AL East Notes: Chavez, Ethier, Jones, Orioles, BoSox
Here's the latest from the AL East…
- Brian Cashman said there is still a chance Eric Chavez could return to the Yankees, reports ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand. Chavez could have the edge over other DH types like Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui since Chavez can still play the field.
- Mike Axisa of the River Avenue Blues blog sees Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier as an intriguing trade deadline possibility for the Yankees. Ethier would ideally be paired with Andruw Jones as a lefty-righty DH platoon.
- The Yankees still see Phil Hughes as a starting pitcher long-term and aren't likely to trade Hughes given that his trade value is "at a low point," writes MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. Last month for Roto Authority, I wrote that Hughes could be a nice dark horse fantasy option if he's healthy and able to win the No. 5 spot in New York's rotation.
- Orioles GM Dan Duquette tells MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski that he wants to get Adam Jones' 2012 salary settled before exploring a multiyear extension with the center fielder. "I've said several times that we like Adam Jones as a player and if we were to consider a long-term deal, that is something that we can certainly consider," Duquette said.
- Melewski also reports that Jones' arbitration case is set to be heard on February 17. The Orioles' other two outstanding arb cases (Jeremy Guthrie and Brad Bergesen) are scheduled for February 6 and 8, respectively.
- The Orioles are still looking for another bat, and it will probably have to come through the free agent market, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The O's had "tepid interest" in Casey Kotchman but had already moved on before Kotchman agreed to terms with the Indians today.
- The Red Sox have hired veteran scout Gary Hughes as a special assistant to the club, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter). Hughes has spent 45 years in a variety of different scouting and front office positions for numerous teams, including the last nine years as Jim Hendry's special assistant with the Cubs.
- The New York Times Co. has sold 100 shares of its ownership stake in Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Red Sox, reports MLB.com's Evan Drellich. The sale will net $30MM for the Times Co. Between this and a larger sale in July, the Times Co. is down to roughly a third of the 750 units it bought in Fenway Sports Group in 2002. Major League Baseball still has to approve the sale.
AL West Notes: Rangers, Trumbo, Morales, Mariners
Here's the latest from the AL West…
- The Rangers may be trying to trade Koji Uehara to clear payroll space for not necessarily Roy Oswalt, but rather a left-handed reliever like Mike Gonzalez, tweets FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. We heard last month that Texas was interested in Gonzalez. Both Uehara and Gonzalez were acquired by Texas in separate trades with the Orioles last summer, but while Gonzalez pitched for the Rangers throughout their playoff run, Uehara struggled in the ALDS and ALCS and was left off the World Series roster. Uehara, who has a limited no-trade clause, already rejected one deal that would've sent him to the Blue Jays.
- MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez looks at various scenarios facing the Angels surrounding Mark Trumbo's ability to play third base and Kendrys Morales' health.
- The Mariners have two players on their 40-man roster who are out of options: Mike Carp and Cesar Jimenez. As MLB.com's Greg Johns explains, Luis Rodriguez is also out of options but, as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training, he isn't on Seattle's 40-man roster.
- Also from Johns' mailbag piece, he doesn't think the Mariners need to sign a veteran DH like Johnny Damon or Vladimir Guerrero, arguing that the playing time is better served for young players like Carp, Jesus Montero and Casper Wells.
- The Mariners inquired about Yankees prospect Mason Williams during the Michael Pineda trade talks, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Williams, a 20-year-old center fielder, enjoyed a breakout campaign at low Class-A Staten Island last season, hitting .349/.395/.468 in just his second year of pro ball. Heyman is "hearing raves" about Williams' potential.
AL East Notes: Red Sox, Burnett, Blue Jays
The Yankees signed Alfredo Aceves on this date in 2008. The investment paid off, as the Yankees obtained 126 innings of 3.21 ERA baseball from the right-hander before non-tendering him last offseason. He signed with the rival Red Sox about a year ago and excelled in 2011, his debut campaign in Boston. Aceves' arbitration case remains unresolved and his 24-3 career record and 2.93 ERA should be enough to make things interesting should the sides go to a hearing. Here are today’s AL East links…
- Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said the hearings for Aceves and David Ortiz aren’t scheduled this week, Alex Speier of WEEI.com tweets.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman said last night at Sacred Heart University that he's comfortable with A.J. Burnett in his starting rotation, Matt Ehalt of ESPNNewYork.com reports. The right-hander has two years and $33MM remaining on his contract.
- The Yankees have three players on the 40-man roster with less than five years of service who are out of options: Boone Logan, Chris Dickerson and Justin Maxwell.
- Meanwhile, the Blue Jays have four such players in Rajai Davis, Luis Perez, Sergio Santos and Luis Valbuena. Jeff Mathis and Dustin McGowan have five-plus years of service and are out of options.
Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.
Outrighted To Triple-A: Kevin Whelan
The latest players to be outrighted off of big league rosters…
- The Yankees outrighted Kevin Whelan to Triple-A, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch tweets. Whelan posted a 2.75 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 52 1/3 innings at Triple-A in 2011. The 2005 fourth rounder owns a 3.23 ERA with 11.1 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 in seven minor league seasons. He was designated for assignment last week.
Yankees Hire Jim Hendry
4:00pm: The Yankees announced that they have hired Hendry as a special assignment scout.
11:57am: The Yankees have hired former Cubs GM Jim Hendry as a special assistant, ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine reports. The Cubs dismissed Hendry in August, before hiring Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer.
The Cubs won three division titles under Hendry (2003, '07, '08), but finished 71-91 in 2011 despite an Opening Day payroll of roughly $134MM. Overall, Chicago posted a 749-748 record under Hendry from 2002-11. MLBTR's Transaction Tracker details his moves, from the $91.5MM extension for Carlos Zambrano to his bargain signing of Kerry Wood last offseason.
Current D'Backs GM Kevin Towers worked for the Yankees after his tenure in San Diego ended, so this isn't the first time Brian Cashman has asked a former counterpart to join his baseball operations team. Hendry obtained a multiyear deal from the Yankees.
Minor Moves: Delcarmen, Tolbert, Gonzalez
The latest minor moves from around MLB…
- The Yankees signed Manny Delcarmen to a minor league contract, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. The right-hander, who last pitched in the Major Leagues in 2010, owns a 3.97 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 292 2/3 innings over the course of six MLB seasons. Delcarmen spent the 2011 season with the Triple-A clubs for the Rangers and Mariners.
- The Cubs announced that they signed infielders Edgar Gonzalez and Matt Tolbert to minor league deals that include invitations to MLB Spring Training. Tolbert appeared at short, second and third for the 2011 Twins, posting a .518 OPS in 226 plate appearances. The Twins outrighted him off of their roster in October. Gonzalez, 33, picked up MLB experience with the Padres in 2008-09, but spent last year with San Francisco's top affiliate. He posted a .315/.378/.457 line in 564 Triple-A plate appearances last year.
- The Cubs also confirmed their deals with Rodrigo Lopez, Manny Corpas, Trever Miller, Jason Jaramillo, Alfredo Amezaga, Bobby Scales and Joe Mather.
Yankees In Serious Talks With Bill Hall
The Yankees are in serious talks with utility man Bill Hall, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal thinks Hall could reprise a 2010 Red Sox-type role, and notes that the 32-year-old works out in the offseason with Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long. No deal is imminent and Hall is still considering a couple of teams, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
Hall began the season as the Astros' starting second baseman, but finished with a .211/.261/.314 line after adding a stint with the Giants. He received the contract on the strength of his 2010 season, in which he hit 18 home runs in 382 plate appearances. Hall seems highly likely to sign a minor league deal this offseason.
AL East Notes: Kuroda, Blue Jays, Camp, Selig
Some news from the AL East…
- Hiroki Kuroda's one-year, $10MM deal with the Yankees includes a full no-trade clause, reports FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link).
- Kuroda said he received offers from five or six Major League clubs and he eventually narrowed his choices down to the Yankees and the Hiroshima Carp, his former Japanese team, reports Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. Kuroda's desire to play for a contender led to his Yankee contract, as he turned down some more expensive offers to sign with New York.
- MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm doesn't think Manny Ramirez is a fit with the Blue Jays, as the Jays weren't interested in Ramirez last year since they want flexibility with the DH spot. Toronto did send scouts to see Ramirez hit in an indoor cage earlier this month.
- Also as part of Chisholm's fan mailbag, he thinks the Jays' bullpen additions spell the end of Shawn Camp's days with the club, though Camp should find Major League work elsewhere.
- Commissioner Bud Selig told reporters at the Chicago SoxFest event (including CSNChicago.com's Jim Owczarski) that he would like to get the issue of the Theo Epstein compensation package between the Red Sox and Cubs solved "as expeditiously as possible." Since the two teams weren't able to settle on compensation, it's now up to Selig. "It’s in my lap and I have information from both clubs and we’ll take it from there," the commissioner said.
- The Red Sox would use any extra payroll space on a player later in the season, rather than spend it now in "a bidding war" for Roy Oswalt or Edwin Jackson, a source tells WEEI.com's Rob Bradford.
- In case you missed it earlier today, the Rays signed Jeff Keppinger and designated Russ Canzler for assignment to create 40-man roster space.
Yankees Interested In Raul Ibanez
The Yankees have interest in Raul Ibanez, Kevin Kernan of the New York Post reports. Ibanez has drawn interest from a number of clubs, including the Mets and Tigers, in recent weeks. We heard ten days ago that ACES had contacted the Yankees about Ibanez, but this is the first concrete indication that the interest is mutual.
Ibanez posted a .245/.289/.419 line with 20 home runs in 575 plate appearances as the Phillies' everyday left fielder last year. The 39-year-old could provide the Yankees with an option at designated hitter or in the corner outfield positions. He owns a .286/.351/.488 line against right-handed pitching in 16 MLB seasons. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney suggested earlier today that Ibanez would be a good fit in the Bronx (Twitter link).
Yankees Sign Hiroki Kuroda
The Yankees have signed Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year contract, the team announced. Jack Curry of the YES Network first reported the agreement (Twitter link). The deal will pay Kuroda $10MM, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Kuroda is represented by the Octagon agency.
Kuroda was originally looking for a one-year deal worth $13-$14MM for next season, but recently dropped his asking price and was sending feelers out to the Yankees and Red Sox. Olney reports that Kuroda's salary was an "extra expenditure" approved by ownership, so the club will not have to move a similar salary in order to fit the team's payroll.
Kuroda turns 37 in February and comes to the American League after four years of pitching for the Dodgers. Kuroda has pitched at least 183 innings in three of his four years in the Majors and his career numbers include a 3.45 ERA, a 3.29 K/BB ratio and a 48.6% ground ball rate that should ease his transition from Dodger Stadium to Yankee Stadium. (Kuroda's career home/away splits are also virtually identical.)
Between Kuroda and the newly-acquired Michael Pineda, a once-shaky Yankees pitching staff has been overhauled and improved in just one day. C.C. Sabathia, Pineda, Kuroda and Ivan Nova project as the top four, with Phil Hughes, A.J. Burnett and Freddy Garcia fighting for the fifth spot in the rotation.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.