AL East Notes: Yankees, Carp, Rodney, Orioles
The 2013 Yankees don't project to have as much depth as recent New York teams, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. This could make the club vulnerable, though the possibility of a championship still exists given the talent in place. Here are some more notes from the AL East…
- The Red Sox might be interested in Mike Carp, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes (on Twitter). Carp, who was recently designated for assignment by the Mariners, is a left-handed hitter with a career batting line of .255/.327/.413. The Red Sox have discussed Carp internally without deciding whether to pursue him, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter).
- Tampa Bay closer Fernando Rodney said he has not had extension talks with the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Rodney, who is set to hit free agency this coming offseason, said he would be open to a new deal with the Rays. He indicated multiple times this winter that he was nearing a deal with the Rays, but said today that his previous comments were mis-interpreted.
- While the Orioles considered trades for offense, they were reluctant to part with arms in potential deals, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. “I'd rather hold on to our young pitchers,'' executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette said. Though the Orioles didn't make headlines this winter, Heyman notes that Duquette earned the benefit of the doubt with Baltimore's strong showing in 2012.
New York Notes: Yankees, Bourn, Santana
Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters today that his team is capable of winning 95 games and the World Series. "If we play up to our capabilities, I believe we're a very good team," Girardi said (via Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News on Twitter). Here are some more links from New York as the Yankees and Mets begin Spring Training…
- Girardi said one of his biggest Spring Training concerns is finding a right-handed designated hitter, Feinsand reports (on Twitter). Juan Rivera and Matt Diaz could provide offense from the right side to complement lefty bats such as Travis Hafner and Dan Johnson.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports expects Derek Jeter to be a valuable contributor for the Yankees in 2013, even if this is the year the Yankees falter as a team.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes the Mets' interest in Michael Bourn "was essentially an empty pursuit" since the team wasn't about to sign Bourn without assurances that they'd keep their 11th overall draft pick. The Mets never made a firm bid for Bourn, and their suggestions did not include options for 2017. Sherman reported last night that the Mets made Bourn a four-year offer before he agreed to terms with the Indians.
- Johan Santana said he's not thinking about the trade deadline or free agency, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports (on Twitter). The left-hander will earn $25.5MM in 2013 and his contract includes a $25MM club option for 2014. Presumably the Mets will choose the $5.5MM buyout over the option.
Quick Hits: O’s, Verlander, Royals, Crawford
Justin Verlander repeated today that he wants to stay with the Tigers beyond 2014, when his current contract expires. “I love Detroit,” he said, according to John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press. “I feel like I’m a kindred part of that town. I grew up in front of these fans and earned my way into their hearts.” Verlander said he's not yet sure whether he and his representatives would be willing to negotiate during the season. Here are some more links from around MLB…
- Grantland's Jonah Keri interviewed Orioles GM Dan Duquette about the success of his team in 2012 and Duquette's outlook on 2013. Duquette feels that both Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman will be ready to make significant impacts on the club at some point in 2013.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark presents an in-depth look at the top stories to watch in each league during Spring Training this year. Stark's piece also includes breakdowns of the best and worst free agent signings, trades and more, according to a group of 16 baseball scouts and executives.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs lists the ten worst moves of the offseason with the caveat that "the worst moves aren’t as bad as bad as they used to be." The Royals make three appearances on the list after trading Wil Myers to obtain James Shields, acquiring Ervin Santana and signing Jeremy Guthrie for three years.
- Meanwhile, in another piece for Grantland, Keri examines the worst contracts in MLB starting with Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees and Carl Crawford of the Dodgers.
- Agents at Hendricks Sports have filed an MLBPA grievance against three MLB agents who left the firm for Excel Sports Management and took players with them, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal reports (on Twitter). Be sure to use MLBTR’s Agency Database for your agency-related inquiries.
AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Rays, Granderson
We've already checked in on the NL East clubs this morning, but there's also lots of news from the AL East as players arrive in Florida to prepare for the 2013 season. Here are the details…
- Toronto manager John Gibbons told Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that despite their offseason moves, it’d be premature to consider the Blue Jays AL East favorites. “You’ve got to look at the Yankees, they have earned that respect. You have to expect the Red Sox will bounce back and look what the Orioles and Rays have done,” Gibbons said. “Until we can do something like that, something like what the other teams have done, it’s better just to shut up. But we do like our talent.”
- The Rays will face harsh penalties for exceeding their draft bonus pool, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. Baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement limited teams to $2.9MM in international bonuses for 2012-13. The Rays spent more than $3.7MM internationally for the '12-13 period, which means they face a 100% tax on the overage and won't be able to sign a player for more than $250K in the coming year.
- Curtis Granderson told reporters he hasn’t been approached by his agent about any extension talks with the Yankees, Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger reports (on Twitter). Granderson, who is open to discussing a long-term deal, also said he’d consider moving to left field if necessary.
- Red Sox principal owner John Henry addressed a variety of topics earlier today and MLBTR has the details.
AL East Notes: Red Sox, Rays, Jacoby Ellsbury
The Yankees enter the 2013 season with a sense of uncertainty surrounding its aging roster in a division that could see all five teams make a run at the playoffs. New York does have a handful of minor league pitchers that may be of service to the squad in the near future including Mark Montgomery, a hard-throwing right-hander viewed as a potential successor to Mariano Rivera, according to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News.
- A lack of continuity at the shortstop position has been an issue for the Red Sox ever since the team traded away Nomar Garciaparra during the summer of 2004, but that trend may be about to change, writes Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. Boston will count on Stephen Drew to start at shortstop for the 2013 season, but will look to eventually turn the job over to Jose Iglesias, Xander Bogaerts or Deven Marrero, its top prospects at the position.
- The Rays will enter the 2013 season with a different look after the team made a series of trades and signings that impacted all aspects of the squad, says Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The moves allowed the Rays to keep their payroll in check as well as reload on young talent that will be able to help the team over the long haul.
- Jacoby Ellsbury's tenure with the Red Sox may come to an end next offseason as he is set to become a free agent along with the fact that Scott Boras is his agent, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. “Ellsbury is a very talented player and we know what he can do on the field when he’s feeling good physically,” Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said. “We’re obviously a better team when he’s on the field and we’d love for him to be a Red Sox for a long time."
AL East Notes: Yankees, Red Sox, Lester, Bailey
Here's a look at the American League East..
- Jon Lester knows that after a down year in 2012, teams will likely try to buy low on him, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com writes. The Red Sox left-hander is entering the final guaranteed season of his five-year, $30MM deal and Boston holds a $13MM option for 2014. So far, the two sides have yet to engage in extension talks.
- In his address to reporters in Tampa, Florida, Yankees co-owner Hal Steinbrenner explained that the club's much talked about plan to get under $189MM by 2014 isn't set in stone, writes Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. “Everybody keeps talking about the $189MM…Is that our goal next year? Yes, to be at that number, that’s our goal. But as I’ve said from the beginning, that depends on some of our young players stepping up and getting the job done. That has to happen. Or it’s going to be difficult," Steinbrenner said.
- Andrew Bailey is happy to have Joel Hanrahan in the mix, but he says that he eventually wants to return to being a closer and he wants to make it happen with the Red Sox, writes Tim Britton of the Providence Journal.
Yankees Notes: Cano, Steinbrenner, Kuroda, A-Rod
Earlier today, Yankees general partner Hal Steinbrenner chatted with reporters in Tampa, Florida. Here's a look at some highlights..
- The Yankees have spoken with Robinson Cano about a contract extension and Steinbrenner says that he hopes that the second baseman will be in pinstripes for life, writes Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Meanwhile, he seemed to indicate that the heavy lifting in talks will come later, tweets Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. Earlier this winter, it was reported that Cano would not give the Yankees a hometown discount.
- The Bombers are still looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder, but Steinbrenner believes that the team is already "championship caliber" as constructed, McCullough tweets.
