AL East Notes: Red Sox, Accardo, Blue Jays
Wade Boggs hit his first MLB home run on this date 29 years ago. Power wasn't an essential part of Boggs' game, but he won five batting titles and collected 3,010 hits in his 18-year career with the Yankees, Red Sox and Devil Rays. Here's the latest on Boggs' former division:
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports knows there's no perfect team in baseball, but he says the Red Sox are as close as it gets. Only Philadelphia has a better record than Boston, which entered today's action with an AL-best 44-29 record.
- Jeremy Accardo could be a free agent by tomorrow. The Orioles reliever has to choose between an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk with a big league salary or free agency and uncertain job prospects, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
- Blue Jays manager John Farrell told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca that the Blue Jays will consider possible changes before opening their series against the Cardinals (Twitter link). “We need a spark, that’s clear,” Farrell said. “How we look to do that we’ll examine in this room first.” The Braves just swept the 36-39 Jays out of Atlanta.
Orioles Designate Jeremy Accardo For Assignment
The Orioles have designated Jeremy Accardo for assignment, reports MLB.com Britt Ghiroli (on Twitter). The move frees up a roster spot for infielder Blake Davis, who was recalled from Triple-A.
Accardo, 29, signed a one-year deal worth $1.08MM this offseason, though Baltimore could have controlled him as an arbitration-eligible player in 2012. He came into today with a 4.50 ERA but nearly as many walks (15) as strikeouts (20) in 32 innings. The three runs Accardo gave up in just one-third of an inning tonight appear to have been the straw that broke the camel's back.
Quick Hits: Overbay, Accardo, Diamond, Astros
Links for Sunday, as Opening Day inches a little closer….
- Ken Fidlin of The Toronto Sun spoke to Lyle Overbay, who said several teams showed interest in him this offseason, but "Pittsburgh was real aggressive." Overbay joined the Pirates on a one-year deal worth $5MM.
- Jeremy Accardo told Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun that the Orioles made it obvious how highly they valued him when they pursued him this offseason. "I'm happy to get a new, fresh start, a fresh look, a fresh mindset," said Accardo. "I think I stumbled into something pretty special here."
- The Twins are high on Scott Diamond, their Rule V Draft pick, and could swing a trade with the Braves to keep Diamond but send him to Triple-A, tweets Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
- Jordan Lyles could win the Astros' fifth starter job out of Spring Training, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Lyles, just 20 years old, was selected 38th in the 2008 draft — a supplemental pick for losing Trever Miller to free agency. His main competition includes Nelson Figueroa and Ryan Rowland-Smith.
- Jason Giambi may have been joking when he informed Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he was going to try to stick around until teammate Troy Tulowitzki's contract expires in 2020. However, Giambi told SI.com's Jon Heyman that he does plan to play for as long as he can (Twitter links).
- After his two-year extension with the White Sox was announced, Matt Thornton spoke about the deal and expressed a desire to finish his career in Chicago. Scott Reifert has the details and quotes at MLB.com.
- In his latest Indians mailbag, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer discusses the signings of Orlando Cabrera and Chad Durbin, as well as the possibility of a Fausto Carmona trade.
- One of the minor leaguers the Marlins acquired in last summer's Jorge Cantu trade saw his first game action today since returning from Tommy John surgery, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
Orioles Sign Jeremy Accardo
The Orioles officially announced their one-year deal with Jeremy Accardo today. He'll earn $1.08MM, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Accardo, 29 this weekend, saved 30 games and posted a 2.14 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 as the Blue Jays' closer in 2007. He has since bounced between the majors and minors and spent most of last season at Triple-A Las Vegas, where he posted a 3.48 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.
The Twins, Rays, White Sox, Dodgers and Pirates all expressed interest in Accardo, who became a free agent after the Blue Jays non-tendered him last month. It was not surprising to see Toronto cut Accardo loose, since he said last season that the Blue Jays lied to him. Scott Leventhal and Damon Lapa represent the right-hander.
If the Orioles are happy with Accardo's production, they'll be able to retain him through arbitration in 2012. Another former Blue Jay, Kevin Gregg, is also in discussions with the Orioles.
Twins Notes: Pavano, Bullpen, Nishioka
La Velle E. Neal III from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune is having a busy offseason. Here's his latest on the Twins:
- Neal doesn't think the Twins have to match the best offer to sign Carl Pavano, who's told his teammates and club officials that he really wants to stay in the Twin Cities.
