AL East Notes: Ross, Yankees, Orioles
The Blue Jays aren’t going to rush their managerial search, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reported yesterday. Here’s the latest on the rest of the AL East, on the day before the GM Meetings begin in California…
- The Red Sox don’t want to offer Cody Ross a three-year deal, which could be a stumbling block in contract discussions, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. Ross appears to be seeking a three-year contract in the $25MM range. Some teams appear to have interest in committing to Ross on a three-year deal, Bradford reports.
- Agents say the Yankees are approaching free agency slowly, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). New York appears to be waiting for the upcoming GM Meetings and to see if a free agent such as Rafael Soriano or Nick Swisher accepts a qualifying offer. Soriano, Swisher and Hiroki Kuroda have until Friday to accept or decline the Yankees’ offers.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com looks ahead to determine which players might fit on the Orioles' bench in 2013. Taylor Teagarden, Nolan Reimold, Wilson Betemit and Ryan Flaherty will likely be among the players competing for reserve roles on the Baltimore roster next year.
- In case you missed it, the Red Sox are interested in Torii Hunter.
Soria Would Set Up For Yanks; Eight Others Interested
Oscar Suarez, the agent for Joakim Soria, has received calls from eight contending teams expressing interest in his client, writes Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York. Suarez has yet to hear from Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, but says that Soria would be more than willing to pitch in a setup role for his idol, Mariano Rivera:
"If the Yankees call, we will be all ears," Soria's agent, Oscar Suarez, said by phone Monday. "If there is a fit, Joakim would be elated to work with Mo. He would close everywhere except there."
Suarez tells Marchand that Soria is "not a greedy individual," and he could envision his client signing quickly if the right situation arises. Soria's preference is to sign with a contending team. According to Suarez, Soria will be able to participate in Spring Training but is unlikely to pitch in a Major League game until May next season.
The 28-year-old Soria underwent Tommy John surgery prior to Opening Day 2012. He stumbled to a 4.03 ERA in 2011 but still owns a career 2.40 mark with a 9.7 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 315 1/3 innings with the Royals. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes ranked Soria as the 37th-best free agent this offseason and predicted that he'll re-sign with the Royals. You can predict Soria's destination yourself in MLBTR's Free Agent Prediction Contest.
Yankees Claim Eli Whiteside
The Yankees announced that they claimed catcher Eli Whiteside off of waivers from the Giants.
Whiteside appeared in 12 games with the Giants this past season and played another 60 contests with San Francisco's Triple-A affiliate. In parts of five seasons at the MLB level, the 33-year-old has a .215/.273/.335 batting line. Whiteside, a right-handed hitter, became San Francisco's primary catcher in 2011 after Buster Posey went on the disabled list. He's arbitration eligible with a projected 2013 salary of $600K.
Cafardo On Shields, Twins, Wells, Red Sox, Aceves
After 25 years as a General Manager and president of the Twins, Cubs, and Orioles, Andy MacPhail stepped away from baseball last season to take care of his ailing father. Now, MacPhail tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that he wants to return to baseball in some capacity. The executive was often viewed as a future commissioner and it would make sense for him to get involved with the league office. He also won’t rule out working as a GM again, but he has yet do discuss that with any team and most clubs already have their front office leadership in place. Here’s more from Cafardo..
- The Twins have already inquired on Rays pitcher James Shields. Tampa Bay will field plenty of other calls on Shields in the coming weeks but whether they pull the trigger to obtain offense remains to be seen. The Dodgers say they’re not shopping Andre Ethier, but it may make sense to use him to get Shields if they have their eye on Josh Hamilton. The problem there is that the Rays may not be able to carry Ethier’s contract.
- The Angels are shopping Vernon Wells in an effort to clear some of the $42MM still owed to him. The Halos have tried to start talks with the Red Sox and would like to get John Lackey back, but the Sox are curious to see what Lackey looks like after Tommy John surgery.
- There was speculation that the Red Sox were trying to include Alfredo Aceves in a deal for Dan Haren. The Red Sox love Aceves’ arm and stuff, but could do without the high maintenance. Aceves is very much available, but they won’t give him away for nothing. The pitcher can fill different roles, but he still prefers to start.
- The Dodgers would love to reunite with free agent Hiroki Kuroda. The hurler could have more suitors than any other pitcher this winter if the Yankees don’t tie him up quickly.
- Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia is taking a wait-and-see approach on his agents, the Levinson brothers. A few clients have already jumped ship but Pedroia noted that they have been good to him and his family.
- The Red Sox would like to re-sign Vicente Padilla, but he is on the radar of a few teams, including the Angels, who are desperately looking to retool their bullpen. Padilla ran out of gas late in the year but turned in a decent year in total.
Mariano Rivera To Return In 2013
Mariano Rivera informed Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman that he wants to return next season, tweets Erik Boland of Newsday. The closer is now a free agent after finishing up his two-year, $30MM contract.
Rivera tore his ACL while shagging fly balls in May, bringing his season to an end. The closer vowed to return to action but Cashman recently disclosed that Rivera was considering retirement. Rivera has earned $15MM in each of the past five seasons, but the Yankees may look to push that number down as he closes in on his 43rd birthday.
