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Lucchino On Payroll, Ortiz, Wakefield, Varitek

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Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino appeared on SiriusXM Sports radio today to discuss a handful of topics, including payroll and David Ortiz's impending arbitration hearing. WEEI.com provided a transcript of his quotes, so let's dig in.

  • Not surprisingly, Lucchino scoffed at recent criticism that the Sox have been too frugal this offseason: Now, this year, if you want to talk specifically about 2012, we will have the highest payroll in the history of the Boston Red Sox in 2012. Will we eclipse the luxury tax threshold? To be sure, we will — once again. So I think the talk of us not spending needs to be viewed in the context of real facts and in comparisons to real dollars.
  • There will be no hard feelings against DH David Ortiz regarding his arbitration hearing, Lucchino said, adding that the sides will "move on" after the hearing barring an unforeseen settlement before then. Check out MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker for details on Ortiz's case.
  • Regarding outstanding offers of minor league contracts to Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek: "The decisions are now kind of in their hands as to what they’d like to do in this particular season.”
  • Lucchino has no regrets about signing Carl Crawford to a seven-year, $142MM contract last offseason: "Don’t take a still photograph of year one of a seven-year deal and use it to conclude that the deal has been a success or been a failure."

AL East Notes: Uehara, Reyes, Red Sox

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The Yankees are discussing a possible A.J. Burnett trade with Pittsburgh and the Orioles agreed to terms with Luis Ayala on a one-year deal earlier today. Here are some more AL East updates…

  • The Orioles maintain interest in Koji Uehara of the Rangers, even after adding Matt Lindstrom and Ayala this week, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets.
  • Ayala and Dennys Reyes grew up together in a small town in Mexico, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets. Both Paragon Sports International clients signed with the Orioles this offseason.
  • The Red Sox have not avoided arbitration with David Ortiz, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney clarified this morning (Twitter link).
  • ESPN.com's Jayson Stark suggests the Red Sox are still in play for Roy Oswalt, even though the right-hander doesn’t seem to want to sign in Boston.

Red Sox Notes: Oswalt, Wakefield, Varitek, Ortiz

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Last year this time considerable hype surrounded the Red Sox, who had just traded for Adrian Gonzalez and signed Carl Crawford. Gonzalez and Crawford are still around, but the hype has disappeared. Here’s the latest on the Red Sox as they prepare for Spring Training 2012…

Quick Hits: Ortiz, Garza, Angels, Anibal, Cook, Ayala

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Eight years ago today, the Cardinals and Albert Pujols avoided arbitration by agreeing to a seven-year, $100MM contract. It's the largest contract ever given to a player with between 3-4 years of service time. Here's the latest from around the league…

  • David Ortiz told Javier Maymi of ESPN Deportes that he still wants to avoid an arbitration hearing and sign a multiyear deal, but acknowledged that he's left it up "to the agents and the team to deal with it." Earlier this week we heard that he and the Red Sox were likely headed to a hearing. Ortiz filed for $16.5MM while the team countered with $12.65MM, as our Arbitration Tracker shows.
  • One executive told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he expects the Cubs to trade Matt Garza at the deadline and not before Opening Day (Twitter link). The two sides recently avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $9.5MM contract for 2012.
  • The Angels would still like to add another reliever if the price is right, reports Morosi (on Twitter). They reportedly have an offer out to Luis Ayala, though the free agent relief market is dwindling.
  • Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel hears that Anibal Sanchez's arbitration decision is expected to be announced on Monday (Twitter link). Sanchez filed for $8MM while the Marlins countered with $6.9MM. The hearing was yesterday.
  • Aaron Cook told WEEI.com's Alex Speier that several teams were willing to give him a Major League contract, and that two clubs even made such offers. He took a minor league deal from the Red Sox because he liked the fit better, and because he knows pitching coach Bob McClure from his days in the minors.
  • Ayala is currently pitching for Mexico in the Caribbean Series like last year, hoping it will land him a job again writes MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. "I haven't had any good offers but I'm confident that, God permits, I will get a chance to pitch for a team that will allow me to show my abilities," he said.
  • In an article for The Los Angeles Times, Mike DiGiovanna lists the best and worst free agent signings at each position this offseason.