- Steinbrenner doesn't like the perception that the Yankees haven't been spending this winter, Hoch writes. "That was a little disappointing," Steinbrenner said. "There was nothing cheap about [Hiroki] Kuroda's contract or [Andy] Pettitte's contract. Sometimes I just scratch my head." The Yanks' only major acquisition outside the organization was third baseman Kevin Youkilis, who signed a one-year, $12MM deal in December.
- Steinbrenner also said that the latest drug allegations surrounding Alex Rodriguez are "a concern, but it's out of our hands" while the matter is being investigated by Major League Baseball.
Quick Hits: Prospects, Yankees, Okajima, Carpenter
Jurickson Profar of the Rangers, Oscar Taveras of the Cardinals and Dylan Bundy of the Orioles top Keith Law's list of the best 100 prospects in baseball at ESPN.com. Five Cardinals occupy spaces on Law's top 100 list, which focuses on high-impact minor leaguers who could develop into MLB stars. Here are some links from around MLB with Spring Training approaching quickly…
- There’s lots of talent beyond the top 100, so Law looks at some prospects who just missed his primary list.
- General manager Brian Cashman said the Yankees are content to let MLB lead the investigation into Alex Rodriguez’s involvement with a Miami-based clinic that distributed performance enhancing drugs to prominent athletes. As Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger reports, the GM hasn’t spoken to Rodriguez about the issue, nor have others in the organization. “The only thing required from our end, right now, is patience and smarts,” Cashman said.
- Athletics GM Billy Beane said the team’s 25-man roster is now complete, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. However, Slusser reports that the A's are still considering free agent left-hander Hideki Okajima.
- Though Chris Carpenter is expected to miss the 2013 season, the Cardinals won’t be responsible for all of his $12.5MM salary. Insurance will cover some of that sum in 2013, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). That said, the Cardinals aren’t expecting major savings.
Orioles Claim Canzler, Designate Martinez
Russ Canzler's offseason travels haven't ended just yet — the Orioles announced that they claimed the first baseman/outfielder off of waivers from the Yankees. Baltimore designated catcher Luis Martinez for assignment in a corresponding move.
The Yankees designated Canzler for assignment four days ago to create roster space for Travis Hafner. Not surprisingly, he failed to clear waivers. This marks the fourth time this winter he has been claimed off of waivers: the Blue Jays claimed him on December 21st, the Indians claimed him on January 2nd, and the Yankees claimed him on January 4th.
Canzler appeared in 26 games for the Indians this past season. The 26-year-old posted a .269/.299/.398 batting line in 97 MLB plate appearances while playing first base and left field. He spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a .265/.328/.487 batting line with 22 home runs and 36 doubles in 539 plate appearances. Chris Cotillo first reported today's claim on Twitter.
The Orioles initially acquired Martinez from the Rangers with a January waiver claim. Martinez appeared in ten games with Texas this past season. He spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he hit .270/.350/.386 in 247 plate appearances. The 27-year-old also appeared in 22 games with the Padres in 2011, his first campaign in the Major Leagues.
Yankees To Sign Juan Rivera
FEBRUARY 5th: Rivera's deal includes a base salary of $1.2MM, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The deal includes $800K in incentives, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
JANUARY 28th: The Yankees have agreed to sign Juan Rivera to a minor league deal, Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com reports. Proformance represents Rivera, who began his MLB career with the Yankees.
Rivera played for the Dodgers in 2012, posting a .244/.286/.375 batting line with nine home runs in 339 plate appearances. The 12-year MLB veteran bats from the right side, meaning he’ll likely compete with Matt Diaz and Russ Canzler for playing time against left-handed pitching. The Dodgers declined Rivera's 2013 option earlier in the offseason, after using him at first base and in both corner outfield positions this past season.
Rivera played for the Yankees from 2001-03, but didn't get the chance to play full time until 2004, after the Expos acquired him along with Randy Choate and Nick Johnson for Javier Vazquez.