rodriguez. Morosi adds that the Red Sox have been keeping tabs on the Houston lefty (Twitter links).
Boston would prefer to sign a free agent, according to Morosi, and have been linked to Roy Oswalt. The Red Sox traded Marco Scutaro to the Rockies yesterday, which freed up $6MM in payroll. That type of money is almost enough to accommodate Oswalt's one-year asking price, but not to accommodate Rodriguez's $10MM salary. He's also guaranteed a $13MM salary in 2013.
Rodriguez, 33, has a 3.36 ERA over the last three seasons in 591 2/3 innings with an 8.2 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, and a 46% groundball rate. His K/9 has declined for three straight seasons however, while his BB/9 has increased each of those years. There's also the issue of Rodriguez's 2014 option; the Astros currently hold a $13MM club option on Rodriguez, but that becomes a player option if he's traded.
AL East Notes: Ramirez, Rays, Pena, Scutaro, Ibanez
Here's a look at some items out of the AL East..
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) heard from multiple sources today who doubt that the Red Sox will make a play for Hanley Ramirez after trading Marco Scutaro to the Rockies. However, the club is looking at both pitchers and position players now, according to a source (Twitter link).
- The Rays budgeted about $6MM for Carlos Pena but upped their bid to $7.25MM out of fear that the Tigers would jump in after losing Victor Martinez for the season, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter).
- With Pena aboard, the Rays are probably done shopping, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. While there's some talk of adding a right-handed hitter to the bench, it's not likely to be a major signing. A trade is still possible, however, as they have a surplus of starting pitchers.
- Rob Neyer of SB Nation doesn't understand the logic behind the Red Sox trading Scutaro. While the deal saves the club $6MM, it also means a downgrade at the shortstop position. The club is reportedly comfortable with a Nick Punto/Mike Aviles platoon.
- In a perfect world, Boston would add both Roy Oswalt and Cody Ross if GM Ben Cherington can create a little more financial breathing room, writes Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com. The Red Sox, he notes, have kept dialogue open with Oswalt throughout the winter.
- While it's tough to draw conclusions from the Scutaro trade until the money saved is reallocated, it's safe to say that GM Ben Cherington wasn't as comfortable with his pitching as he claimed, says Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal (Twitter links).
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday sees the Yankees signing Raul Ibanez to take some of the at-bats that would have gone to Jesus Montero at DH. The club would prefer a lefty bat and Ibanez isn't terribly concerned about money and plate appearances.
- While he's been given many opportunities to do so, Orioles Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette has never firmly denied interest in Manny Ramirez, notes Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com.
Cafardo On Rays, Lee, Fielder, Cubs, Eckstein
At Thursday's Baseball Writers Dinner, Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said that he felt good about his rotation heading into Spring Training, but admitted that the Yankees and Rays have fewer question marks in their respective rotations, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The GM might now have the payroll flexibility to bolster the starting five after sending Marco Scutaro to the Rockies for Clayton Mortensen last night. Here's more from Cafardo..
- After taking care of their first base vacancy, the Rays can now accelerate a deal for B.J. Upton to get a shortstop. Currently, Sean Rodriguez is slated to play there over Reid Brignac. Tampa Bay could also use an everyday catcher, with Jose Molina currently slated to start.
- Astros first baseman Carlos Lee has to approve any deal because of his 10-5 rights, and hasn't been receptive to waiving those privileges in the past. The veteran is scheduled to make $18.5MM, but the club has said that they are willing to eat half of it to get a deal done. Cafardo thinks they'd cover even more of it to appeal to a team like the Tigers.
- One AL East GM thinks that the Prince Fielder sweepstakes will come down to the Rangers and Nationals, with the Brewers and Cubs taking a shot if he settles for a one-year deal and elects to become a free agent again.
- There has been talk that Victor Martinez’s injury could open the door for the Cubs to unload overpriced players such as Alfonso Soriano or Marlon Byrd, but Cafardo isn't buying it.
- David Eckstein, who didn't play last season, has decided to retire even though there were teams willing to bring him into camp. The 37-year-old hit .280/.345/.355 in his ten-year Major League career.
- If the Orioles, Tigers, or Yankees don’t come through soon, Johnny Damon could be in a real bind as far as finding a job. Cafardo opines that he would be a great fit in Detroit to replace the veteran leadership of Martinez.
- With DH openings few and far between, Cafardo also wonders about the futures of Vladimir Guerrero, Hideki Matsui, Magglio Ordonez, Raul Ibanez, and J.D. Drew.
- Cherington says that he won't consider bringing Drew back to Boston. Recently, an National League GM told Cafardo that he believes that Drew can be a great bat off of the bench for an NL team.
- Larry Lucchino won’t say whether he has re-upped with the Red Sox on a long-term deal, but Cafardo takes that as a yes.
AL East Links: Red Sox, Scutaro, Mortensen, Montero
The Red Sox sent Marco Scutaro to the Rockies for Clayton Mortensen and avoided arbitration with Daniel Bard earlier this evening, but now let's round up the latest from the AL East…
- The Scutaro trade freed up approximately $6MM for the Red Sox to use on an "aggressive bid" for a starting pitcher, says ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links). Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald confirmed that the trade was made trade strictly for salary relief. Earlier tonight we learned that the Sox have intensified their pursuit of Roy Oswalt.
- The Red Sox are comfortable with a Nick Punto/Mike Aviles platoon replacing Scutaro, but WEEI.com's Alex Speier hears they will continue to pursue an upgrade at any position, not just shortstop.
- Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal confirmed that Mortensen does have a minor league option remaining, so the Red Sox can send him to Triple-A if they choose (Twitter link)
- Jesus Montero has arrived in Seattle following a visa/passport issue, reports MLB.com's Greg Johns. He underwent his physical today, but a formal announcement of the trade sending him from the Yankees to the Mariners isn't expected until Monday.
- We posted some Orioles notes earlier today, including a quote from GM Dan Duquette about the possibility of adding Prince Fielder.
Red Sox Intensifying Pursuit Of Roy Oswalt
8:16pm: Oswalt is not close to signing, reports Morosi (on Twitter). The Red Sox remain very much involved, he says.
6:53pm: With the Marco Scutaro trade providing $6MM of salary relief, the Red Sox have now intensified their pursuit of Roy Oswalt according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (all Twitter links). They are not the only team in on the right-hander, though the Tigers are only on the fringe of the sweepstakes. Morosi calls the situation "fluid."
Oswalt, 34, is reportedly looking for a one-year deal worth $8MM. Earlier this week we heard that Boston would have to move some money to be able to afford him, which is exactly what the Scutaro trade did. Oswalt pitched to a 3.69 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 139 IP for the Phillies last season, missing time with back problems. Prior to that, the long-time Astro made at least 30 starts and threw at least 180 IP in seven straight seasons.
Red Sox Avoid Arbitration With Daniel Bard
The Red Sox and Daniel Bard have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract, the team announced. Earlier this week the SFX client filed for $1.825MM while the team countered with $1.4MM, and MLB.com's Ian Browne says (on Twitter) that they settled at the midpoint: $1.6125MM. Our system projected a $1.6MM salary for the right-hander.
Bard, 26, was arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason. As a Super Two, he'll go through the process four times rather than the usual three. He's pitched to a 2.88 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 197 career innings, all of which were spent setting up the now departed Jonathan Papelbon. Bard will come to Spring Training with a chance to win a job as a starting pitcher this year.
As our Arbitration Tracker shows, the Red Sox have three unsigned arbitration-eligible players remaining: Alfredo Aceves, Andrew Bailey, and David Ortiz.
Rockies Acquire Marco Scutaro
The Rockies have acquired Marco Scutaro from the Red Sox in exchange for Clayton Mortensen, the teams announced. Scutaro is the second shortstop the Sox have traded this winter, following the deal that sent Jed Lowrie and Kyle Weiland to the Astros for Mark Melancon.
Scutaro, 36, fills the Rockies' need for a second baseman, as the veteran will return to the position after primarily playing shortstop over the last three seasons. He hit .299/.358/.423 in 445 plate appearances with Boston in 2011, and is returning to the NL for the first time since he broke into the Majors with the Mets in 2002-03. Renck says Colorado earmarked Scutaro as a target when the offseason began.
Mortensen, 26, was a supplemental first-round pick (36th overall) for the Cardinals in the 2007 draft. The right-hander was part of the trade package the Cardinals sent to the A's in July 2009 in exchange for Matt Holliday. Mortensen has a 5.12 ERA, a 4.7 K/9 rate and a 3.7 BB/9 rate in 24 Major League games (13 of them starts) with the Rockies, A's and Cardinals. His 51.3% ground ball rate helps offset the lack of strikeouts.
Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says (on Twitter) that the Red Sox will platoon Mike Aviles and Nick Punto at shortstop. The deal relieves the team of Scutaro's $6MM salary, giving the club some more money to use towards a starting pitcher. Mortensen is still in his pre-arbitration years.
Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN first reported the agreement (on Twitter) while Troy Renck of The Denver Post said the two sides were finishing up the trade earlier today. Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Quick Hits: Lincecum, Red Sox, Gordon, Francis
Friday night links..
- The Giants and the agent for Tim Lincecum have made significant progress since exchanging arbitration figures and both sides are confident that a resolution can be reached before a hearing would be scheduled, writes Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News.
- The Reds could look to land an infielder via trade, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- It appears that talks between the Rockies and Red Sox regarding Marco Scutaro are dormant, but Rob Bradford of WEEI.com writes that Boston's possible motivation for a move involving Scutaro would be to free up payroll. The club has reportedly expressed interest in White Sox starter Gavin Floyd and free agent outfielder Cody Ross, but neither move could be made unless a trade was made to offer budgetary relief according to a source.
- The Royals and Alex Gordon aren't particularly close on a deal but talks remain cordial and both sides want to get something done, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
- Left-hander Jeff Francis is starting to attract more interest from teams in the market for a starting pitcher including the Mariners, Reds, Blue Jays, and Mets, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (Twitter links)
- Jesus Montero has dealt with his visa issue and is scheduled to travel from Florida to Seattle today for his Mariners physical, tweets Ken Davidoff of Newsday.
- Braves GM Frank Wren doesn't believe that his club has a major personnel need, writes Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Wren also believes that this year's bullpen figures to be even deeper that last year's.
- Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post (via Twitter) is told that the Marlins have no interest in bringing Ivan Rodriguez back.
Rockies, Red Sox Talked Marco Scutaro
6:00pm: The deal isn't close at this time and isn't likely to happen at all, writes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Silverman adds that the talks could indicate that the Red Sox are looking for ways to clear some salary in order to sign a free agent starter like Roy Oswalt.
4:52pm: Talks are fizzling, Renck tweets. The Red Sox are reluctant to part with Scutaro, since they don't have a clear alternative at short.
4:25pm: The Rockies are nearing a deal for infielder Marco Scutaro, Troy Renck of the Denver Post tweets. The teams are talking and the Rockies are trying to complete the trade. The veteran infielder would presumably play second base if the Rockies acquire him.
Scutaro, 35, set career highs in batting average and slugging percentage for a .299/.358/.423 line in 445 plate appearances in 2011. He also had a career-best 8.1% strikeout rate and finished with more walks (38) than strikeouts (36). Only seven shortstops have contributed more wins above replacement than Scutaro (12.7) since 2008, according to FanGraphs’ version of the statistic. The Red Sox exercised their $6MM option for him after the season.
If the Red Sox move Scutaro, they'd have a hole at shortstop heading into Spring Training. With Jed Lowrie on the Astros, prospect Jose Iglesias and infielders Nick Punto and Mike Aviles would sit atop Boston's depth chart.