Quick Hits: Red Sox, Cubs, Cabrera
Red Sox principal owner John Henry has no intention of selling the team, he says in a wide-ranging interview with Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald. "I’ve not had one partner in 11 years suggest thinking about selling the Red Sox, even though they haven’t received dividends," he says. Henry also defends club president and CEO Larry Lucchino, saying Lucchino "revolutionized the game" with the building of Camden Yards in Baltimore, and adding that Lucchino's focus on revenue is critical to the Red Sox maintaining a high payroll. Henry also suggests that Lucchino will one day be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Here are more notes from around the majors.
- The Cubs' trade of Sean Marshall to the Reds for Travis Wood, Dave Sappelt and minor-leaguer Ronald Torreyes might turn out well for Chicago, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times suggests. Sappelt performed well in a brief big-league stint last year and will break camp with the team, and Wood made 26 starts for the Cubs in 2012. "I think it could turn out to be a good trade," Sappelt says. "I think it already is a good trade, and I’ll get to face Marshall a lot, so we’ll see." Wittenmyer also says the Cubs are unlikely to pursue Chone Figgins or Bill Hall for their bench.
- Asdrubal Cabrera could be dealt if the Indians have a bad season, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. After an offseason in which Cabrera's name was connected with the Trevor Bauer deal, however, there are no trade rumors regarding Cabrera right now. Pluto also notes that Cabrera could receive more off days this season, thanks to the addition of Mike Aviles.
Central Notes: Verlander, Twins, Cardinals, Cubs
Justin Verlander says he won't engage in contract talks with the Tigers during the regular season, reports CBS Sports' Jon Heyman. "Once this last start comes around, I want to concentrate on the start of the season,'' Verlander says. There are no signs from the Tigers that an extension is imminent. Verlander isn't slated to become a free agent until after 2014, but Heyman suggests that Verlander might be less inclined to sign a long-term deal with one year to go before free agency. Here are more notes from the two Central divisions.
- If the Twins were to allow manager Ron Gardenhire to leave, he'd be "unemployed for about 10 minutes," Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues. Gardenhire is in the last year of his contract, and the Twins lost 96 games last season and 99 in 2011.
- GM John Mozeliak and the Cardinals are "primed for long-term success," Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says. The Cards can both strive to win in the present and count on winning in the future, thanks to a strong core and future payroll flexibility.
- The Cubs could be on the lookout for a spare infielder, Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports. Manager Dale Sveum likes the recently-released Chone Figgins, saying Figgins "is one who would be interesting because he switch hits and plays the outfield." But don't count on the Cubs acquiring him, since Sveum would rather have a lefty hitter with power.
NL Central Notes: Figgins, Cedeno, Wainwright, Bucs
Some news from around the NL Central…
- The Cubs haven't been in contact with Chone Figgins, ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers reports. Figgins was released by the Marlins earlier this week and, as Rogers notes, is one of the few veteran options available if the Cubs want to bring in a third baseman.
- Ronny Cedeno has cleared waivers after being released by the Cardinals three days ago, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter).
- Chris Cwik of CBSSports.com analyzes the cost of an Adam Wainwright extension with the Cardinals and figures Wainwright will end up being paid between $21-$23.5MM per season. Talks are ongoing between Wainwright and the Cards and the ace right-hander feels positive that an extension will be settled before Opening Day. Wainwright is eligible for free agency after this season.
- Jonathan Sanchez can opt out of his minor league deal with the Pirates on Sunday if he hasn't been added to the club's Major League roster, but the Bucs have until Tuesday to respond, MLB.com's Tom Singer reports. Sanchez's one-year contract will guarantee him $1.375MM if he makes the roster.
- Also from Singer, he opines that the Pirates' trade for John McDonald is the kind of veteran acquisition a team makes when it believes it will contend. Otherwise, Singer wonders why Pittsburgh would add McDonald to an already-deep middle infield mix.
