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Quick Hits: Cubs, McCann, Cespedes, Smoak, Broxton

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Some links as Tuesday turns into Wednesday…

  • “Like I’ve always said, there is one person responsible for making those decisions, and one person accountable for those results,” said Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts to reporters (including Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune) when asked about the possibility of signing a player to a mammoth contract. “So if [Theo Epstein] believes strongly that’s what’s in the best interests of the team, then he’s got my support.” Earlier today we heard that the Cubs are pursuing both Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder.
  • Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if the Braves will offer Brian McCann a long-term contract extension soon. The six-time All-Star will make $11.5MM in 2012 and the team holds a $12MM club option for 2013, so there's no urgency to get a deal done at the moment.
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo is currently in the Dominican Republic scouting Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. On Monday we heard that Washington views Cespedes as an alternative to Fielder.
  • The Mariners have interest in Fielder, and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says (on Twitter) that they would make Justin Smoak available in a trade if they manage to sign the free agent slugger.
  • Before he agreed to join the Royals, the Red Sox expressed interest in Jonathan Broxton according to Scott Lauber of The Boston Herald. Broxton wanted to sign before the winter meetings, and Lauber's source said that was “a little quicker than [the Sox] were comfortable with."
  • There is no more than a "10 percent" chance that Rays GM Andrew Friedman could be convinced to take the Astros GM job according to one executive that spoke to Friedman and ESPN's Jayson Stark (Twitter link).
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman offered a “would not say" to George A. King III of The New York Post when asked if he has any interest in Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima. The Seibu Lions posted Nakajima on Monday.
  • Kelvim Escobar hopes to pitch in winter ball next month, agent Peter Greenberg told Mike Puma of The New York Post (Twitter link). The 35-year-old righty hopes to get back to MLB despite having pitched in just one game since 2007.

Red Sox To Hire Bobby Valentine

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Bobby Valentine will become the next manager of the Red Sox, reports Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston (on Twitter). He is expected in town on Wednesday. Mike Lynch of WCVB-TV in Boston was the first to report that the two sides had reached a verbal agreement (Twitter link).

The job was offered to Valentine while he was in Japan for personal business over the last few days, adds Edes (on Twitter). He immediately accepted. ESPN's Karl Ravech reported earlier tonight that Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont was out of the running for the job.

Valentine, 61, will be the 45th manager in team history. He has previous managed the Rangers (1985-1992) and Mets (1996-2002), as well as the Chiba Lotte Marines (1995, and 2004-2009). He led the Mets to the 2000 World Series and the Marines to the 2005 Japan Series. The Rangers and Mets went a combined 1117-1072 under his watch.

Minor Moves: Podsednik, Evans, Pena, Astros, Ray

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Here's where we'll keep track of today's minor moves…

  • The Phillies have signed outfielder Scott Podsednik to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 35-year-old did not appear in the big leagues last year, instead hitting .254/.340/.396 in the Phillies' and Blue Jays' farm systems.
  • The Pirates have signed Nick Evans to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, reports Andy Martino of The New York Daily News. The 25-year-old hit .256/.314/.403 line in 194 plate appearances with the Mets last season, playing all four corner positions
  • The Red Sox re-signed Tony Pena to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to Stark. The converted shortstop would earn $625K if he makes the big league team.
  • The Astros signed catcher Carlos Corporan to a minor league deal and invited him to Major League Spring Training, according to Alyson Footer of the Astros (on Twitter).
  • The White Sox signed Brian Bruney to a minor league deal, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The right-hander would earn $600K for making the big league team.
  • Robert Ray signed a minor league deal with the Marlins, according to Crasnick.
  • The Phillies signed left-hander Pat Misch and infielder Kevin Frandsen to minor league contracts, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (Twitter links). Misch, 30, appeared in six games for the Mets this past season, spending most of the year with Triple-A Buffalo. He posted a 4.00 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 141 2/3 innings as a starter for the Bisons. Frandsen, who last appeared in the Major Leagues in 2010, spent the 2011 season in the Phillies' minor league system and posted a .309/.361/.430 line in 338 plate appearances.
  • The Diamondbacks signed right-handed reliever Jensen Lewis to a minor league deal, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned (Stark originally reported the Rangers signed him). Lewis, 27, would earn $675K in the Major Leagues, according to Stark. Lewis spent the 2011 season at Triple-A, but has a career ERA of 3.68 with 8.0 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in parts of four MLB seasons.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Orioles, Reddick