- The Twins' trade of J.J. Hardy isn't enough to shore up the bullpen, writes Neal. They've been in contact with several relievers, including Chad Qualls, Jeremy Accardo, Kevin Gregg, and perhaps Sean White. Neal linked the Twins to Gregg last week as well, but noted that he's probably too pricey. Their in-house candidates include Anthony Slama, Kyle Waldrop, Pat Neshek, Glen Perkins, and Alex Burnett.
- There are rumblings that Tsuyoshi Nishioka is set to fly to Minneapolis to take a physical this week, an obvious sign that the two sides are getting closer to a deal.
Rays, White Sox Interested In Accardo
Add the Rays and White Sox to the list of teams showing interest in non-tendered reliever Jeremy Accardo, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Dodgers and Pirates have already expressed interest in the former Blue Jays closer.
Accardo, 29 this month, saved 30 games and posted a 2.14 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 2007. He has since bounced between the majors and minors and spent most of last season a Triple-A Las Vegas, where he posted a 3.48 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.
Dodgers Rumors: Padilla, Broxton, Diaz, Accardo
10:50pm: The Dodgers are in talks to re-sign Padilla, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
4:00pm: The Dodgers are willing to listen to offers for Broxton, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports.
11:42am: The Dodgers hope to add two relievers, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark, with Vicente Padilla one of them. He says some teams wonder if they'd be willing to move Jonathan Broxton if they add the right arms. The Dodgers have previously been linked to Jesse Crain, Jason Frasor, and Matt Guerrier.
10:14am: The Dodgers are interested in recently non-tendered players Matt Diaz and Jeremy Accardo, reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
Diaz, 33 in March, could serve as a platoon partner for Jay Gibbons in left field. The Phillies, Astros, and Yankees are other potential suitors for him. Accardo, meanwhile, hasn't pitched extensively in the Majors since '07.
Pirates Rumors: Correia, Accardo, Duchscherer
4:05pm: The Pirates are interested in Kevin Correia, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
3:25pm: The Pirates are aggressively pursuing Accardo, according to Kovacevic (on Twitter).
2:51pm: The latest on the Pirates:
- The Pirates are deeply interested in Jeremy Accardo, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Dodgers are also known to be in on the recently non-tendered reliever.
- A couple of teams have approached the Pirates about center fielder Andrew McCutchen, tweets ESPN's Gordon Edes, but they'd have to be overwhelmed.
- The Pirates and Justin Duchscherer have mutual interest, reports Kovacevic.
- The Pirates have shown some interest in Braves starter Kenshin Kawakami, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. She estimates Kawakami would only cost the Pirates $1-2MM and no significant players, as the Braves are just looking to unload part of his $6.667MM salary.
- Langosch says the Pirates have mild interest in Cardinals shortstop Brendan Ryan. Kovacevic says the Pirates continue to discuss shortstops with many teams, including J.J. Hardy with the Twins.
- Kovacevic adds that the Pirates would love to trade Ryan Doumit. He says they'd only trade Evan Meek or Joel Hanrahan for a very significant return.
American League Non-Tenders
This post will list all the American League players non-tendered today, but the best place to track all 200+ arbitration eligible players is our new non-tender tracker.
- Blue Jays: Fred Lewis, Jeremy Accardo
- Red Sox: Hideki Okajima, Andrew Miller, Taylor Buchholz
- Mariners: Ryan Rowland-Smith
- Rays: Lance Cormier, Willy Aybar, Dioner Navarro, J.P. Howell
- Royals: Josh Fields
- Rangers: Dustin Nippert
- Angels: Kevin Frandsen
- Athletics: Jack Cust, Travis Buck, Edwin Encarnacion
- Yankees: Alfredo Aceves, Dustin Moseley
- Orioles: Matt Albers
- White Sox: Bobby Jenks, Erick Threets
- Tigers: Zach Miner
Odds & Ends: Webb, White Sox, Accardo
Links for waiver trade deadline day, as the Reds prepare for Chapmania…
- Yesterday Brandon Webb's agent Jonathan Maurer told MLBTR contracts starting at a $7.5MM base salary were conversation starters for his client. Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com has a response from D'Backs president and CEO Derrick Hall: "It is a very strong stand."
- The White Sox appear unlikely to add a reliever today, based on an email GM Kenny Williams sent to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Interested in hearing a couple of pitchers gripe? Jeremy Accardo spoke to Todd Dewey of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, while Oliver Perez made a brief comment to SNY's Kevin Burkhardt.