Red Sox Sign Mark Kotsay
According to Sean McAdam and Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, the Red Sox reached an agreement with outfielder Mark Kotsay on a one-year deal worth $1.5MM plus incentives. Kotsay will back up Kevin Youkilis at first base and complement Rocco Baldelli as an extra outfielder.
Kotsay was one of few viable options at center field among free agents this year, but he still could not find a regular job.
Cafardo’s Latest: Pettitte, Kotsay, Red Sox
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has a number of items to cover in today’s Sunday paper:
- While the Mets are front-runners in the Derek Lowe sweepstakes, the Red Sox have a lot of money to play with having lost out on Mark Teixeira and could make a strong play to outbid competition.
- The Dodgers and Rangers are interested in Andy Pettitte if he doesn’t accept the Yankees reduced $10MM offer.
- Don’t rule out a return to the Red Sox for Mark Kotsay as a fourth outfielder and added infield depth.
- Cafardo reports a source close to the talks says Teixeira was "very concerned" with Mike Lowell‘s fate should he sign with Boston, but that financial matters and the negotiations process removed that "awkward situation."
- Jose Fernandez can play first and third base. He’s 34 and just completed seven years in Japan, hitting 20+ HR every year. He could be an interesting right handed-hitting option for teams looking to add depth to their infield and DH.
- The Red Sox, Orioles, Braves, Reds, and Cardinals remain interested in Kenshin Kawakami.
- Now that Teixeira is gone, Jim Bowden is not interested in Manny Ramirez. Perhaps Adam Dunn?
- The Sox are still unwilling to deal Clay Buchholz for Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
Red Sox Rumors: Crisp, Lugo, Burnett, Baldelli
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has the latest on the Red Sox.
- GM Theo Epstein says there’s one deal he might be able to do before the winter meetings, possibly involving Coco Crisp or Julio Lugo. The free agent market for center fielders and shortstops is weak this year.
- Cafardo doesn’t believe the Sox are in on C.C. Sabathia or A.J. Burnett, and he says they’re unsure about Derek Lowe. However, Buster Olney says "there is an expectation within other quarters of the AL East that the Red Sox will get in on the Burnett bidding." Cafardo does see Boston adding a starter of some kind, possibly a Japanese free agent.
- Catchers on Epstein’s radar to varying degrees: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Taylor Teagarden, Jeff Clement, Bengie Molina, and Ivan Rodriguez.
- Cafardo says the Red Sox are "more than intrigued" by Rocco Baldelli, who could fill their fourth outfielder role if and when Mark Kotsay leaves.
- Tony Massarotti discusses Mark Teixeira in-depth at his blog.
Red Sox Review
Red Sox GM Theo Epstein spoke to the press yesterday, resulting in a slew of articles in the Boston papers.
Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe runs through the team’s entire 25-man roster. Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald looks at Epstein’s to-do list, as does Joe McDonald of The Providence Journal. Paul Kenyon of the Journal looks at the team’s minor free agents. An overview of various common topics:
- Jason Varitek. Silverman sees an effort to re-sign him for one or two years, while McDonald thinks he will look for three or four. Massarotti thinks things could get nasty here, with Scott Boras in the middle. Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald has an article discussing the Varitek situation.
- Julio Lugo, Jed Lowrie, Jacoby Ellsbury, Coco Crisp. Four players for two starting spots. Epstein didn’t tip his hand as to whether he’ll move any of these players and diminish the depth.
- Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jonathan Papelbon, Jason Bay. The Sox may explore long-term deals for each. There’s already been talks with Pedroia, though Massarotti thinks he might prefer to go year-to-year as Youkilis has. He suggests Papelbon wants a long-term deal but the Sox may choose to play it safe. McDonald and Massarotti feel the Sox will also explore an extension for Jason Bay.
- Sean Casey, Mike Timlin, Alex Cora, Mark Kotsay. Cora might go if Lugo stays. Timlin may retire. Massarotti does not think Casey will be re-signed, while McDonald doesn’t see Kotsay returning (he wants to start).