Chicago Notes: Marmol, Tigers, Soriano, Floyd
ESPN Chicago's Bruce Levine held his weekly chat with fans today and discussed several topics about both Windy City teams, including these hot stove items…
- A source on the Tigers told Levine that the club wasn't interested in acquiring Carlos Marmol. Levine recently reported that Detroit was one of several teams who were looking at Marmol. There has been much speculation that the Tigers are looking for relief pitching to help their unsettled closing situation.
- There is currently "no movement" on the Marmol trade front. Levine doesn't think Marmol or Alfonso Soriano will be traded given the injuries that have hit the Cubs this spring.
- The Cubs are looking for extra pitching depth and a utilityman who can play both the infield and outfield.
- The White Sox will keep Gavin Floyd at least until July and perhaps beyond depending on where they are in the pennant race, Levine opines. Floyd was rumored to be on the trade block earlier this winter and could be the odd man out of the Sox rotation if John Danks is healthy.
- Earlier today on MLBTR, Ben Nicholson-Smith reviewed the White Sox offseason.
Minor Moves: Padres, Cubs, Alvarado
We’ll track the day’s minor moves here…
- The Cubs acquired minor league infielder Jose Dore from the Padres for a player to be named later or cash, MLB.com's Corey Brock reports (on Twitter). Dore, 21, has a .222/.300/.353 batting line in three seasons as a professional. The Padres selected him in the eighth round of the 2010 draft.
- The Rockies signed Giancarlo Alvarado to a minor league deal before the World Baseball Classic began, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). Alvarado, who will start for Puerto Rico in the WBC tonight, will join the Rockies’ camp later this week. The 35-year-old right-hander spent the 2012 season with the Yokohama Bay Stars, starting eight games. He posted a 3.92 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 39 innings. Though Alvarado has yet to pitch at the MLB level, he has 17 seasons of minor league experience in affiiliated baseball, independent leagues, Mexico and Japan.
Cubs Sign Armando Rivero
The Cubs signed Cuban right-hander Armando Rivero to a contract with a $3.1MM bonus, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune first reported the deal between the Cubs and the Praver Shapiro Sport Management client.
Rivero, 25, had been living and training in the Dominican Republic, Badler writes. He stands 6’3” and has the potential to pitch as a middle reliever at the MLB level. His best pitch is a fastball that can reach 96 mph, but he doesn’t have an above average secondary pitch, according to Badler. Rivero can throw a solid splitter and sometimes pitches from a low arm slot. His bonus won’t count against the Cubs’ 2012-13 international bonus pool.
NL Notes: Chapman, Stewart, Rockies, Braves
St. Patrick's Day is as much of a baseball holiday as Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, or Labor Day thanks to former Reds GM Dick Wagner. Tom Singer of MLB.com chronicles how the baseball tradition of wearing the green came about 35 years ago. Elsewhere from the Reds and the rest of the National League:
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty expects a decision in the next few days on whether Aroldis Chapman will pitch out of the bullpen or be moved into the starting rotatation, reports MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Chapman stated publicly he wants to close, which didn't sit well with Jocketty. "We don’t let every player tell us how they want to be used," the GM told MLB.com.
- Ian Stewart's lingering left quad injury could affect his chances at making the roster and how the Cubs build their bench, writes MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Brent Lillibridge, Luis Valbuena, Edwin Maysonet, and Alberto Gonzalez are competing to fill that void while manager Dale Sveum mentioned Steve Clevenger could be an interesting option and added the team is watching all the waiver wires.
- The Rockies are giving serious consideration to making Nolan Arenado their starting third baseman with one club official telling Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com "it’s a tough call." If Arenado receives the nod, Rosenthal believes incumbent third baseman Chris Nelson could be used to acquire a veteran starting pitcher.
- Within the same piece, sources tell Rosenthal the Rockies want to move Ramon Hernandez and are willing to assume some of his $3.2MM salary to facilitate a trade.
- Don't expect the Braves to have any interest in the recently released Matt Diaz because there isn't a need right now, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- The Marlins have returned Rule 5 selection Braulio Lara to the Rays, reports Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post. The left-hander appeared in four games for the Marlins this spring throwing four innings allowing two earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks.
