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AL East Notes: Red Sox, Blue Jays, Farrell, Ichiro

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The Red Sox have plenty of money to spend but a soft free agent market means that General Manager Ben Cherington will have to get creative to improve the club heading into 2013.  Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald looks at some of the available options, including Yankees first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher.  It doesn't seem likely that Swisher would be a fit for the Red Sox as he will turn 32 in November and believes that he's in store for a Jayson Werth-type deal.  While executives don't see the veteran getting something in the neighborhood of $126MM over seven years, he's still likely to net a lucrative multi-year pact.  Here's more out of the AL East..

  • The Blue Jays continue to suggest that they won't let manager John Farrell go to the Red Sox, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com isn't sure why as they don't seem to be sure about him in the long term.  Several people around baseball suggest that things are less-than-perfect between Farrell and the Toronto front office.
  • Of course, the Blue Jays could have a change of heart, and Alex Speier of WEEI.com looks at what it might cost the Red Sox to pry Farrell away.  The two deals that happened last year involving decision-makers suggest that Boston wouldn't have to forfeit an elite prospect in a trade.  While the Marlins shipped right-hander Jhan Marinez and infielder Osvaldo Martinez, ranked fourth and fifth in their farm system, to the White Sox for Ozzie Guillen, Jim Callis of Baseball America notes that their rankings were a reflection of Marlins' lack of minor league talent.
  • The union between Ichiro Suzuki and the Yankees has turned out to be an ideal marriage, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  General Manager Brian Cashman told Ichiro prior to the trade that he would have to shift to left field and hit towards the bottom of the lineup.  However, the outfielder has since moved up to second in the order and has seen time at all three outfield spots.

Pettitte Likely To Return Next Season

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Throughout the 2012 season, Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte has been non-commital when asked whether he would return next year.  However, the 40-year-old gave a strong indication that he will be back in 2013 as he gets ready to take on the Orioles in Game 2 of the ALDS, writes Mark Hale of the New York Post.

“I know one thing: I know the competition and the desire to compete is still there, and I don’t feel like I kind of got that itch out from the 70 innings or so that I threw this year,” Pettitte said.

Pettitte signed a one-year, $2.5MM minor league contract with the Yankees in March with no incentives attached.  The left-hander joined the varsity squad on May 13th but was sidelined in late June when a batted ball fractured his left fibula where it meets the ankle.  In 12 starts, Pettitte turned in a 2.87 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.

AL East Notes: Jones, Red Sox, LaRoche, Blue Jays

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Yesterday, the Yankees informed Andruw Jones that he will not be on the ALDS roster against the Orioles.  Jones says that he understands the move and won't consider retirement as a result, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post.  “I’m going to be playing,” said the 35-year-old. “I don’t know where, but I’m not done playing.”  Jones will be a free agent this winter as his one-year, $2MM deal expires.  Here's more out of the AL East..

  • The Red Sox have plenty of money to work with this winter thanks to their blockbuster deal with the Dodgers, but there isn't much for them to spend it on, notes John Tomase of the Boston Herald.  Tomase could see Boston targeting Adam LaRoche and Mike Napoli, but the Red Sox would be wary of a substantial long-term commitment to the latter.
  • If the Red Sox can't pry John Farrell away from the Blue Jays, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald suggests that they could instead target Toronto's first base coach Torey Lovullo. 
  • The Daisuke Matsuzaka era in Boston came and went without a bang, writes Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald.  Despite Dice-K's less-than-impressive pitching with the Red Sox, Buckley hopes that the club continues to put a strong emphasis on international scouting.

Minor Moves: 28 Players Elect Free Agency

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A total of 28 players — all with big league time under their belts — recently elected free agency after finishing the year in Triple-A. Here is the full list, courtesy of the International League and Pacific Coast League transaction pages…

AL East Notes: MacPhail, Cano, Rays, Blue Jays

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Bobby Valentine has officially been dismissed, which means the Red Sox will embark on their second managerial search in as many years. GM Ben Cherington has said he hopes to conclude the search earlier this time. Here are some notes on Boston’s division rivals…

