Red Sox Notes: Wakefield, Varitek, Kuroda, Pineda
Earlier today we learned that Red Sox GM Ben Cherington met with David Ortiz's agent on Friday to discuss Ortiz's 2012 salary. The slugger earned $12.5MM last season and accepted Boston's arbitration offer back in December. Here's more on the BoSox..
- Manager Bobby Valentine told reporters that he "couldn't imagine" pitcher Tim Wakefield coming in and competing for a job, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. That assessment is in line with Cherington's comments last week which insinuated that the knuckleballer wouldn't be with the Red Sox in 2012. Wakefield, 45, posted a 5.12 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 23 starts and 10 relief appearances for Boston last season.
- Valentine also doesn't see catcher Jason Varitek making the Red Sox roster if he chooses to make a go at it in Spring Training, Lauber writes. It was reported yesterday that the Sox offered the veteran a minor league deal, but apparently the club hasn't put anything formal on the table.
- Bobby V also weighed in on the Yankees' most recent acquisitions, Michael Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda, writes Bryan Hoch of MLB.com (quotes from Ian Browne). Valentine seems wary of Kuroda's transition from a great pitcher's ballpark in the National League to a more hitter friendly ballpark in the American League.
Red Sox Offer Varitek Minor League Deal
5:31pm: Ben Cherington tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) that the Red Sox have not made Varitek any kind of formal contract offer.
3:31pm: The Red Sox have offered Jason Varitek the chance to come to Spring Training and compete, but they aren’t offering the 39-year-old catcher a roster spot, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. Varitek seems likely to choose between accepting his longtime team’s invitation and retiring. If he does report to Spring Training, he’ll do so with the knowledge that Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Kelly Shoppach are likely to break camp with the Red Sox.
Varitek, a Scott Boras client who earned $2MM in 2011, doesn’t appear to be seeking opportunities elsewhere, Heyman reports. The Red Sox would have interest in hiring Varitek for a non-playing role at some point, but it's not as though he's unable to produce at the Major League level. He posted a .221/.300/.423 line with 11 home runs in 250 plate appearances in 2011, though he stopped just 14% of stolen base attempts against him. "Our hope is that Tek will always be a part of the Red Sox in some way," GM Ben Cherington told reporters last month.
Heyman On Garza, Jackson, Varitek
The Yankees and Red Sox have approached the offseason with uncharacteristic restraint — at least so far. Freddy Garcia ($4MM deal with the Yankees) and Nick Punto ($3MM deal with the Red Sox) represent their most extravagant open market expenditures of the winter (though the Yankees did lock C.C. Sabathia up to an extension). Here’s the latest on the longtime American League rivals from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com:
- The Yankees “desperately seek” a number two starter, according to Heyman. Edwin Jackson and Matt Garza may be more likely targets than Hiroki Kuroda, Jair Jurrjens, Wandy Rodriguez, Gavin Floyd and Roy Oswalt. The Yankees like Jackson’s arm, potential and durability, though they wonder about his consistency. However, they would like to keep new contracts to one or two years and Jackson seeks a five-year deal in the $60MM range.
- The Yankees also like Garza, who can be retained through 2013 via arbitration.
- The Red Sox are still considering a new contract for Jason Varitek, Heyman reports. The Red Sox value his contributions and haven’t ruled out a reunion, despite the presence of catchers Kelly Shoppach, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway on the roster. "Our hope is that Tek will always be a part of the Red Sox in some way," GM Ben Cherington told reporters last month.
AL East Notes: Darvish, Varitek, Orioles
The AL East will look considerably different if Yu Darvish joins the Yankees or Blue Jays this offseason. Those two clubs had some level of interest in the right-hander, but we don’t yet know whether they won the bidding for him. Here are some AL East links as we await news on Darvish…
- Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star suggests the Blue Jays would have done well to "go big or go home" in this week's bidding for Darvish. The Blue Jays haven't confirmed how much they bid or even that they placed a bid, but rumors about the team's aggressiveness continue to swirl.
- The Red Sox will continue talking with Jason Varitek about the possibility of a reunion, GM Ben Cherington said, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. "Our hope is that Tek will always be a part of the Red Sox in some way," Cherington said.
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun suggests the Orioles are looking for more starting pitching and considering upgrades at third base, where Chris Davis and Matt Antonelli are tentatively set to play.
Red Sox Notes: Varitek, Oswalt, Saunders
The Red Sox sent Jed Lowrie and Kyle Weiland to Houston for Mark Melancon today before agreeing to terms with Nick Punto on a two-year deal. One thing they did not do was bid on Yu Darvish. Here’s the latest from Boston (and for more on the Red Sox, click here):
- Jason Varitek may still be in the picture for the Red Sox, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). It still seems hard to envision a deal between Varitek and the Red Sox, who have catchers Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Kelly Shoppach, Ryan Lavarnway and Luis Exposito.
- The Red Sox maintain interest in Roy Oswalt, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- Joe Saunders is Boston's next target, according to Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (Twitter link).
Quick Hits: Varitek, A’s, Braves, Cordero, Lee, Pujols
Some links as Tuesday turns into Wednesday…
- The Red Sox have not yet made catcher and captain Jason Varitek a contract offer, reports Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Boston added Kelly Shoppach to Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ryan Lavarnway on Tuesday, a move that likely spelled the end of Varitek's time with the Sox.
- There are clubs with interest in trading for both Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey and others with interest in both Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado, but Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Athletics and Braves are likely to deal their players separately to maximize the return. Rosenthal and Morosi note that the Braves and Orioles have discussed a deal that included both Jurrjens and Prado.
