Cherington On Papelbon, Ortiz, Free Agents
Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington discussed a number of topics with reporters today, and WEEI.com's Rob Bradford has the details in these two posts. The hot stove highlights…
- The Red Sox didn't make a formal offer to Jonathan Papelbon, who reached a four-year, $50MM agreement with the Phillies today. Cherington said he discussed "concepts" of a new contract with Papelbon's agents Sam and Seth Levinson, but didn't make an offer since Papelbon's asking price simply didn't fit into Boston's offseason plans.
- Cherington said he wasn't given the option of matching the Phillies' offer by Papelbon's representatives, but he didn't think such a step was necessary.
- Given the number of closing options on the market, Cherington didn't think his team would feel comfortable offering a four-year contract to a closer as the Phillies did with Papelbon.
- The Red Sox have been talking to David Ortiz's representatives and Cherington said he wants to re-sign the veteran slugger. "Because of what I feel, and I think he feels, is a little bit more of a defined market for that role it's been easier to engage sooner," Cherington said. "It's probably less likely to be a situation where he gets into the market and there's something that he's pushed into a corner on. David knows we want him to be here. We want him to be back with the Red Sox. We want him in our lineup. We've had a lot of dialogue to see if there's a way to do that and I think that will continue."
- Cherington feels that beyond the top free agent starters, there is "a lot of risk" in the pitching market this winter. "There are options, but riskier and would require some sort of bounce back from injury or bad luck or performance to some degree," the Boston GM said. "We're going to be exhaustive in looking at ways to build depth to the rotation an the bullpen. We do believe we have some internal options that will help us."
Managerial Notes: Cardinals, Cubs, Red Sox
Here's the latest on the search to fill the dugouts in St. Louis, Chicago and Boston….
- Cards GM John Mozeliak tells Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he expects the Cardinals' new manager to be one of the team's six finalists for the job: Terry Francona, Chris Maloney, Mike Matheny, Joe McEwing, Jose Oquendo and Ryne Sandberg.
- Cubs GM Jed Hoyer told reporters, including MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, that the team will "probably" not conduct any more interviews of managerial candidates. "I wouldn’t rule out an additional candidate but it’s not a certainty," Hoyer said. The Cubs have thus far spoken to Sandy Alomar Jr., Pete Mackanin, Mike Maddux and Dale Sveum.
- The Cubs have no timetable for hiring their new manager. "We want to make the right decision, not the quick decision," Hoyer said.
- The Red Sox have no plans to bring in any other interview candidates, tweets Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston. The Sox also haven't asked other teams for "formal permission" to interview any currently-employed candidates. Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo interviewed today and Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont will interview tomorrow, seemingly limiting the field to those two plus Alomar, Sveum and Mackanin.
Red Sox In On Madson, Bell, Cuddyer, Sizemore
After seven seasons and a World Series title with the Red Sox, Jonathan Papelbon is leaving Boston for the Phillies and $50MM. Here's the latest on the Red Sox, starting with an update on the bullpen…
- The Red Sox will be in on Ryan Madson and Heath Bell, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Boston isn't yet committed to Daniel Bard as the closer.
- The Red Sox had preliminary talks with Michael Cuddyer's representatives, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.
- They’ve also been in touch with Grady Sizemore’s agents, Bradford reports (on Twitter).
East Notes: Sizemore, Mets, Phillies
Some notes to pass along from the AL and NL East …
- The Red Sox have contacted free agent outfielder Grady Sizemore, tweets Mike Silverman of the Boston Herald, and they are not thought to have spoken to free agent outfielder Carlos Beltran. Both players remain a long shot for Boston, according to Silverman, until the Red Sox figure out whether they want to re-sign David Ortiz.
- The Mets will likely seek an affordable closer this offseason, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, who spoke to three stoppers who might fit that bill: Jonathan Broxton, Brad Lidge and Joe Nathan. Broxton's agent told Martino that Brox is seeking an incentive-laden one-year deal with perhaps a vesting option, and he's willing to pitch as a setup man or a closer. Lidge's agent said Lidge, too, is flexible with respect to his role, and Nathan said he is receptive to either a short- or long-term contract.