Quick Hits: Jackson, Fielder, Rollins, Hall, Ortiz

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Here's a wrap-up of news from around the majors on the day that Edwin Jackson and Casey Kotchman both found new teams…

  • The Indians had interest in Jackson but "were not close" to matching the contract Jackson received from the Nationals, reports Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
  • Jackson turned down a three-year, $30MM offer to sign his one-year deal with Washington, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports looks at how Jackson, Ryan Madson and Francisco Rodriguez (all Scott Boras clients) settled for "pillow contracts" this winter to better position themselves for larger deals next year.
  • Prince Fielder, however, never considered a one-year deal, Boras tells James Schmehl of MLive.com.  Boras also says Fielder could have signed earlier in the offseason but was on vacation with his wife, delaying his meetings with interested teams.
  • Jimmy Rollins' $11MM option for 2015 will vest if he makes 600 plate appearances in 2014, or if he makes a combined 1100 PAs in 2013 and 2014, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link).
  • Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall says he has been contacted by some potential Dodgers owners about a job in Los Angeles, but Hall tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he's very happy with the Snakes.  Hall has four years remaining on his contract with Arizona.
  • David Ortiz's arbitration case with the Red Sox is analyzed from both sides by former Astros president Tal Smith, in conversation with Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
  • Fangraphs' Wendy Thurm begins a series looking at which players were the best values at each position over the last two decades, starting with catcher, first base and second base.
  • "The Indians’ bullpen has much more flexibility and depth heading into camp this year," writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian in his breakdown of the Tribe's relief options.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Burnett, Blue Jays

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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…

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

AL East Notes: Ortiz, Kim, Longoria

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A few notes to share coming out of the American League East …

  • An arbitration hearing appears likely for the Red Sox and David Ortiz, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com. When the sides exchanged salary proposals earlier this month, the Red Sox offered $12.65MM, while Ortiz and his representatives at SFX request $16.5MM, so a pretty sizable gap exists. The 36-year-old DH posted a sharp .309/.398/.554 line and slugged 29 homers in 2011.
  • The Korean Baseball Organization is displeased by the Orioles' signing of 17-year-old lefty Seong-Min Kim to a minor league deal because of his age and is threatening to petition Major League Baseball, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. Orioles GM Dan Duquette said he doesn't understand the complaint, as Kim and his family were both in favor of the move, and he is closer to 18 than to 17. 
  • Rays third baseman Evan Longoria said during an appearance on MLB Network's Intentional Talk that he has no regrets about the club-friendly extension he signed in April 2008, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. "I can honestly say that I’ve never regretted doing it. I can look at myself in the mirror and say that I made the right decision. You never know, who knows, one or two years in I might’ve hurt myself and not been the player that I am today." The six-year deal includes three club options for what would have been free-agent years for Longoria. It could be worth as much as $45MM and will expire after Longo's age-29 season. 

Ortiz Doesn’t Expect Deal Before Arbitration Hearing

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It's no secret that David Ortiz was looking for a multiyear contract this offseason, but now the long-time Red Sox DH isn't optimistic about getting one. Ortiz told reporters (including WEEI.com's Rob Bradford) at tonight's Boston BBWAA dinner that he doesn't expect the two sides to reach a deal before an arbitration hearing.

"It doesn't seem like it right now," said Ortiz when asked about a potential contract. "From a business standpoint, that's how it goes … I've been watching from the outside."

Ortiz also downplayed the arbitration process, saying "it doesn’t seem like [a big deal] to me." The 36-year-old slugger accepted arbitration last month rather than try his luck on the open market, and earlier this week he filed for a $16.5MM salary while the team countered with $12.65MM. He hit .309/.398/.554 with 29 homers while earning $12.5MM in 2011.

Earlier this offseason we learned that the Sox did offer Ortiz a two-year contract, though it was only worth $18MM. Arbitration hearings start in February, though the two sides can come to an agreement on a contract of any size before then.

Arbitration Filing Numbers

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Many players avoided arbitration today, but dozens of others exchanged figures with their teams in anticipation of hearings. Most cases won't go to arbitration hearings, but teams such as the Rays, Nationals, Marlins, White Sox, Blue Jays and Braves have stuck to 'file and trial' policies in the past. 

MLBTR's arbitration tracker will keep you up to date on every one of the filing numbers from around the game, but here are the highlights — players who filed for $4MM or more. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com had most of the info with MLBTR and others also contributing:

Red Sox Met With Ortiz’s Agent

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David Ortiz accepted Boston's arbitration offer last month, and yesterday GM Ben Cherington met with Fern Cuza, Ortiz's agent, to discuss Ortiz's 2012 salary, writes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.

The deadline for each side to submit arbitration figures is on Tuesday, and MacPherson writes that it's "unlikely" the two sides reach an agreement prior to that point. Big Papi earned $12.5MM last season and should see a raise; MacPherson notes that his production trailed only that of high profile names like Jose Bautista, Miguel Cabrera, and Adrian Gonzalez (only those three posted a higher OPS).

Ortiz was one of three Type A free agents to accept arbitration last month, with the others being Kelly Johnson and Francisco Rodriguez. When Tim Dierkes polled an MLB team executive, a former agency employee, and MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, estimates for Ortiz's 2012 salary ranged from $13-15MM. The two sides can continue to negotiate a salary up until the moment before an arbitration hearing begins.

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