- Outside options: Epstein could make a big move, or do very little again. As I mentioned in the Offseason Outlook, C.C. Sabathia might be a better fit than Mark Teixeira.
Week In Review: 8/24 – 8/30
Sunday afternoon is here again… let’s have a look back at some of the moves and rumors since last time:
- The injury-plagued Red Sox acquired Mark Kotsay to help compensate for their injuries. In exchange, the Braves received minor league outfielder Luis Sumoza. Nice acquisition by the Red Sox; Kotsay has been swinging a solid bat this season.
- The Twins acquired Eddie Guardado from Texas in exchange for minor league pitcher Mark Hamburger. Guardado has spent the majority of his career with Minnesota and provides a solid arm to the bullpen. To make room for him, they DFA’d Mike Lamb. Nice move by the Twins, with the added benefit of being able to see "Rangers trade Guardado for Hamburger" in the news. Now that’s a headline!
- The Phillies added a veteran player as well, when they acquired Matt Stairs from Toronto in exchange for minor league lefty Fabio Castro. Stairs should be a decent option off the bench, and he’s still perfectly capable of hitting the ball out of the park.
- Scott Boras continues to find ways to create controversy. He’s now claiming that Pittsburgh’s top pick Pedro Alvarez verbally agreed to his $6MM signing bonus after the midnight deadline, and is trying to demand that the contract be renegotiated for a higher number. The Players Association has filed a grievance on his behalf. Alvarez could wind up back in the 2009 draft pool. Here’s a look at some baseball blogs’ opinions on the matter.
- Minor moves: The Diamondbacks claimed Wil Ledezma off waivers from San Diego, the Braves signed Elmer Dessens to a minor-league contract, and the Astros gave one-year extensions to both Brian Moehler and Darin Erstad.
Red Sox Acquire Kotsay
12:01pm: According to ESPN’s Keith Law, the Braves will receive minor league outfielder Luis Sumoza.
10:23am: Rosenthal says it’s done, though the prospect remains unknown. He is now saying Kotsay did waive no-trade rights, and received $325K to do so.
9:14am: Rosenthal says it’s close, but the teams have not yet agreed on the mid-level prospect. He says Kotsay does not have no-trade protection this year.
WEDNESDAY, 8:41am: The latest – The Boston Globe’s Amalie Benjamin wrote late last night that a deal had not been agreed upon. Meanwhile, John Tomase of the Boston Herald notes Kotsay’s strong relationship with Red Sox owner John Henry. Yahoo’s Gordon Edes says the deal is done pending a physical, and the Braves will receive a minor league pitcher.
TUESDAY, 10:38pm: ESPN’s Peter Gammons and Buster Olney are reporting that the Red Sox are on the verge of acquiring Kotsay. The two sides are discussing Kotsay’s no-trade clause. He was held out of tonight’s lineup due to the impending trade.
11:00am: On Sunday, Ken Rosenthal reported the Red Sox were interested in Braves outfielder Mark Kotsay, with the Brewers on the fringes. Rosenthal now says the Brewers’ interest has diminished, since Ryan Braun seems fine. Instead, the Phillies are now in the mix for Kotsay given the Geoff Jenkins injury.
Kotsay cleared waivers because of the $1.5MM still owed to him this year. The Braves weren’t planning on offering him arbitration this winter, as they don’t want to be stuck paying him $8MM in ’09. He doesn’t project as a Type B anyway. Rosenthal says a mid-level prospect would get a deal done with the Braves, though the teams covered in Kotsay’s limited no-trade clause are unknown.
Molony’s Latest: Red Sox, Kelly Johnson
Here’s a look at the latest blog post from MLB.com’s Jim Molony.
- Molony agrees with previous reports – the Red Sox are eyeing outfield help. An inquiry on Darin Erstad fizzled, while Mark Kotsay remains on the radar. Drew might be headed to the DL.
