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Red Sox Talking To Roy Oswalt

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The Red Sox have ongoing contact with free agent pitcher Roy Oswalt, sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com (Twitter link).

Oswalt, not far removed from being a dependable top-of-the-rotation starter, has seen his stock fall this offseason due to injury concerns, with recent rumors suggesting he could end up with a one-year contract worth somewhere around $8MM.

In addition to the Red Sox, the Rangers and Cardinals are also thought to be interested in adding the right-hander, who could pay off in spades for a contender if he's back at full strength.

Boston has been aggressively purusing rotation depth recently, although Oswalt would be more than insurance if he were to sign. The Sox added Aaron Cook and Justin Germano on minor league deals, and they may be nearing an agreement with Vicente Padilla.

Red Sox, Saltalamacchia Avoid Arbitration

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The Red Sox and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia have avoided arbitration by agreeing to terms on a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, the team announced. The deal is worth $2.5MM, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.

Saltalamacchia, 27 in May, hit 16 homers and posted a .235/.288/.450 line in 386 plate-appearances for the Red Sox in 2011, his first full campaign in Boston. Once a highly touted prospect with the Braves, Salty has been something of a disappointment as a Major Leaguer, hitting .244/.307/.406 in nearly 1,300 career plate appearances over parts of five seasons, although catchers are known the develop late.

Matt Swartz of MLBTR projected Salty would earn $1.6MM in 2012 through arbitration, so the reported $2.5MM is favorable for the Munsey Sports Management client based on that projection.

Boston's remaining arbitration eligible players are Alfredo Aceves, Mike Aviles, Andrew Bailey, Daniel Bard, Jacoby Ellsbury, Franklin Morales and David Ortiz, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Pineda, Red Sox, Rays

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We've already rounded up some Orioles and Red Sox items this morning, but those aren't the only updates out of the AL East. Here are a few more:

Cafardo’s Latest: Zumaya, Carlos Lee, Oswalt

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At least three teams are "pushing hard" for Joel Zumaya, says Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. According to Cafardo, 50 scouts from 20 teams were in attendance for Zumaya's December workout, and the Red Sox and Padres are among the clubs who are very interested in the right-hander. Here are a few more items of interest from Cafardo's Sunday Baseball Notes:

  • An Astros source confirmed to Cafardo that the club has received a few inquires on Carlos Lee, as we heard earlier this week. The Rays briefly discussed a deal, but even half of Lee's $18.5MM salary figures to be too pricey for Tampa Bay.
  • A long-term extension doesn't look likely for Jacoby Ellsbury this week, but he and the Red Sox should avoid arbitration on a one-year deal before Tuesday's deadline.
  • Based on Hiroki Kuroda's deal with the Yankees, an NL GM thinks Roy Oswalt could be had for about $9MM for one year. There were rumblings this week suggesting Oswalt's current asking price may be even lower.
  • An NL scout on Edwin Jackson and his likely cost: "For that kind of money, you need more consistency out of him. I guess there's a lack of trust in that consistency. He's a great athlete, but he doesn't have a great feel for pitching. To me, he's still a complementary piece."
  • Ryan Spilborghs and Chad Qualls are two free agents to keep in mind for the Red Sox, says Cafardo. The Sox have "always liked" Spilborghs, who was non-tendered by the Rockies last month, and Qualls "has been on Boston's radar all offseason."

Red Sox, Vicente Padilla Moving Toward Deal

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SATURDAY: Padilla is getting closer to a deal with Boston, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.

THURSDAY: Despite the report that the Red Sox are “moving toward a deal” with Padilla, the Red Sox are merely “talking to [Padilla] among others” and there is “nothing to report” about the team’s interest, a major league source told Alex Speier of WEEI.com.  Padilla would be fit the mold of a buy-low pitcher for Boston and an industry source tells Speier that the right-hander is "healthy and throwing hard".

3:22pm: The Red Sox and Padilla are moving toward a deal, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.

12:28pm: Two days after signing Aaron Cook, the Red Sox are scouting another low-risk righty looking to rebound from injury. Vicente Padilla took leave of his native Nicaraguan winter league yesterday in order to fly to Boston, where he will be checked over today by team doctors, reports Francisco Jarquín Soto at the Nicaraguan paper El Nuevo Diario.

Padilla made only nine appearances for the Dodgers in 2011, all in relief, before neck problems ended his season in June. He also briefly took over the closer's job from Jonathan Broxton, though in recent years the 34-year-old has been a swingman and spot starter (he thrived in the role as recently as 2010). He has reportedly been hitting 95-96 mph with his fastball this winter in Nicaragua, and has said he wants to fight for a rotation spot. Seeing as the Red Sox have no shortage of hard-throwing righties in their revamped pen, Padilla could get his wish if his health permits.

Red Sox Notes: Wakefield, Varitek, Kuroda, Pineda

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Earlier today we learned that Red Sox GM Ben Cherington met with David Ortiz's agent on Friday to discuss Ortiz's 2012 salary.  The slugger earned $12.5MM last season and accepted Boston's arbitration offer back in December.  Here's more on the BoSox..

  • Manager Bobby Valentine told reporters that he "couldn't imagine" pitcher Tim Wakefield coming in and competing for a job, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.  That assessment is in line with Cherington's comments last week which insinuated that the knuckleballer wouldn't be with the Red Sox in 2012.  Wakefield, 45, posted a 5.12 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 23 starts and 10 relief appearances for Boston last season.
  • Valentine also doesn't see catcher Jason Varitek making the Red Sox roster if he chooses to make a go at it in Spring Training, Lauber writes.   It was reported yesterday that the Sox offered the veteran a minor league deal, but apparently the club hasn't put anything formal on the table.
  • Bobby V also weighed in on the Yankees' most recent acquisitions, Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda, writes Bryan Hoch of MLB.com (quotes from Ian Browne).  Valentine seems wary of Kuroda's transition from a great pitcher's ballpark in the National League to a more hitter friendly ballpark in the American League.

Red Sox Met With Ortiz’s Agent

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David Ortiz accepted Boston's arbitration offer last month, and yesterday GM Ben Cherington met with Fern Cuza, Ortiz's agent, to discuss Ortiz's 2012 salary, writes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.

The deadline for each side to submit arbitration figures is on Tuesday, and MacPherson writes that it's "unlikely" the two sides reach an agreement prior to that point. Big Papi earned $12.5MM last season and should see a raise; MacPherson notes that his production trailed only that of high profile names like Jose Bautista, Miguel Cabrera, and Adrian Gonzalez (only those three posted a higher OPS).

Ortiz was one of three Type A free agents to accept arbitration last month, with the others being Kelly Johnson and Francisco Rodriguez. When Tim Dierkes polled an MLB team executive, a former agency employee, and MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, estimates for Ortiz's 2012 salary ranged from $13-15MM. The two sides can continue to negotiate a salary up until the moment before an arbitration hearing begins.

Red Sox Avoid Arbitration With Ryan Sweeney

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The Red Sox have agreed to a one-year, $1.75MM deal with Ryan Sweeney, reports The Associated Press.  The deal allows Boston to avoid going to arbitration with Sweeney, who was arb-eligible for the second time in his career.  Sweeney is represented by Reynolds Sports Management. 

Sweeney was acquired by the Sox as part of the Andrew Bailey trade last month.  The left-handed batter hit .265/.346/.341 in 299 plate appearances for the A's last season and is currently slated to be part of a right field platoon at Fenway Park next year.

Matt Swartz projected Sweeney to earn $1.6MM in arbitration this winter.  The Red Sox have eight more arb-eligible players, as per MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker, including such big names as Bailey, David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury and Daniel Bard.

Red Sox Offer Varitek Minor League Deal

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5:31pm: Ben Cherington tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) that the Red Sox have not made Varitek any kind of formal contract offer.

3:31pm: The Red Sox have offered Jason Varitek the chance to come to Spring Training and compete, but they aren’t offering the 39-year-old catcher a roster spot, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Varitek seems likely to choose between accepting his longtime team’s invitation and retiring. If he does report to Spring Training, he’ll do so with the knowledge that Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Kelly Shoppach are likely to break camp with the Red Sox.

Varitek, a Scott Boras client who earned $2MM in 2011, doesn’t appear to be seeking opportunities elsewhere, Heyman reports. The Red Sox would have interest in hiring Varitek for a non-playing role at some point, but it's not as though he's unable to produce at the Major League level. He posted a .221/.300/.423 line with 11 home runs in 250 plate appearances in 2011, though he stopped just 14% of stolen base attempts against him. "Our hope is that Tek will always be a part of the Red Sox in some way," GM Ben Cherington told reporters last month.

Quick Hits: Playoffs, La Russa, Ordonez, Wood

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On this date in 2005, the Mets signed Carlos Beltran to a seven-year, $119MM contract. Beltran enjoyed some tremendous seasons and endured some difficult moments with the Mets, who traded him to San Francisco last summer. Here are today's links…

  • An extra wild card team is far from a sure thing for 2012, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark, as "big scheduling obstacles remain" to be worked out before baseball can expand its playoffs for this fall.
  • Tony La Russa has been "informally offered" Joe Torre's old job as MLB's executive vice president for baseball operations, reports USA Today's Bob Nightengale (via Twitter).  La Russa has given no indication that he is interested in the job. 
  • Magglio Ordonez intends to play in 2012, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports. The free agent outfielder is making progress in his recovery from right ankle surgery.
  • Kerry Wood said on the Waddle & Silvy Show on ESPN 1000 that there's "nothing new" to report on his near-deal with the Cubs.
  • Dan Johnson, the unlikely hero of the Rays’ exhilarating comeback in the final game of the regular season, tells Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that he’s still looking for a job.
  • Dodgers scout Carl Loewnstine continues working as he battles bone cancer, Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes. Loewnstine will be honored this weekend at a banquet benefiting the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation in California.
  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington and David Laurila of FanGraphs discussed the role of information in the decision making process of an MLB front office.
  • The Red Sox don’t expect to offer guaranteed deals to free agent pitchers, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. The asking price for Hiroki Kuroda and Roy Oswalt is dropping, but those pitchers aren’t likely to sign in Boston, Heyman writes.
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