NL Notes: Peralta, Cubs, Snider
The Diamondbacks have returned Rule 5 pick Starlin Peralta to the Cubs, AZCentral.com's Bob McManaman reports. Peralta pitched three innings for the Diamondbacks in spring training, allowing seven runs while walking three batters and striking out none. Peralta, 22, pitched in Class A Peoria in 2012. Here are more notes from the National League.
- Cubs manager Dale Sveum says he's satisfied with his team's position players heading into the season, Carrie Muskat and Owen Perkins of MLB.com report. Sveum hasn't given GM Jed Hoyer a "wish list" of acquisitions, Muskat and Perkins note. The Cubs acquired infielder Luis Valbuena and pitcher Shawn Camp near the end of spring training in 2012, and both played key roles for the team last year.
- The manager of Pirates outfielder Travis Snider's former team says Snider could thrive with his new organization, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. Current Blue Jays manager John Gibbons, who served an earlier stint as the Jays' manager when Snider was among the team's top prospects, compares Snider to Jose Bautista, who became one of baseball's best power hitters after being traded from Pittsburgh to Toronto. "[Bautista] was bouncing around, and it took him a while to get it going. Sometimes what happens is they give up on you too soon," Gibbons says. "But if you're in the perfect spot and they've got time to give you a legitimate shot, that's when guys usually get it going." The Pirates acquired Snider for reliever Brad Lincoln last July.
Jeff Samardzija Says No Extension Talks Recently
6:09 PM: A report that Jeff Samardzija and the Cubs were "far apart" in talks on an extension appears to have taken Samardzija himself by surprise, MLB.com's Carrie Muskat writes. "There really hasn't been any talks," says Samardzija, who says that he and the Cubs have had other priorities since the beginning of spring training. The two sides had talked about the possibility of an extension months ago, and they "were on the same page" at the time, Samardzija says.
5:03 PM: The Cubs made pitcher Jeff Samardzija an offer "well above" the nearly $30MM, five-year contract the Rangers gave Derek Holland last spring, but it doesn't appear that it will be enough to get a deal done, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Samardzija, who has three years to go before he reaches free agency, is believed to be seeking something much more lucrative.
Theo Epstein & Co. have made two runs at signing the 28-year-old but the gap between the two sides is sizable enough that it has put talks on hold. While the right-hander isn't afraid to hold out for what he feels is a fair number, Heyman notes that he has made no secret of his fondness for the Cubs organization. All things considered, there is reason for both sides to be optimistic that a deal will eventually be struck.
The 2012 season marked Samardzija's first in the rotation as he pitched to a 3.81 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9.
Charlie Wilmoth contributed to this post.
Quick Hits: Pettitte, Murphy, Soriano, Greinke
Cesar Carrillo, a right-handed pitcher in the Tigers system, became the first player listed in the Biogenesis documents to be suspended, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports (twitter link). As FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal and others have noted, MLB has "greater jurisdiction over minor leaguers like Carrillo than major leaguers who are protected by the players' union." Here are some other notes from around the majors:
- Mariano Rivera's retirement plans have fellow Yankee stalwart Andy Pettitte wondering how and when to end his own "long, strange journey," as Daniel Barbarisi of The Wall Street Journal describes it. Pettitte sees some merit to ending his career around the same time as those of his long-time teammates, but does not want to "stop playing until I know that I'm done."
- Outfielder David Murphy is still waiting to work out a long-term extension with the Rangers after discussing that possibility with the club earlier in the offseason, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. While Murphy reiterated that he wants to remain a Ranger and has no hard feelings for the lack of progress towards a deal, he added that free agency is a "privilege" and that "waiting another year is not going to kill me."
- While the Cubs "feel the presence of teams watching Alfonso Soriano," nevertheless "no substantive talks have taken place yet," tweets Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. Cafardo mentions the Phillies and Yankees as teams that are "on [the] radar" for a possible Soriano deal.
- With Zack Greinke still dealing with elbow issues, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly indicated that the right-handed starter is facing an ever-narrowing window to be ready for the start of the regular season, reports Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. As has previously been noted, Greinke's timeline could impact the availability of the Dodgers' excess starting pitching options, such as Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang.