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AL East Notes: Red Sox, Lester, Orioles, Reynolds

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Yesterday, Red Sox President Larry Lucchino took some time to talk to the press in the midst of the team’s recent turmoil.  Lucchino told reporters, including Tim Britton of The Providence Journal (via Twitter), that despite the criticism the club has faced in recent weeks, “The cynical, jaded media do not necessarily capture the voice of the fan base.”  Here’s more out of Fenway and the rest of the AL East..

  • Boston has been a desirable free agent destination for the better part of the last decade, but pitcher Jon Lester isn’t sure if that is still the case, writes Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.  “I don’t know,” Lester said. “It’s always been a demanding place to play, but until the last two years, it always was about baseball. Now we’ve got things written and said about guys’ personal stuff as human beings, as people. Now you’re starting to question people’s manhoods. That’s where it gets hard.”  Meanwhile, Lucchino doesn’t believe that the drama will dissuade players from wanting to come to Boston.
  • Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com wonders if Mark Reynolds may be playing himself into the Orioles’ plans for 2013 with his recent hot streak.  Baltimore is unlikely to pick up his $11MM option for next season but they could non-tender him and bring him back for considerably less.  In total, Reynolds isn’t having a stellar year by his standards, hitting .220/.335/.413 with 12 homers in 355 plate appearances.
  • If the Red Sox decide to make a managerial change, Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests Jason Varitek as a good fit for the clubhouse.  The success of Robin Ventura of the White Sox and the Cardinals’ Mike Matheny should make clubs feel better about first-time managers, Sherman opines.
  • Meanwhile, Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com has a different ex-player in mind: Bill Mueller.  Mueller is currently serving as a special assistant in the Dodgers’ front office and like Varitek, doesn’t have any managerial experience.

Red Sox Place Aaron Cook On Trade Waivers

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The Red Sox have placed Aaron Cook, Felix Doubront, and Andrew Miller on trade waivers, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  Cafardo notes that while Doubront won't be going anywhere, Cook is a trade candidate.

In ten starts this season, Cook has a 4.58 ERA with 1.1 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9.  The 33-year-old inked a minor league deal with Boston over the winter, worth $1.5MM prorated upon his promotion to the big leagues.  The Red Sox waited until the 11th hour to call him up rather than trigger his opt-out clause, but ultimately putting him on the big league roster in early May.

The right-hander was said to be drawing "modest interest" from clubs in late July.  The Rangers were scouting Cook at one point last month but wound up backing off closer to the deadline.

Red Sox Acquire Beato To Complete Shoppach Deal

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The Red Sox have acquired right-hander Pedro Beato from the Mets as the player to be named later in the Kelly Shoppach trade, reports ESPN's Keith Law (on Twitter). New York acquired Shoppach earlier this week.

Beato, 25, has pitched to a 4.67 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 71 1/3 relief innings with the Mets over the last two seasons. They originally acquired him as a Rule 5 Draft pick from the Orioles prior to last season, then retained his rights by keeping him on the roster all summer. Beato has pitched to a 4.14 ERA in 37 Triple-A innings this season while also missing time with a shoulder problem.

Giants Seeking Outfield Help

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The Giants are seeking outfield help following Melky Cabrera's 50-game suspension, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). For now the team plans to promote Justin Christian from Triple-A and stick with Gregor Blanco, Angel Pagan, and Hunter Pence as the regulars.

Rosenthal reports that Scott Hairston and Juan Pierre have yet to be placed on trade waivers, though the Diamondbacks would likely block both players from getting to San Francisco. Arizona has a higher waiver priority and both Hairston (approximately $300K) and Pierre ($200K) are reasonably priced for the remainder of the season. Alfonso Soriano remains unlikely to approve a trade to the 2010 World Champs.

Kevin Millwood and Josh Beckett still have yet to be placed on waivers according to Rosenthal. The Red Sox have put a handful of players through waivers but otherwise have remained quiet this month.

East Links: Blanton, Valentine, Swisher, Mets

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Three of the four best records in baseball belong to teams in the East divisions, as the Reds join the Nationals, Yankees, and Braves as the only clubs to win at least 68 games so far this season. Here is the latest from the NL East and the AL East…

  • The player to be named later in the Joe Blanton trade will be named today, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark (on Twitter). It's expected to be a pitching prospect. The Phillies traded Blanton to the Dodgers earlier this month.
  • In an appearance on The Dennis & Callahan Show Thursday morning, Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino responded with an unequivocal "yes" when asked if Bobby Valentine will manage the team for the rest of the season according to WEEI.com's DJ Bean.
  • Joel Sherman of The New York Post says that Melky Cabrera's suspension will impact other impending free agent outfielders, including Nick Swisher. Sherman also speculates that Melky could be a fit for the Mets at the right price, since they know he'll have no trouble adjusting to New York.

