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Cafardo On Pelfrey, Thornton, Byrd, Gregg, Padres

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe ranks every manager in the majors, one through 30.  Cafardo's top five skippers in the game for 2012 are Joe Maddon (Rays), Jim Leyland (Tigers), Mike Scioscia (Angels), Charlie Manuel (Phillies), and Joe Girardi (Yankees).  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • While the Mets were considering releasing right-hander Mike Pelfrey, they likely won’t do that because there should be a trade market for the veteran.  The 28-year-old makes $5.6MM on a non-guaranteed deal and the Mets may be able to get something from a club looking for a back-end starter.
  • White Sox left-hander Matt Thornton is a player who always draws interest, though other clubs wish he didn’t make $12MM over the next two years. With Hector Santiago and Will Ohman on the team, the closer could again be trade bait.
  • The Cubs may eat some money to move outfielder Marlon Byrd, who is scheduled to earn $6.5MM this season.  They may have suitors in the Braves, Phillies, and others.  A National League scout indicated that Byrd’s name is being mentioned more and more as the end of spring training approaches.
  • Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg is available as the O's try to rid themselves of extraneous players and save money.  Gregg makes $5.6MM this year, and the Orioles don’t want his 2013 contract to kick in at $6MM if he finishes 50 games in 2012.
  • Cafardo expects long-term extension talks between Cole Hamels and the Phillies to move slowly. 
  • One American League owner said of the Padres, "They’re probably a half-billion to $700MM purchase. And I don’t believe that many, or any, of the finalists for the Dodgers would be interested."

Cubs Looking For Bullpen Help

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The Cubs are looking for bullpen help now that right-hander Jeff Samardzija has won a spot in the rotation, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Chicago recently set their rotation by optioning Travis Wood and Randy Wells to Triple-A.

Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood make a fine end-game duo, but the rest of the Cubs' relief corps will feature guys like James Russell, Casey Coleman, and Rule 5 Draft pick Lendy Castillo. There are more clubs looking to buy bullpen depth this time of year than shop it, so it doesn't figure to be easy for the north-siders to shore up their middle relief situation.

Quick Hits: Padres, Luebke, Red Sox, Dodgers, Brewers

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Friday night linkage..

Quick Hits: Red Sox, Damon, Axford

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On this date 20 years ago, the Cubs released 29-year-old left-hander Jamie Moyer. The southpaw didn't pitch in the Major Leagues again that year, but he returned in 1993 and has since pitched 3,300 innings and won 233 games. His career isn't over yet, as the Rockies may add him to their rotation. Here are today's links…

  • The Red Sox had complete access to Chris Carpenter's medical records before acquiring him from the Cubs, Nick Cafardo and Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe report. The reliever also passed two physicals earlier this year, so the Red Sox aren't likely to obtain a different player from the Cubs as compensation for Theo Epstein even though Carpenter underwent elbow surgery yesterday.
  • ESPN.com’s Buster Olney wonders if the Indians could pursue free agent Johnny Damon instead of trading for Bobby Abreu (Twitter link). Dave Cameron of FanGraphs explores the Damon-Indians possibility and says it's hard to argue he’s a worse option than Abreu.
  • The Brewers have exchanged figures with closer John Axford regarding a possible extension, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. "I'm not going to jump at anything," Axford said.

AL East Links: Rays, Epstein, O’s, Eveland, DePaula

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Blue Jays prospect Anthony Gose stole second, third and home all during the eighth inning of the Jays' 3-2 win over the Red Sox today in Grapefruit League action.  The young outfielder will begin the season in the minors but he's definitely drawing attention — Baseball America named Gose as baseball's 39th-best prospect in its preseason rankings.

Some news from around the AL East….

  • With B.J. Upton and Sam Fuld starting the season on the DL, the Rays are looking for outfield help, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
  • The Red Sox and Cubs seemed to have completed the compensation package for Theo Epstein's move to Chicago earlier today, but Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald hears from a team source that the Sox aren't quite satisfied.  Chris Carpenter underwent elbow surgery on Wednesday and while the Red Sox believe the Cubs gave up Carpenter with no knowledge of any injury problems, Boston "is weighing its options" about whether the matter should be revisited.
  • Dan Duquette told reporters (including Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun) that before Spring Training ends, the Orioles "have a few player contracts we need to resolve in camp, and we have had some tertiary trade discussions.”
  • Connelly thinks Duquette will try to trade Dana Eveland (designated for assignment earlier today) if the Orioles think the southpaw will get claimed on waivers.  Eveland, for his part, tells Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter link) that he will accept a minor league assignment if he clears waivers and the O's wish to keep him.
  • Rafael DePaula passed his physical and his Yankees contract is now official, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America.  The right-hander initially signed a $500K deal with New York in November 2010 but his attempt to get a visa was delayed since DePaula used to play under a false identity and was suspended by Major League Baseball in 2009.

Braves Looking For Bench, Bullpen Depth

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The Braves are still looking for a right-handed bench bat who can play the outfield or third base, and possibly also a reliever to replace the injured Arodys Vizcaino in the bullpen, reports MLB.com's Mark Bowman.  With Chipper Jones injured, Martin Prado shifts to third base while Matt Diaz and Eric Hinske will platoon in left field, thus creating a hole in the Braves'' pinch-hitting corps.

