Red Sox Notes: Lester, Ortiz, Luxury Tax
Teams are calling the Red Sox about potential trades involving Boston’s outfielders, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reported earlier today. Here are some Red Sox-related notes as the team prepares for the second half…
- A National League GM called the Red Sox to inquire on Jon Lester a couple of weeks ago and was told Boston intends to win in 2012, Peter Gammons of MLB Network tweets.
- Gammons recently suggested on 98.5 The Sports Hub that Lester could benefit from a change of scenery (transcript via the Boston Herald). “I just sense that Jon is so unhappy here that I’m sure it would be good for him,” Gammons said. But Lester said on Twitter that he loves Boston and is happy pitching for the Red Sox. “Nothing better than playing for the Red Sox,” he wrote. “Hope to be here for my entire career!”
- The Red Sox aren't going to trade David Ortiz this summer, so it's no surprise the slugger told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he hasn't thought about being dealt. “My name has never been mentioned in a trade, so why should I think about it? If I have to, I have to,” he said. Ortiz's ten and five rights allow him to block trades to any team, but he said he'd consider waiving no-trade protection under certain circumstances.
- The Red Sox are about $10MM over the luxury-tax threshold, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.
East Links: Phillies, Ortiz, Shields, Holm
Ten years ago today, the Yankees swung a three-team trade with the Athletics and Tigers. Jeff Weaver went to New York, Jeremy Bonderman and Carlos Pena went to Detroit, and Ted Lilly went to Oakland as the primary pieces. Here's the latest from baseball's two East divisions…
- "We plan on being contenders in ’13, ’14, ’15 and ’16," said Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. to reporters (including Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer) when asked about selling at the deadline (Sulia link). "So we’re not blowing this team up. That’s not going to happen, regardless of what happens over the next couple of weeks."
- "I'm going to be open to anything. My mentality is not going to be, 'I like it here.' It's going to be, 'Bring it to the table, and we'll see what happens," said David Ortiz of the Red Sox to Jorge Ortiz of USA Today while expressing his displeasure with going through the arbitration process over the winter. "It was humiliating. There's no reason a guy like me should go through that."
- The 2013 ($9MM) and 2014 ($14MM) club options in James Shields' contract will remain intact if the Rays trade their ace right-hander, confirmed ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
- The Marlins have released catcher Steve Holm, reports Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter). The 32-year-old hit .135/.256/.270 in 43 plate appearances for their Triple-A affiliate.
Quick Hits: Lee, Pirates, Ortiz, A’s, Royals
The Dodgers are in need of a run producer and the Astros' Carlos Lee is the latest name to surface on the club's radar, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. The veteran has the ability to block trades to 14 teams, and the Dodgers are on that list. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that Lee doesn't want to play in Los Angeles Almost all of the teams on that list are high-revenue teams, providing the first baseman with leverage. More from around baseball on this Thursday night..
- With the Pirates on the lookout for offense, Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter) wouldn't be surprised to see them check in on Ryan Kalish or Cody Ross when Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford return to the Red Sox.
- David Ortiz hasn't been happy with the Red Sox for some time and people that have heard his complaints strongly doubt that he would want to return to Boston after this year, writes Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
- Both the A's and the Giants have had a revolving door at first base for some time, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Giants have used 24 players at first since J.T. Snow left, and the A's have used 41 since Jason Giambi left the first time.
- A's skipper Bob Melvin insists that the promotion of Derek Norris isn't about creating trade bait when it comes to Kurt Suzuki, writes Jane Lee of MLB.com. Earlier this week, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that Oakland would probably like to move the catcher and his $6.45MM salary.
- Carlos Beltran says that the Royals never made him a concrete, multi-year offer to keep him during his time there, writes MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. "I don't really recall getting a real offer. I knew they talked about having something done, but we never got to the point where we were serious about it," the outfielder said.
AL East Notes: Ortiz, Red Sox, Conrad, Blue Jays
A look around the American League East as the Red Sox take on the Marlins at Fenway..