- Now that the Phillies' agreement on a four-year contract with Ryan Madson has either fallen through or never actually materialized in the first place, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald opines that Jonathan Papelbon, like Madson, is unlikely to secure a contract of four or more years from Philly. Just reading the tea leaves, it looks like the fourth year will be the primary haggling point for Madson and Papelbon in their respective negotiations.
Stark On Pujols, Fielder, Manny, Royals
MLB executives expect Albert Pujols to re-sign in St. Louis, but predicting Prince Fielder’s next team is considerably more challenging. ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark surveyed a dozen MLB executives about likely landing spots for the two free agent first basemen and the details are worth examining. Here they are, along with more notes from Stark:
- The average prediction for Pujols’ next contract was more than $28MM per season for 8.5 years. All but one respondent expect Pujols to re-sign with the Cardinals, though there’s buzz that the Cubs, Marlins and Rangers are “gearing up” for him.
- Executives expect Fielder to sign a seven-year deal in the $22-23MM range. Some doubt NL teams would commit more than five years to Fielder because of concerns that he’ll be incapable of playing passable defense once he hits his mid-thirties.
- Manny Ramirez tried out for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, but it didn’t go well, possibly because Japanese teams prefer to avoid players with baggage.
- The players and owners are considering significant changes to the schedule in talks for a new collective bargaining agreement. The sides are considering a proposal that would split MLB teams into six divisions of five teams, ensure identical schedules for teams within the same division and boost inter-league play considerably.
- Stark hears that the Nationals are focused on finding veteran starting pitching and a center fielder. One executive believes the team prefers Mark Buehrle to C.J. Wilson or Roy Oswalt.
- The Phillies have interest in Jason Kubel and have checked in on Grady Sizemore.
- More than six teams have expressed interest in Jimmy Rollins.
- The Braves seem interested in shedding salary and they continue to float Jair Jurrjens’ name. It appears that they’d move Martin Prado after his disappointing 2011 season.
- Rival teams say the Royals are no longer looking to trade for a top-of-the-rotation starter, according to Stark. They acquired Jonathan Sanchez earlier in the week and now prefer to hold their prospects and spend on back-of-the-rotation arms.
- The Red Sox are less likely to spend on a right fielder if they re-sign free agent DH David Ortiz.
Latest On Yoenis Cespedes
The market is strong for Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes, who currently resides in the Dominican Republic. The paperwork required for the center fielder to play baseball in the United States should be done this month, advisor Edgar Mercedes told Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus. Said Mercedes, "I'm confident that he'll be in spring training with a major league club."
Private workouts are beginning this week, with a large Marlins contingent scheduled to visit Thursday. The Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, Indians, Blue Jays, and Pirates are among the teams that will visit in the coming weeks, Mercedes told Goldstein. Mercedes also answered questions about the legendary showcase video he produced for Cespedes.
On Monday, the Rangers, Tigers, Nationals, and Athletics were named as other clubs interested in Cespedes, who is represented by Adam Katz of Wasserman Media Group.
Olney On Dodgers, Beltran
The latest blog post from ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider required)…
- Many agents feel that most teams are working slowly in the early days of free agency due to a desire to see the new labor agreement and how draft pick compensation is affected.
- One insider guessed that MLB currently has a pretty good idea of who the next owner of the Dodgers will be. That person recalls how Peter Magowan was able to take part in the Barry Bonds signing before being approved as the Giants' new owner, which in theory could happen with the Dodgers and top free agents this winter.
- Olney isn't terribly impressed with the 2012-13 free agent class. He ranks Cole Hamels, Josh Hamilton, Matt Cain, Mike Napoli, Andre Ethier, John Danks, Zack Greinke, Michael Bourn, Howie Kendrick, and B.J. Upton as his early top ten if Matt Kemp is signed to an extension. But let's not forget Shane Victorino, Brandon Phillips, Yadier Molina, Miguel Montero, Erick Aybar, Stephen Drew, Nick Swisher, Carlos Quentin, Anibal Sanchez, and Shaun Marcum. Check out MLBTR's full list here.