Atlanta has been connected to Xavier Nady, Marlon Byrd and Will Venable within the last week.  David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Braves also have interest "a couple of lesser available Cubs" as well as Byrd.  If these "lesser Cubs" are relievers, I'm not sure Chicago is a fit as a trade partner, given that the Cubs are themselves trying to figure out their bullpen.  An outfielder is probably an easier pickup for the Braves than a third baseman, as they'd be competing with the Phillies, Athletics and Twins, among others looking for infield help.

Right-hander Cory Gearrin (who has 18 1/3 Major League innings under his belt) and rookie southpaw Yohan Flande are projected for the two remaining spots in Atlanta's bullpen, so there's certainly room for the Braves to add another experienced arm into the mix.  Off the top of my head, the Rangers are shopping Mark Lowe and Koji Uehara, though they're looking for a right-handed hitting bench bat themselves.

Cubs, Red Sox Finalize Epstein Compensation

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After a months-long wait, the Cubs and Red Sox have finalized the compensation for Theo Epstein. The Red Sox sent 19-year-old prospect Jair Bogaerts to the Cubs to complete the deal, MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports.  

The Cubs sent relievers Chris Carpenter and Aaron Kurcz to Boston as compensation for Epstein earlier in the offseason. Carpenter will undergo elbow surgery, but the Cubs say the operation wasn't caused by a pre-existing condition. “It’s certainly something we had no knowledge of,” GM Jed Hoyer said, according to Muskat. “I don’t think he had any elbow issues for the last two years. It’s unexpected and unfortunate."

Bogaerts completed his second pro season in 2011. The first baseman posted a .288/.387/.404 line in 186 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League. He is the brother of top Red Sox prospect Xander Bogaerts.

Rosenthal On Byrd, Bernadina, Snider

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March is generally a quiet time for trades, but there's often a flurry of activity toward the end of the month. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has the latest rumors from around the Major Leagues…

  • At this point a trade involving Cubs center fielder Marlon Byrd is unlikely. The 34-year-old has been drawing some interest this spring, but a trade in July seems more realistic.
  • Rival officials say Roger Bernadina isn’t a favorite of GM Mike Rizzo’s. The Nationals could part with Bernadina and rely on Rick Ankiel and Brett Carroll in center field until Bryce Harper’s ready for his MLB debut.
  • Travis Snider isn’t drawing much trade interest, even though rival clubs like him. The Blue Jays are reluctant to trade the 24-year-old left fielder when his value is low, especially since they may need him at some point in the season.
  • The Diamondbacks seek a long-term solution at catcher and have targeted 10-15 possible trade candidates. Miguel Montero's expected to test free agency after the 2012 season.

Quick Hits: Byrnes, Hoyer, Cain, Mets, Chamberlain

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Ten years and one day ago today, the Marlins traded Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca to the Cubs for Julian Tavarez, Ryan Jorgensen, Jose Cueto, and Dontrelle Willis. Willis alone made the deal worthwhile for the Fish. Here's the latest from around the league…

  • When Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein first called former Padres CEO Jeff Moorad for permission to speak to a member of his front office, he asked about assistant GM Josh Byrnes according to Dan Hayes of The North County Times. Epstein was instead allowed to speak to GM Jed Hoyer because "he was the GM of a last-place team," said Moorad.
  • There has been some recent "back and forth" between the Giants and Matt Cain about a contract extension, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Cain did say that his upcoming free agency is "an exciting part of your career."
  • Outfielder Mike Baxter, catcher Mike Nickeas, and lefty Danny Herrera are front-runners for roster spots with the Mets, writes ESPN New York's Adam Rubin. Baxter and Herrera are not on the team's 40-man roster.
  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman declined to comment when asked about Joba Chamberlain's contract situation according to Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger (on Twitter). The right-hander suffered an open dislocation of his right ankle playing with his son last week and could miss the season.
  • When the Blue Jays and Athletics discussed Gio Gonzalez this offseason, Oakland asked for 19-year-old right-hander Noah Syndergaard according to Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail. Baseball America ranked Snydergaard as Toronto's seventh best prospect in December.

Marlon Byrd Drawing Interest

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Cubs center fielder Marlon Byrd is drawing interest from two National League teams, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The Cubs offered Byrd to the Nationals for pitching and the Braves are also discussing the 34-year-old. 

GM Jed Hoyer has said he won’t be surprised if the Cubs make a move leading up to Opening Day. The team currently appears to be listening to offers for Byrd rather than shopping him, according to Wittenmyer.

Byrd posted a .276/.324/.395 line in 482 plate appearances in 2011, his second season in Chicago. He earns $6.5MM in 2012 and hits free agency next winter. The Fielding Bible Volume III describes Byrd as a reliable if unspectacular center fielder who makes up for an ordinary throwing arm with good reads and a quick release.

If the Cubs traded Byrd, Reed Johnson and Joe Mather could get more playing time in the short-term. Top prospect Brett Jackson is “ready to play here for sure," in the opinion of manager Dale Sveum. Jackson figures to be an option for the Cubs at some point in 2012, even if he needs some more minor league seasoning.

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