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Two AL East teams brought in new general managers this offseason and a third club faces the possibility that its GM will leave for another team. Here are some notes from the division, starting in New York City, where Brian Cashman has been running the Yankees since 1998…

  • Though the Yankees would have interest in Matt Garza, they aren’t having high-level trade talks with any team about starting pitchers, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). The Cubs appear to be willing to listen on Garza, who’s under team control through 2013.
  • Red Sox bench coach DeMarlo Hale is the Orioles' top choice to be their next third base coach, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). Hale, who is still under contract in Boston, is considering the Orioles' job. 
  • The Red Sox have gotten some play on 24-year-old outfielder Josh Reddick, according to Yahoo’s Tim Brown. Should Boston sign Yoenis Cespedes, Carlos Beltran or Michael Cuddyer, GM Ben Cherington might part with Reddick, who posted a .784 OPS in 278 plate appearances while playing all three outfield positions this past season.

Latest On Boston’s Managerial Search

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The Red Sox are down to two candidates for their managerial opening: Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont and former MLB manager Bobby Valentine. Here are the latest rumors regarding Boston's search:

  • There's a belief in the industry that the Red Sox will tell Valentine and Lamont who they've chosen tomorrow, when Valentine returns from Japan, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter).
  • Valentine has strong supporters and may be Boston's next manager, but Lamont has a "very real" shot at the position, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
  • Neither Lamont nor Valentine has heard back from the Red Sox as of 4pm CDT, according to Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN (on Twitter).
  • The Blue Jays are showing zero inclination to let manager John Farrell go, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. The Blue Jays made their intentions clear by announcing that they "will not grant permission for lateral moves.”

The Latest On Boston’s Managerial Search

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The Red Sox are down to two candidates for their managerial opening: Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont and former MLB manager Bobby Valentine. Here are the latest rumors regarding Boston's search:

  • There have been no contract negotations between the Red Sox and Valentine, reports Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe (on Twitter).
  • Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe reports (on Twitter) that Lamont has not yet been told he is out of the running.
  • Lamont is no longer a candidate for the job, reports ESPN's Karl Ravech (Twitter links). The position has not yet been offered to Valentine, but that appears imminent.

This post was originally published on November 28th.

Astros Links: Rodriguez, Wade, Mills

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Ed Wade's tenure as Astros GM lasted four years and a few months, as his dismissal was announced last night.  David Gottfried will serve as interim GM.  New Astros president and CEO George Postolos described the team's criteria for their next GM in a statement last night:

"We are searching for a candidate who has the knowledge, skills and experience to build a winner and a strong commitment to player development in order to sustain success. Our goal is to consistently compete for a championship, and we know the first step towards that goal is to develop one of the top farm systems in baseball. We will hire the best candidate available to achieve our goal."

That's a pretty standard-issue statement.  Here are today's Astros links…

  • The Astros don’t expect to hire a new GM before the Winter Meetings begin next Monday, according to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart.
  • There’s a “decent-sized” market for Wandy Rodriguez if the next Astros GM wants to move him, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (on Twitter).
  • Wade was informed by owner Jim Crane and Postolos Wednesday morning that he wouldn't return, he told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.  The Astros will be paying him through 2013.  Wade expressed disappointment he won't be able to see the rebuilding project through to the end.  He added, "We were able to acquire Randy Wolf, LaTroy Hawkins and Jose Valverde and several other players, who, in different economic circumstances, we could have retained and could have been more successful at the big league level.  The last couple of years in the economic environment we were in, we were in position of being mandated to trade iconic players — Berkman and Oswalt in 2010 and then young All-Stars in Bourn and Pence and [Jeff] Keppinger, who was a solid piece to our club." 
  • Wade indicated he wants to find a new job in baseball quickly, saying, "I haven't had a lot of down time and I'm not looking for down time."
  • Wade "inched the franchise back toward respectability," in the opinion of Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.
  • One "really smart executive" estimated that the Astros will take four to seven years to become respectable again, writes ESPN's Buster Olney.
  • The Astros will choose their new GM before clarifying the status of manager Brad Mills, hears SI's Jon Heyman (Twitter link).  Mills is not a candidate to return to Boston as their next manager, tweets Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.

International Links: Hanley, Ortiz, Aybar

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Links are in Spanish…

  • As the Marlins' courtship of Jose Reyes enters its second month, it remains unclear what the addition of Reyes would mean for Hanley Ramirez. As of late October, the team reportedly still hadn't spoken with Ramirez about a position change, and according to one source, he is opposed to moving. Ramirez seemed to cede some authority to the team while attending a winter league game last Wednesday, telling Caribe Multimedia, "I am the Marlins' shortstop… As of now, I'm the shortstop. Jose Reyes is a quality player, and he would be welcome on the team if we sign him. But in this case, the front office has the last word." Ramirez's claim to the six-hole is tempered in the immediate future by his recovery from shoulder surgery, which he admitted could cause him to miss some of Spring Training.
  • We've already heard today that David Ortiz has an offer in hand and is seeking a three-year deal. Ortiz reinforced that he has value on the open market in an interview with Julio Valdez at Dominican daily El Nacional, saying,"I'd like to stay in Boston — I'd really like to stay — but I'm not going to play for free."
  • Willy Aybar recently told a panel of appellate court judges in the Dominican Republic that he has a contract with a team in Japan for the upcoming season, but as to whether he'll be able to honor it, the 28-eight-year-old said, "Only God knows." According to Guillermina Santos at the Dominican daily El Día, the judges then ordered Aybar to remain in prison for allegedly assaulting his wife and disturbing the peace earlier this month, a decision which Aybar's lawyer says he will appeal.

David Ortiz Seeks Three-Year Deal

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Free agent designated hitter David Ortiz seeks a three-year deal, reports Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.  An industry source tells Silverman Ortiz is drawing "serious interest" from more than one team and has an offer in hand.  He and the Red Sox maintain mutual interest about a new deal, and Ortiz intends to allow them to match any offer.

One wrinkle for Ortiz is that signing him comes with the tax of the loss of a draft pick, assuming he turns down Boston's arbitration offer.  If Ortiz is serious about getting multiple years, he'll have to turn down that arbitration offer on December 7th.  The Blue Jays, a somewhat reasonable match for Big Papi, probably aren't keen on giving the Red Sox their #17 pick in next year's draft.  Last week, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote that the arbitration offer is one reason the Red Sox are "more likely than not" to retain Ortiz.  

Red Sox Notes: Manager, Bard, Sizemore, Lamont

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Boston's lengthy managerial search should be coming to an end this week, as the team is expected to hire either Bobby Valentine or Gene Lamont as its skipper within the next few days. As Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes, Valentine may not be the safe choice, but the club must determine whether or not he's the best choice.  Here's more on the Red Sox..

  • The Red Sox have yet to make an offer to Bobby Valentine, an industry source told Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com. 
  • With perception being that ownership wants Valentine while Gene Lamont is championed by GM Ben Cherington, it would take quite a bit of fortitude from Cherington to go against the owners, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post expects the Red Sox to hire Valentine.
  • Boston should convert Daniel Bard into a starter rather than a closer, argues Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Former Sox pitching coach Curt Young acknowledges that Bard "does have a starter's repertoire."
  • Within the same piece, Silverman adds that Grady Sizemore's agreement with the Indians caught the Red Sox and some other clubs by surprise, as they thought there would be more time to negotiate with the outfielder.
  • Bronson Arroyo believes that his former manager in PIttsburgh, Gene Lamont, could be a successful manager in Boston, writes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.  The pitcher added that Lamont has a similar managerial style to Terry Francona.
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