- To date there have been no talks between the Red Sox and Carlos Beltran. SI's Jon Heyman reported their interest yesterday.
Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers Interested In Buehrle
6:05pm: It's highly unlikely that the Yankees will make a serious run for Buehrle, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
1:54pm: The Yankees, Red Sox, and Rangers are interested in free agent lefty Mark Buehrle, report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, and the Marlins are meeting with him today. Buehrle, 32, posted a 3.59 ERA, 4.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.92 HR/9, and 44.9% groundball rate in 205 1/3 innings this year. The long time White Sox starter has pitched 200+ innings in every season since 2001.
The Marlins and Blue Jays are the teams most aggressively pursuing trades for starting pitchers, add Rosenthal and Morosi. One GM said of the Jays' Alex Anthopoulos, "You can’t pin him down. He has interest in every one of your players."
James Shields, Wade Davis, Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill, Jair Jurrjens, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Chad Billingsley, and Wandy Rodriguez are the pitchers "known or thought to be available in trades," according to the FOX writers. Cahill and Billingsley are the new names here, but it's unclear whether they fall under "known" or "thought." The availability of Rodriguez will depend on whether Jim Crane is approved as new Astros owner next week, as Crane does not share Drayton McLane's reluctance to move the 32-year-old.
Heyman On Posada, Dodgers, Beltran, Morrison
The latest rumors tweeted from SI's Jon Heyman…
- The Yankees haven't been in touch with free agent Jorge Posada so far this offseason, according to Heyman.
- A person with knowledge of the Dodgers sale says bidding will definitely go over $1 billion, and Frank McCourt may well reach his $1.2 billion target.
- The Phillies and Ryan Madson are now engaged in serious discussions, and Heyman expects the two sides to reach an agreement soon. This fits with what was written about Madson and the Phillies yesterday.
- The Red Sox are interested in free agent right fielder Carlos Beltran. I ranked Beltran ninth on my top 50 free agents list, predicting Boston as his destination.
- One executive who spoke to the Marlins tells Heyman 24-year-old left fielder Logan Morrison is off-limits. The executive could see the Fish making an exception for James Shields, however.
- The Brewers believe they have almost no hope to re-sign Prince Fielder and are now targeting free agent shortstop Jose Reyes. The Marlins will meet with Reyes in South Florida tomorrow, tweeted Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Brewers would have to give the Mets the 28th overall pick in next year's draft to sign Reyes, while the Marlins would only have to surrender a second-round pick.
- The Yankees were disappointed Jonathan Sanchez went to the Royals, as they believed they had more to offer to the Giants. The Royals acquired Sanchez and a minor leaguer from the Giants for Melky Cabrera yesterday.
- The Yankees are impressed by what they've seen so far of Cuban center fielder Yoenis Cespedes, though it's mainly limited to video. Cespedes' bizarre showcase video mostly shows off the player's athleticism and style. For a rundown of Cespedes' suitors, click here, and for a scout's view of him, check out the latest from MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.
- Yankees executive Billy Eppler grew up with free agent lefty C.J. Wilson, for what it's worth. The Yankees will talk to Wilson, who GM Brian Cashman acknowledged is the "best pitcher on the marketplace right now."
Latest On Boston’s Managerial Search
The Cardinals interviewed former Red Sox manager Terry Francona for their opening today, and Red Sox GM Ben Cherington is still looking for Boston's next skipper. Here's the latest on the search:
- The Red Sox will interview Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo on Friday, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). Lovullo managed Boston's Triple-A affiliate before joining the Blue Jays.
- Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont will interview with the Red Sox on Saturday, according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier (on Twitter). Lamont managed the White Sox from 1992-95 and the Pirates from 1997-2000.
- The Red Sox are interviewing Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. tomorrow and they've already interviewed Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum. Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux withdrew from consideration.