- Interest in free agent closer Francisco Cordero has slowed down, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). His market could hinge on how clubs fill their other roster holes.
- The Pirates still have interest in first baseman Derrek Lee even after trading for Casey McGehee, reports CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Bringing Lee back at first base would allow them to use McGehee at the hot corner with Pedro Alvarez.
- Heyman hears that the Angels put a deadline on their ten-year, $254MM offer to Albert Pujols (Twitter link). The deal did seem to come together very quickly Wednesday night into Thursday morning last week.
- The Rockies do have some money to spend according to Heyman (on Twitter). In addition to Carlos Beltran and Michael Cuddyer, they also have interest in Hiroki Kuroda, Joe Saunders, and various trade targets.
- Morosi says (on Twitter) that Andruw Jones could also be an option for the Rockies if Beltran and Cuddyer sign elsewhere.
- The Cardinals' interest in pitching upgrades is "understated," reports Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). Both Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook remain on the trade block.
- The Yokohama Bay Stars have released right-hander Hiroki Sanada so that he may pursue a deal in MLB according to a report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. No teams bid on Sanada when he was posted last week.
- The Astros and Rays are possibilities for Ivan Rodriguez, according to Heyman (on Twitter). Though the Mets have discussed Rodriguez, they’re leaning toward relying on Mike Nickeas as their backup to starter Josh Thole.
- MLBPA executive director Michael Weiner says the Joint Drug Agreement should provide Ryan Braun with privacy and fair proceedings. “I urge all to reserve judgment on this matter until the JDA's process has played itself out," Weiner said in a statement.
Red Sox Rumors: Wakefield, Varitek, Trade Talks
We heard earlier this evening that David Ortiz plans to return to Boston next season, either through arbitration or a multiyear deal. Now let's check in on some other Red Sox news:
- GM Ben Cherington's comments today suggest the Red Sox won't be bringing back Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek, says Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
- The Sox have talked to other clubs about Marco Scutaro and Jed Lowrie, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- The Red Sox and White Sox met to discuss a possible Carlos Quentin trade, but there's no match at the moment, says Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
- Boston has checked in on Brad Lidge, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
- DeMarlo Hale, the club's bench coach for the last two seasons, won't be returning for 2012, writes ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes. Hale is expected to take a job in the Orioles' organization.
Red Sox “Confident” About Re-Signing Ortiz
The Red Sox seem "pretty confident" they'll be able to re-sign David Ortiz to a two-year deal, assuming he doesn't accept arbitration, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Here are a few more Red Sox updates from Ben Cherington's first Winter Meetings as Boston's GM:
- While Boston was thought to have interest in free agents like C.J. Wilson and Roy Oswalt, Cherington said today that he doesn't anticipate the Red Sox pursuing high-end starting pitching options, as WEEI's Alex Speier writes.
- Cherington also said today that Daniel Bard had indicated a preference for his 2012 role, though it seems he and Bard may not have been on the same page. In a text message to the Providence Journal's Brian MacPherson, Bard said he stated a willingness to move to the rotation rather than a preference to do so: "I guess making it clear that I would be willing to start may have made it seem like a preference, but I just want to make it clear that I feel like I could thrive in either role."
- It doesn't appear that the Orioles will be signing longtime Red Sox backstop Jason Varitek. According to John Tomase of the Boston Herald, O's skipper Buck Showalter addressed the topic in Dallas: "Right now, it’s not a fit for us."
Heyman On Buehrle, Garza, Reyes, Posada, Bell
Heath Bell isn’t close to signing, despite last night’s rumors, but it’s not for lack of interest. Here’s the latest on Bell and a handful of other free agents, via Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter links):
- The Red Sox are content to wait out the market for closers, since so many of them are available.
- Mark Buehrle is drawing interest from 14 teams, Heyman reports.
- Opposing GMs expect the Cubs to trade Matt Garza.
- The Mets would offer Jose Reyes $80MM for five years, but would not guarantee a six or seven-year contract.
- Jorge Posada inquired with the Mets about a job and heard the team wasn't interested, according to Heyman. However, agent Seth Levinson told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that "there is no truth to that report. None" (Twitter link).
- The Marlins met with Bell and seem very aggressive. “This is no publicity stunt,” Heyman writes.
- Miami was interested in meeting with free agent closer Ryan Madson, but the right-hander declined, since their offer “wasn’t right.”
- The Mets and Orioles are among the teams showing interest in Jason Varitek, Heyman writes. The Orioles are definitely looking for backup catching help, but it appeared earlier in the week that they were uninterested in Varitek. GM Dan Duquette favors players who could catch every day if necessary.
Orioles Interested In Renyel Pinto
The Orioles have expressed interest in left-hander Renyel Pinto, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Orioles director of international operations David Stockstill scouted the 29-year-old in his native Venezuela last week. Stockstill met with Pinto, a five-year veteran of the Major Leagues, and a deal remains possible.
Pinto has a 1.42 ERA with a 42K/16BB ratio in 43 2/3 innings as a starter in the Venezuelan Winter League this year, for what it’s worth. He last pitched in the Major Leagues for the 2010 Marlins. In parts of five seasons with the Marlins, Pinto posted a 3.62 ERA with 8.6 K/9, 5.9 BB/9 and a 42.4% ground ball rate in 231 innings (244 relief appearances).
The Orioles don’t currently have interest in free agents Jason Varitek or Jorge Posada as possible backup catchers, since they prefer someone who could catch every day if necessary. Matt Wieters is the lone catcher on the Orioles’ 40-man roster at the moment.