Red Sox Notes: Jerez, Holliday, Bradley, Weiland
The Red Sox and Yankees are rivals all year long, even during the Home Run Derby. But Robinson Cano and the rest of the Yankees will be suiting up alongside Adrian Gonzalez and the rest of the Red Sox for one night only during tonight's All-Star Game…
- The Red Sox signed second round pick Williams Jerez, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The Dominican-born center fielder will obtain the bonus recommended by MLB, which will likely be $444K.
- Matt Holliday told the Boston Herald that he “thought there was a chance” of signing with the Red Sox after the 2009 season, when he hit free agency. The outfielder ended up staying in St. Louis on a seven-year, $120MM deal.
- Agent Scott Boras told Speier that Jackie Bradley Jr., a supplemental first round pick of the Red Sox, is doing well in his recovery from wrist surgery. Boras says Bradley is preparing to return to college (though he’s not going to concede leverage by saying that Bradley is preparing to sign).
- At Baseball America, Speier explains that Kyle Weiland has been the best player in Boston's minor league system this year. The 24-year-old has a 3.00 ERA in the minors and debuted in the Major Leagues before the break. Speier goes on to explain why Miles Head has been a pleasant surprise and why Drake Britton has been a disappointment in the subscriber-only piece.
Boras Doesn’t Expect Deal For Ellsbury During Season
Scott Boras told John Tomase of the Boston Herald that he doesn’t expect to discuss a new contract for Jacoby Ellsbury during the season, but the agent says he’s confident in his ability to work with the Red Sox, who control Ellsbury’s services through 2013.
Ellsbury is earning $2.4MM in his first season as an arbitration eligible player and he’ll also be arbitration eligible in 2012 and 2013. If and when Ellsbury hits free agency, Boras expects strong interest in his client.
“The market at the end of 2013 is going to be much different than the market of 2010,” he said. “It’s going to be widely more aggressive. The reason is there are just fewer players who can do what he’s doing.”
Ellsbury has a .316/.377/.490 line with a career-high 11 homers and a league-leading 28 stolen bases this year. The 27-year-old was limited to 18 games in 2010, when he had three stints on the disabled list with fractured ribs. Though the Red Sox may consider an extension for Ellsbury, there’s a definite possibility that one or both sides will prefer to go year to year instead of working out a long-term agreement.
Red Sox Notes: Papelbon, Ellsbury, Beltran, Ortiz
No American League team has more wins than the Red Sox, who boast a 55-35 record at the All-Star break despite a surprisingly slow start. Here's the latest on the Red Sox…
- The Red Sox haven't engaged Jonathan Papelbon in extension talks this season, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Papelbon hits free agency after the season and it's a situation that fellow free agent closer Heath Bell will be monitoring in case a job opens up at the back of Boston's bullpen.
- Scott Boras pointed out that Jacoby Ellsbury's combination of power, speed and defense is hard to find. “Your skill set to play centerfield and steal bases obviously generates itself around speed," the agent told Alex Speier of WEEI.com. "So, to go beyond and add an offensive power to that is hard to do. It’s a rare skill set.”
- Carlos Beltran told Speier that he would accept the trade to Boston if the Mets decide to move him. “They’re in first place,” Beltran said. “That’s a no-brainer.” Beltran is an unlikely target for the Red Sox, who don't have much money available and would prefer to find an internal solution, according to Speier. Beltran earns $18.5MM this year and has said that he would waive his no-trade clause under the right circumstances.
- David Ortiz, who will hit free agency after the season, told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that he hasn't heard anything about his future and isn't worried about it. Ortiz says he hopes to play for more than one season after 2011.
- Andre Ethier told Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe that he likes the idea of playing for the Diamondbacks with Dustin Pedroia late in their respective careers (Twitter link).
AL East Notes: Hardy, A-Rod, Millwood
Here are a few items of note coming out of the American League East. The Red Sox own a one-game lead over the Yankees in that tightly contested division as we hit the Midsummer Classic …
- Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy is hopeful that a contract extension will be agreed upon during the All-Star break, writes Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Said Hardy: “I hope it gets done during the break. I don’t know if it will. Right now, the ball is kind of in their court. That’s where it’s at.”
- Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez will undergo right knee surgery and miss four-six weeks, according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger (via Twitter). For now, it appears the Yanks will go with Eduardo Nunez in A-Rod's stead, writes Chad Jennings of LoHud.com. As Tim Dierkes noted a couple weeks back, the trade market for third basemen is pretty bleak. The best sensible trade candidate is probably Aramis Ramirez, but he, along with his agent, has been consistent in maintaining that he won't waive his no-trade clause.
- Red Sox pitcher Kevin Millwood was not called up from Triple-A Pawtucket recently despite Boston having an opening in its rotation, likely because it's easier to return Kyle Weiland to the minors than Millwood, writes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. Red Sox minor league director Mike Hazen said he expects Millwood to get his shot in Boston sometime later this season. Millwood chose not to opt out of his deal with Boston in June.
Red Sox Agree To Deal With Deoscar Romero
The Red Sox have agreed to terms with Dominican right-hander Deoscar Romero, team Senior Vice President of Player Personnel and International Scouting Craig Shipley told Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Romero will receive a $600K bonus.
Romero, 16, stands at 6-foot-3 and throws 89-91 mph with an advanced delivery for a pitcher his age. He also features a curveball and changeup, with the curve considered the more advanced pitch.