  • Former Orioles president Andy MacPhail told Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he's happy for the team’s fans, players and executives. He acknowledged that it "would have been a lot of fun" to be present for Baltimore's playoff run, but said he doesn't regret stepping down to spend time with his family. MacPhail said he's starting to think about working in baseball again and noted that, at 59 years old, he's "way too young" to do nothing. "I think there are a variety of things that would interest me," he told Connolly.
  • MacPhail noted that Dan Duquette has done an excellent job of finding starting pitching depth this year.
  • Executives suggest an extension for Robinson Cano could cost the Yankees $200MM, Yahoo’s Jeff Passan writes. The second baseman says he hasn’t “thought about anything," but the Yankees can’t allow him to hit free agency in Passan’s view. New York will exercise its $15MM option for Cano after the season, delaying his free agency until the end of the 2013 season.
  • Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman said he's "not going to be flippant" about Tampa Bay's impressive pitching depth this coming offseason, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Friedman also said he expects to talk with Larry Reynolds, the agent for B.J. Upton, even though the sides aren't expected to agree to a new contract.
  • Mike Axisa rounded up the latest Red Sox-related rumors earlier today. Here's one more note from Boston: the Blue Jays would want “a decent player” in a deal for manager John Farrell, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports.

Curtis Granderson Previews MLBPA Offseason

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Curtis Granderson capped off the 2012 season with a two-home run effort at Yankee Stadium yesterday, as New York beat Boston 14-2 and clinched the American League East title. His season isn’t over yet — the Yankees will play in the Division Series starting this weekend — but for most of his peers in the MLB Players Association it’s time to look ahead ahead to the offseason. Granderson, a prominent member of MLBPA's Executive Board, expects this winter to unfold more quietly than last it did a year ago, when the players and owners negotiated a new collective bargaining agreement.

Curtis Granderson - Yankees (PW)

“All the main things that needed to be discussed happened last year,” Granderson told MLBTR this past weekend. “There won’t be any big, major holdups — just a few things to try to iron out that could start this year that may not finish up for the next couple of years. It’ll just be a lot of discussion.”

The talks will have a different tone this offseason. Though baseball’s players and owners negotiated their current CBA without any of the public bickering that has accompanied recent labor discussions in the NFL, NBA and NHL, tense moments are bound to occur while determining the financial structure of a $7 billion industry. Now that major issues such as the luxury tax, the amateur draft and revenue sharing have been resolved through 2016, the MLBPA can focus on other details.

“Obviously there are always issues each year that arise and different things from new helmet regulations, pace of game, different things with performance enhancing drug issues that we’ve had this year, scheduling with another team going to the American League, Interleague Play starting in the first week of the season,” Granderson said. “So just little things like that, but nothing major.”

Granderson, one of two association representatives for the MLBPA (Jeremy Guthrie of the Royals is the other), will keep in contact with his fellow players via phone calls and text messages over the course of the coming offseason. When a major issue emerges, the MLBPA attempts to reach as many players as possible.

“We have ways of getting in touch with everybody,” Granderson said. “Pretty quickly now, especially with everybody having a cell phone no matter where they happen to be in the world.”

When he’s not communicating with other MLB players, Granderson stays informed on labor unrest in other sports. Former MLBPA Executive Director Don Fehr represents NHL players in the current lockout, and Granderson, who worked a bit with Fehr in the past, has monitored talks with an outsider’s perspective.

“I’m still a fan,” he said. “I like watching those games and whenever they get the chance to go back out there, hopefully everybody’s taken care of.”

For now baseball players don't have major labor concerns of their own, which means fewer distractions for Granderson as the Yankees prepare for another postseason run.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Quick Hits: Ruiz, Mariners, Vargas, Gathright

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The Orioles' record-setting success in one-run games continued on Tuesday as they eked out a 1-0 victory over the Rays at Tropicana Field.  Both teams combined for just four hits in the game, with Chris Davis' solo homer accounting for the only run.  James Shields was the tough-luck loser as he threw a complete game two-hitter while striking out 15 O's batters.  The Yankees' 12-inning victory over the Red Sox tonight means that New York still holds a one-game lead over Baltimore for first place in the AL East.