Gaining some clarity on Rivera's situation will almost certainly influence the Yankees' stance on Rafael Soriano. Soriano is expected to decline the one-year, $13.3MM qualifying offer he received yesterday and the Yankees likely won't pay a steep price for him unless it's to bring him back as closer. Boras is said to be seeking a four-year pact in the neighborhood of $60MM.
AL East Links: Swisher, Orioles, Ross, Cabral
Nine players received qualifying offers this winter, including five from the AL East: Nick Swisher, Hiroki Kuroda, Rafael Soriano, B.J. Upton, and David Ortiz. Here's the latest on the division…
- Unsurprisingly, Swisher will pass on the Yankees' qualifying offer and look for a lucrative multiyear contract this offseason, report Dan Martin and George A. King III of The New York Post.
- Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com thinks the Orioles have enough pitching depth to trade an arm or two this winter. He listed eight potential starters currently on the team's 40-man roster.
- Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal makes a case that the Red Sox should have made Cody Ross and qualifying offer before yesterday's deadline.
- The Yankees intend to keep 2011 Rule 5 Draft pick Cesar Cabral and give him another look in Spring Training, reports Chad Jennings of The Journal News. Cabral, a left-hander, missed all of this season with an elbow injury.
Quick Hits: Martin, Ankiel, Young
Links from around MLB on the day teams must decide whether to make qualifying offers to departing free agents…
- The Yankees like Russell Martin very much and are hoping to re-sign him as a free agent this offseason, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. The Pirates, Rangers and Mariners could all spend on catching this offseason. While the Mets need catching, they seem likely to pursue trades in Heyman’s view.
- Agent Scott Boras said there’s no chance of Rick Ankiel returning to the mound, Yahoo’s Tim Brown reports (on Twitter). “He's not pitching," Boras said. It was reported yesterday that Ankiel might be open to pitching again.
- The White Sox announced that they promoted former MLB manager and player Buddy Bell to the role of vice president/assistant GM. Bell, 61, played from 1972-88, then managed the Tigers, Rockies and Royals.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs provides a guide to the top 25 values available in free agency this offseason, complete with a look at five players teams might want to avoid. Within the piece, which is well worth your time, Cameron explains that Delmon Young has essentially become a platoon bat, and argues that Maicer Izturis could bounce back in 2013. Be sure to check out MLBTR’s list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents if you haven't done so already.
Soriano, Swisher, Kuroda Obtain Qualifying Offers
The Yankees extended qualifying offers to Rafael Soriano, Nick Swisher and Hiroki Kuroda, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The players now have one week to accept or decline the offers.
Soriano and Swisher are expected to decline the offers, but Kuroda could accept — he has indicated he’d be content to sign a one-year deal. If he accepts he’d earn $13.3MM on a one-year deal in 2013. If he declines, he’ll be linked to draft pick compensation in free agency — his new team will have to surrender a top selection to sign him.
The three Yankees figure prominently on MLBTR’s top 50 free agent list. Swisher ranks sixth, Kuroda ranks ninth and Soriano ranks 17th.
Cubs, Red Sox Interested In Dan Haren
12:06pm: The Yankees don't seem to be involved in the bidding for Haren, reports Heyman (on Twitter).
11:50am: The Angels are still working on trading Haren today, Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio reports (on Twitter). They aren't interested in exercising his option and trying to trade him later.
10:40am: The Cubs are among the teams interested in Dan Haren, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. The Red Sox are eyeing the right-hander and other teams also appear to be involved.
The Angels have until today to exercise or decline Haren’s 2013 option ($15.5MM club option with a $3.5MM buyout). Today is also the deadline for teams to extend qualifying offers to free agents.
The 32-year-old started 30 games for the Angels this past season, posting a 4.33 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 176 2/3 innings. Haren told the Los Angeles Times yesterday that he expects to be traded. "I have no specifics on teams, but that's the vibe I'm getting," he said.
The Cubs' rotation will need lots of attention this offseason. GM Jed Hoyer has had some talks with Ryan Dempster about a potential contract.
Hiroki Kuroda Open To A One-Year Contract
Hiroki Kuroda is open to signing a one-year contract, reports Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, which could lead to "a reasonably quick deal" with the Yankees once the club makes its expected qualifying offer to the veteran right-hander on Friday. Kuroda turns 38 in February and wishes to eventually pitch again in Japan, which is why he's amenable to a short-term agreement that would leave his options open for the future.
Kuroda signed a one-year, $10MM deal with the Yankees last offseason and was the most stable member of the New York rotation, posting a 3.32 ERA, a 3.27 K/BB ratio and a career-best 219 2/3 innings, topped by only five pitchers in baseball last year. The qualifying offer would pay Kuroda $13.3MM in 2013, though Knobler notes that he could possibly turn the offer down in hopes of finding a slightly higher offer from the Yankees or another club. The Royals and Padres are two teams rumored to have interest in Kuroda, though he will draw looks from several teams on the open market.