- David Ortiz defended the atmosphere around the Red Sox locker room and lashed out at a report saying that there was a "toxic" atmosphere in Boston, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. When asked if he wants to return next season, the slugger said "I don’t know. I’ll think about it." Ortiz is earning $14.575MM this season and is set to hit the open market after this season.
- Rays skipper Joe Maddon said that the club was interested in Brooks Conrad during the offseason, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Tribune (via Twitter). Tampa Bay claimed Conrad off of waivers from the Brewers earlier today.
- The Blue Jays promoted Brian Parker to director of amateur scouting, writes Zack Meisel of MLB.com. Parker will take over for Andrew Tinnish who was promoted to assistant GM yesterday.
Red Sox Notes: Youkilis, Ortiz
The Red Sox shuffled their lineup yesterday, playing Adrian Gonzalez in right field to create space for Kevin Youkilis and Will Middlebrooks. Here's the latest on the Red Sox as the club prepares to resume its series with the Orioles…
- Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said on WEEI’s Dennis & Callahan show that he doesn’t anticipate trading Youkilis. “He's making up for a lot of deficiencies that have presented themselves at other positions,” Valentine said. “Trading him — I don't see that." (transcript by Jerry Spar). The Phillies and Indians were eyeing Youkilis earlier in the month.
- GM Ben Cherington said David Ortiz deserves recognition for his work on and off the field, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports. “I feel pretty good about our relationship with David,” Cherington said. “We certainly support him and have a lot of respect for him and want him to be on our side, and I’m glad he is.” Earlier in the week the DH spoke of a lack of respect from the front office.
Cafardo On Balfour, Hanrahan, Angels, Twins, Myers
Older ballplayers are showing a lot of life so far this season, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Veterans Paul Konerko, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Jamie Moyer have all looked sharp in the month of April. Ortiz lost 25 pounds to get himself into shape for this season and plans to keep up the hard work as he hopes to play for another two seasons. Here's more from Cafardo..
- The Angels have inquired on A’s pitcher Grant Balfour and he is becoming one of the more sought-after bullpen pieces. The Halos have also shown interest in Joel Hanrahan of the Pirates and the Mariners' Brandon League, but Balfour seems the most logical.
- If the Twins don’t turn things around by the trade deadline, Carl Pavano will be a highly sought-after pitcher. The right-hander is earning $8.5MM in the final year of his contract and has limited no-trade protection. Jason Marquis, Matt Capps, and Francisco Liriano could also be used as chips to land prospects.
- Teams probably have their eye on Astros right-hander Brett Myers. Many teams, such as the Angels and Red Sox, could use the 31-year-old’s arm right now. He has also shown that he can pitch in a big market with his time in Philadelphia.
- If Tigers outfielder Delmon Young is convicted of a hate crime, it will be interesting to see whether the the club void his contract. They would be within their rights to do so under the collective bargaining agreement. The 26-year-old earns $6.75MM this year and can become a free agent after the season.
- The A's are a good bet to land Brandon Inge.
- Most baseball people feel there’s no way the Red Sox let Aaron Cook hit the open market by not calling him up May 1. The 33-year-old will earn the prorated portion of $1.5MM if he is called up to the majors.
Quick Hits: Braves, Red Sox, Francona, Ortiz
On this day twelve years ago, the Expos traded players to be named later and Jake Westbrook to the Yankees for pitcher Hideki Irabu. One of those Bronx-bound PTBNLs wound up right-hander Ted Lilly. The Bombers would deal Lilly to the A's a little more than two years later in a massive three-team trade. Here's a look at what's happening today..
- The Braves hold a $12MM option on Brian McCann for 2013 and veteran Chipper Jones would be sad to see him go elsewhere, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. Jones, who will retire after this season, believes that McCann is the type of player that "you want to build a ballclub around," tweets Crasnick.