- The Red Sox might also be eyeing another starter, given Josh Beckett‘s injury. Molony speculates that Kevin Millwood or Vicente Padilla could make sense (both have cleared waivers).
- Molony expects Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson to be traded this winter. Johnson, 26, slipped to .264/.333/.405 in 482 plate appearances this year. He’ll be arbitration-eligible for the first time.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Kotsay, Fuentes, Glavine, Smoltz
On August 18th, Rosenthal mentioned Mark Kotsay had cleared waivers, and that Brian Fuentes had not yet been placed. Here’s an update, from today’s Inside Pitch video:
- The Brewers and Red Sox are both showing interest in Kotsay. The Brewers would only pursue a trade if Ryan Braun‘s ribcage injury worsens, and so far he looks more than fine. The Sox made a play for lefty-hitting Brian Giles before Giles vetoed the deal, so it makes sense that they’d exert similar effort toward Kotsay. Even more so now that J.D. Drew has a herniated disc.
- Fuentes is expected to be put on waivers this week, a process that’s not usually made public, let alone announced, so the Rockies must be keen to see if they can do better in a trade than the two first round draft picks they get by keeping Fuentes. According to Rosenthal, as things stand, the Dodgers currently have waiver priority. If they pass for salary reasons, the Phillies could be a roadblock for the Mets.
- Rosenthal also mentions a delicate situation in Atlanta: Tom Glavine and John Smoltz both want to pitch next year, and Glavine only wants to pitch for the Braves. The Braves are faced with re-signing the inevitable Hall of Famers without being as reliant on their health as they were this year, or letting them go despite their long history with the team. Toss Mike Hampton‘s arm into the mix as well.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Holliday, Fuentes, Kotsay
Ken Rosenthal posted a new Full Count video this weekend.
- Rosenthal believes the Rockies are "almost certain to trade Matt Holliday this offseason." Should be a hot topic at the Winter Meetings in December. Rosenthal says to watch out for smaller-revenue sleepers on Holliday like the Nationals, Royals, and Blue Jays. Holliday, a Boras client, is set to earn $13.5MM in ’09 before he hits free agency.
- Rockies closer Brian Fuentes has yet to hit the waiver wire, but he will soon. Rosenthal wonders if the Dodgers would win the claim if their record is worse than Arizona’s when Fuentes hits the wire. The Marlins, Astros, and the NL non-contenders would have to pass first. I could see the salary-shy Dodgers passing on Fuentes, but the Phillies probably wouldn’t let him get to the Mets. At any rate, a team would have to beat two draft picks to pry Fuentes loose in a trade.
- Somewhat surprising new addition to our cleared waivers list – Braves center fielder Mark Kotsay. Apparently a number of teams are interested in the resurgent Kotsay, though not enough to take on his remaining salary.
- The Braves nearly acquired Jason Bay in July, and will be in the market for a slugging outfielder this winter. They’ll also be looking for a quality starter, likely in the Ryan Dempster/A.J. Burnett/Jon Garland range. Click here to browse the free agent market.
Odds and Ends: Roberts, Ohman, Kotsay, Eyre
Rumor roundup…
- ESPN’s Buster Olney implies that another website backdates timestamps in an attempt to fake scoops. I was following the Mark Teixeira rumors like a hawk; I gave the scoop to ESPN’s Jayson Stark with an assist to MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer.
- Joe Christensen says Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts is not available.
- MLB.com’s Mark Bowman guesses Will Ohman will land with the Cardinals. He also puts the odds of a Mark Kotsay deal at 50%.
- With Mark Teixeira out of the picture, Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes doesn’t expect to make any more trades.
- Will Carroll says the Dodgers had a "passing discussion" with the Cubs about Scott Eyre and Ronny Cedeno.
- Nothing cooking with the Royals.
- Talked to Eddie Bajek, who is working on reverse-engineering the Elias formula. He has A.J. Burnett on the Type A/Type B borderline. Ivan Rodriguez and Edgar Renteria should both be Type As.