Here's the latest from around the majors as we head towards the last day of the regular season…

  • Picking up Carlos Ruiz's club option for 2013 is "a formality," said Phillies GM Ruben Amaro tells CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury, though the club will still wait until after the World Series to make it official.  The 33-year-old Ruiz delivered a career-best .327/.397/.542 line in 416 plate appearances, making his $5MM option a foregone conclusion to be exercised.
  • Mariners players are happy that Safeco Field's fences will be moved in next season, reports MLB.com's Greg Johns, both for their own sakes and to help the team in acquiring free agent hitters.  "Every time a guy gets on first base, that's all they talk about, how terrible this place is to hit," said Justin Smoak. "Everybody hates hitting here…I'm sure there are a lot of guys out there that have declined coming here because of that reason. This should definitely change some things. Everybody is excited about it."
  • Safeco Field's adjustments will also impact Mariners pitchers, to the point that Fangraphs' Dave Cameron wonders if the M's could non-tender Jason Vargas.  MLBTR's Matt Swartz projects that Vargas will earn $8.1MM in his third trip through the arbitration process, a high price for a pitcher who has had severe home/road splits in three of his four seasons in Seattle.  This season, Vargas has a 2.74 ERA in 14 starts at Safeco and a 4.78 ERA in 19 road starts. 
  • Joey Gathright has tested positive for amphetamines and will face a 50-game suspension when he signs his next contract, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link).  Gathright last played in the Reds organization before being released by their Triple-A team in July.
  • Gordon Blakeley, a long-time scout and special assistant to Yankees GM Brian Cashman, is reportedly interested in leaving New York for a position with the Red Sox, reports ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes.
  • The Rays and Angels fell short of the postseason due to injuries and unexpected rises from the Orioles and Athletics, but MLB.com's Matthew Leach also points the finger at both teams' failed low-cost signings.  Luke Scott and Carlos Pena provided little offense for Tampa Bay, while LaTroy Hawkins and Jason Isringhausen didn't help stabilize the Halos' bullpen.

AL East Notes: Banuelos, Farrell, Ortiz, Steinbrenner

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Yankees prospect Manny Banuelos will undergo Tommy John surgery on Thursday, which is expected to keep the left-hander out of action for the entire 2013 season.  The 21-year-old was plagued by injuries this season and made just six Triple-A starts, posting a 4.50 ERA and an 8.2 K/9 rate in 24 innings.  Coming into the season, Banuelos was ranked as the 29th-best prospect in the sport by Baseball America.

Here's some more news from around the AL East…

  • Blue Jays manager John Farrell denied a recent internet report that claimed there was tension between he and GM Alex Anthopoulos, telling media (including MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm) that the report was "unfounded" and "irresponsible."
  • Also from Farrell, "there's nothing to suggest right now changes will be made" to the Blue Jays' coaching staff, tweets Sportsnet.ca's Shi Davidi.
  • In the opinion of David Ortiz, the Red Sox didn't err in acquiring Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, the slugger tells Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston. "No, I think when it comes down to that, I'm a big-time believer that you go for the best that is out there," Ortiz said. "Now if you don't get what you're expecting, that's a different story, but they went for what was the best out there."  Edes opines that the Sox should re-sign Ortiz to a two-year contract this winter.
  • Though the Yankees went from a big AL East lead in mid-summer to fighting for the division title with two games left, managing general partner Hank Steinbrenner told reporters (including MLB.com's Bryan Hoch) that the team's minor collapse won't lead to any offseason changes.  "Are jobs riding on this? Not that I know of," Steinbrenner said. "Jobs are not riding on this, but that's not something I'm concerned about right now. We look at everything in the offseason, as we always do."

Outrighted To Triple-A: Justin Thomas

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The latest outright assignments from around MLB…

Quick Hits: Oliver, Nationals, Yankees

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The Tigers have a magic number of one tonight, which means a win over the Royals or a White Sox loss would be enough to send Detroit to the postseason for the second consecutive year. Here are today's links as we await a full slate of games Monday night…

  • Agents Jeff Frye and Mike McCann have joined together, MLBTR has learned. Frye McCann Sports represents MLB players such as Mark Lowe, Darren Oliver, Shawn Kelley, Michael Saunders, Adam Moore and Stephen Pryor. Check out MLBTR’s Agency Database for details on all player representatives, including Frye, the eight-year MLB veteran, and McCann.
  • Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post profiles Nationals GM Mike Rizzo, detailing the journey he took from area scout to general manager. Years of scouting enable Rizzo to make determinations about players that inform his moves. “I like to call it knowledge more so than gut,” Rizzo said. I recommend reading the entire piece for an up-close look at the person who leads Washington’s baseball operations department.
  • Derek Lowe and Eduardo Nunez helped the Yankees win a crucial game against the Blue Jays yesterday, but it wasn't long ago that Lowe was unemployed and Nunez was a minor leaguer, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes.
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