Quick Hits: Villanueva, Hammel, Cabrera, Hamilton

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Orioles pitcher Jason Hammel is on the mend and set to return next month.  With that in mind, O's General Manager Dan Duquette doesn't seem terribly focused on adding a starting pitcher, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • Blue Jays right-hander Carlos Villanueva hopes to stay in Toronto, but wants to do so as a starting pitcher, writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.  Villanueva avoided arbitration with a $2.2775MM deal this winter but would likely look for a significant pay bump as a starter.
  • This winter's free agent market figured to be light on heavy hitters anyway, but Melky Cabrera's situation means that the Rangers would have an even harder time replacing Josh Hamilton, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  One Texas official cautiously predicted that the slugger would re-sign with the team, but we learned last week that Hamilton will wait until the offseason to negotiate.
  • It hasn't been a successful year for the Astros, but things could get worse upon their arrival in the American League West, writes Randy Harvey of the Houston Chronicle.
  • Speaking of the Astros, they released 2008 second-round pick Jay Austin earlier today (hat tip to Jayne Hansen of What The Heck, Bobby).  The 22-year-old outfielder never advanced beyond Advanced-A ball in his time with Houston.
  • Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine is staying upbeat in the face of the latest controversy surrounding him and the club, writes MLB.com's Ian Browne.  Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia were reportedly the most vocal in a meeting between the players and principal owners regarding Valentine.

Red Sox Notes: Valentine, Shoppach, Gonzalez

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Earlier today, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported that Red Sox players met with owners John Henry and Larry Lucchino in late July to voice their displeasure with manager Bobby Valentine.  Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia were said to be among the most vocal in the meeting and GM Ben Cherington confirmed that the pow-wow took place.  Here's the latest out of Fenway..

  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) opines that the trade of Kelly Shoppach in order to give Valentine favorite Ryan Lavarnway more playing time can't be a bad sign for Bobby V.  Boston will receive a player to be named later from the Mets in exchange for the backstop.
  • Valentine told reporters, including Tim Britton of The Providence Journal, that he is glad to have the reported unrest behind him.  "Wow.  Is that what was said really?  That's what Dustin and Adrian said?  It did say that?  I didn't hear that.  I'm glad that July is over because they're still playing for me," said the skipper.
  • The Red Sox players haven't kept an open mind about Valentine ever since his remarks about Kevin Youkilis back in April, tweets Buster Olney of ESPN.com.  In an interview, Valentine said that he didn't think the veteran was "as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason.”

Mets Acquire Kelly Shoppach From Red Sox

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The Mets have acquired catcher Kelly Shoppach from the Red Sox on a waiver claim in exchange for a player to be the named, New York announced (via Twitter).

Shoppach, 32, hit .250/.327/.471 in 158 plate appearances with Boston this season and is a career .227/.316/.422 hitter. He's notably tougher on lefties, though, hitting .270/.364/.530 in his career against southpaws, and has thus been deployed primarily in platoons. Shoppach earns $1.35MM in 2012 and will be a free agent at season's end.

Quick Hits: Lowe, Padres, Hairston, Twins, Tigers

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Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com notes (on Twitter) that the MLB owners meetings will be held in Denver later this week. They are expected to vote on the sale of the Padres, but the Athletics/Giants/San Jose issue is unlikely to be resolved. Here's the latest from around the league…

Quick Hits: Mets, Gerrit Cole, Aviles

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The Games of the XXX Olympiad came to a close today in London. Nearly 11,000 athletes from 204 nations took part in over 300 events in 26 sports. But, none of the Olympic pagentry involved baseball. So, let's celebrate America's National Pastime with the latest news, notes and quotes: 

  • Not everyone in the Mets front office is sold that they can be a sustained contender moving forward with Ike Davis at first base, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. One internal option would be moving Lucas Duda in from the outfield and some believe that he would be more comfortable at first.
  • Mets owner Fred Wilpon wouldn't speak with reporters following a rare on-field appearance before last night's game against the Braves, but he'll have to start answering questions soon, writes David Lennon of Newsday. There are a lot of unknowns surrounding the Mets, including what their projected payroll will be for 2013 and if the franchise is on the rebound financially.
  • Pirates GM Neal Huntington says Gerrit Cole, last year's top draft pick, will not be a September callup, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Sulia). "We've not talked about it internally. My gut (feeling) is no." Huntington said. "To drop him into bullpen up here in September is not something we have lot of interest in doing. We have a lot of other options, instead of rushing a young prospect." Cole is currently starting at Double-A Altoona.
  • The A's had interest in Mike Aviles prior to the trade deadline, but a deal is unlikely now the Red Sox have placed the shortstop on waivers, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Slusser says the chances are slim the A's will acquire a shortstop before the August 31st deadline for playoff-roster eligibility.

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

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