Red Sox To Sign Raymel Flores
The Red Sox have reached agreement on a deal with Dominican shortstop Raymel Flores, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com (Spanish link). Flores' signing bonus is worth $900K.
Flores, 16, is a switch-hitter and stands out for his defensive skills. This marks the second notable international signing by the BoSox this week as they inked Dominican outfielder Manuel Marcos to an $800K deal on July 4th.
Mets Listening On Carlos Beltran
The Mets are beginning to accept calls on Carlos Beltran, according to Kevin Kernan of the New York Post and “people are calling” about the outfielder.
Beltran, who has said he’ll waive his no-trade clause in the right deal to a contender, met with agent Scott Boras to discuss trade possibilities. Few teams, if any, could afford Beltran’s $18.5MM salary, since he’ll still be owed $6MM or so at the end of July. He currently projects as a Type A free agent, but the Mets cannot offer him arbitration after the season.
The Yankees aren’t interested in Beltran, though the Red Sox are a possible fit given the low level of offensive production Boston has received from its right fielders this year. Mets GM Sandy Alderson says “it’s still a little bit early” to make deals, since the Mets are “relevant” in the race for playoff berths.
AL East Links: Red Sox, Rays, Orioles
The Orioles cut ties with Garrett Atkins one year ago today. The corner infielder hit just .219/.282/.292 with one homer in 49 plate appearances for Baltimore. Let's round up the latest from AL East…
- Sources have told Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Red Sox have not yet pursued any starting pitchers. Boston is without Clay Buchholz, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and now Jon Lester due to injury.
- The Rays confirmed the signing of Dominican catcher Eric Otanez as well as eight other Latin American free agents in a press release. Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times has the full list.
- The Orioles have signed tenth round draft pick Tyler Wilson, reports Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com. The size of the Virginia right-hander's signing bonus is unknown.
2012 Vesting Options Update
The season is offically more than halfway complete now, so let's update the status of the various vesting options from around the league…
- Bobby Abreu, Angels: $9MM option vests with 433 plate appearances. Abreu is just 82 plate appearances short of that total, so this one will vest later this month, barring injury.
- Rafael Furcal, Dodgers: $12MM option vests with 600 plate appearances. Injuries have limited Furcal to just 82 plate appearances this year, so this one won't be vesting.
- Jon Garland, Dodgers: $8MM option vests with 190 innings pitched. A few days ago we heard that Garland is unlikely to pitch the rest of the season due to a shoulder issue. He's at 54 innings, so the Dodgers won't have to worry about this one vesting either.
- Francisco Rodriguez, Mets: $17.5MM option vests with 55 games finished and if doctors declare him healthy at the end of the year. K-Rod has finished 32 games already, putting him on pace for 60. A trade to a team that would use him as a setup man would change things, though we recently heard that some GMs beleieve Rodriguez's trade value is reaching a "tipping point" as he racks up the games finished.
- Koji Uehara, Orioles: $4MM option vests with either 55 appearances or 25 games finished. Uehara has appeared in 35 games and finished 16, putting him on pace for 68 and 29, respectively.
- Arthur Rhodes, Rangers: $4MM option vests with 62 appearances and if he's not on the disabled list at the end of the season. Rhodes has appeared in 28 games so far, and he's on pace for 52. Texas will need to use him a little more liberally down the stretch for this one to kick in.
- Joakim Soria, Royals: $6MM option vests with 55 appearances. With 35 appearances already to his credit, Soria is on pace to pitch in 69 games this year.
- Dan Wheeler, Red Sox: $3MM option vests with 65 games; increases to $3.25MM with 70 games. Wheeler has appeared in 26 games this year with a disabled list stint mixed in. He'd have to appear in 39 of the team's final 77 games for the option to vest, which seems unlikely.
Adam Wainwright's 2012 ($9MM) and 2013 ($12MM) options will not vest because he will finish the season on the disabled list after having Tommy John surgery. Aramis Ramirez's option depends on MVP Award finishes and whether or not he's traded, not plate appearances or another counting milestone.
Davidoff On Twins, Indians, Reyes, Rays
Since few teams have been completely eliminated from contention, the trade market is developing slowly, according to Newsday’s Ken Davidoff. As of today, the top commodity available is relief pitching and there’s lots of interest in that department. Here are the rest of Davidoff’s notes on the trade market:
- Heath Bell, Francisco Rodriguez, Chad Qualls and Luke Gregerson are available.
- The Mets believe they can keep their fans interested even if they trade Rodriguez.
- The Diamondbacks, Brewers, Cardinals and Rangers are among the teams that are heavily in the mix for relievers.
- It appears extremely unlikely that the Mets will trade Jose Reyes, but his top suitors would likely include the Reds, Indians, Giants and Mariners, four teams that have poked around for infield help, according to Davidoff. It’s even possible that the Red Sox would pursue Reyes if he became available.
- The Orioles aren’t quite ready to shop Koji Uehara and the Twins aren’t quite ready to shop Matt Capps. In fact, the Twins aren’t going to sell until they’re sure they’re out of contention.
- The Yankees are focused on finding a lefty reliever, a commodity the Red Sox and Tigers would also like to acquire.
- Though no frontline starters appear to be available, the Yankees are looking to acquire a top starter. Cleveland and Detroit are also looking for rotation help.
- The Mariners are looking for an outfielder and the Phillies are still looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder.
- One official says the Rays are “buying and selling.” Johnny Damon could be had in the right deal, according to Davidoff.