- Working as an analyst for ESPN, former Red Sox skipper Terry Francona got the chance to reconnect with his former team earlier today. Francona just got around to speaking with owner John Henry last month and Tito says that the conversation should have happened sooner, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
- If David Ortiz wound up going to arbitration with the Red Sox, players' union chief Michael Weiner says that it would have been a case for the ages, writes Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal. The two parties settled at $14.575MM, the midpoint between $12.65MM and $16.5MM.
AL East Notes: Ortiz, Rays, Bundy, Blue Jays
Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield and Jorge Posada have been fixtures in the AL East for the past 15 years, but they've all retired this offseason. Here are some links for Friday, starting with even more retirement talk…
- David Ortiz says he wants to keep playing for at least a couple more years, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. "As long as I feel good and I can swing the bat well I want to keep on playing," the 36-year-old said.
- Manager Joe Maddon told Newsday's Ken Davidoff that he believes the Rays can establish the standard for winning with a small payroll. Executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the club isn't taking success for granted, even after three playoff berths in four seasons. “It's more about pushing forward and being driven by future success," he said.
- Jim Callis of Baseball America told Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com that the muscular frame of Orioles prospect Dylan Bundy isn't cause for concern. Callis said Bundy has a loose and fluid delivery despite his bulk.
- Callis also suggested infield prospects Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop should both play shortstop in 2012 so the Orioles know whether they can handle the position long-term.
- Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos joined Greg Brady & Jim Lang on Sportsnet 590 the FAN and said Kyle Drabek is opening up some eyes and starting to make strides. The 24-year-old right-hander walked 55 in 78 2/3 innings last year.
- Anthopoulos said the trade market is quiet now, though he expects out-of-options players to become available toward the end of the month.
Red Sox Notes: Hill, Ortiz, Epstein, Valentine
Eleven years ago today, the Red Sox purchased Jorge De La Rosa from Monterrey of the Mexican League. He spent close to two years in their farm system, then was traded to the Diamondbacks as part of the package for Curt Schilling prior to the 2004 season. Here's the latest from Boston…
- Rich Hill's opt-out date was seven to ten days from now, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports. Boston added the southpaw to the 40-man roster yesterday, an indication that they like his progress as he rehabs from Tommy John surgery.
- "I'm happy with what I got," said David Ortiz to reporters (including Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe), referring to his one-year, $14.575MM contract. "I'm not going to lie to you. I'm happy with it … I'm back, I'm here at least for another year and like I always tell you guys, I'm going to do my best."
- Kirk Minihane of WEEI.com says the Red Sox dropped the ball with the Theo Epstein compensation. They received reliever Chris Carpenter and a player to be named for Epstein and a player to be named yesterday.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports shadowed the energic Bobby Valentine during his first official workout as the Red Sox's manager.
Red Sox, David Ortiz Settle At Midpoint
Hours before today's arbitration hearing, the Red Sox and designated hitter David Ortiz settled at the midpoint for $14.575MM, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. The new contract represents the largest-ever average annual value for a DH, notes WEEI's Rob Bradford. Had Ortiz and the Red Sox reached a hearing, a panel of three arbitrators would have chosen between Boston's $12.65MM submission and Ortiz's $16.5MM salary figure for 2012. Ortiz is represented by Fern Cuza of SFX.
Potentially inhibited by the cost of a draft pick, Ortiz accepted an arbitration offer from the Red Sox in December, and it took the looming threat of a hearing to force a settlement. I favored the Red Sox in a potential hearing, but they preferred not to risk a situation many regard as a crapshoot. As a bonus, they were able to avoid Ortiz having a front-row seat for their attempt to prove he's worth less than the midpoint.
Six potential arbitration hearings remain, as our tracker shows: Alexi Casilla (Twins), Casey Janssen (Blue Jays), Adam Jones (Orioles), Garrett Jones (Pirates), Casey McGehee (Pirates), and Jose Veras (Brewers).