East Notes: Stewart, Red Sox, Oswalt, Rays, Nats
Links out of the AL and NL East …
- Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters, including Marc Carig of the Star Ledger, that they coveted recently traded-for catcher Chris Stewart, acquired from the Giants, for his penchant for framing pitches. The Yankees consider this skill to be undervalued.
- Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino called a National League GM about Roy Oswalt but was dissuaded from signing him, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB.com. Gammons adds that this is proof that Lucchino is willing to consider adding to the payroll.
- Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg sounded guardedly optimistic about progress in stadium talks when he spoke with reporters prior to yesterday's game against the Yankees, writes Ira Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune. However, there have been no recent meetings between the club and St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster.
- Michael Morse and Rick Ankiel are set to return soon for the Nationals and Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post looks at who might be left on the outside looking in. Both Roger Bernadina and Brett Carroll are out-of-options and at risk. Bernadina has started in center field the Nats’ first two games but he is not a lock to stay.
Quick Hits: Oswalt, Cain, Soria, Votto, McCourt
We're less than 24 hours away from the first official game at Marlins Park, as the Fish show off their new ballpark in their season opener against the World Series champion Cardinals. Here are some news bits to tide us over in the meantime…
- The Giants' extension with Matt Cain is "a sound deal," several non-San Francisco team executives tell ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter).
- Roy Oswalt will likely need around 60 days of preparation time to be ready to pitch, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). This fits with Oswalt's previous statement about looking at a midseason return.
- Royals closer Joakim Soria underwent Tommy John surgery today and the medical team "couldn't have been more pleased" with the procedure, a club source tells MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. Soria will miss the entire 2012 season recovering from the surgery.
- Joey Votto's 10-year, $225MM extension with the Reds is "one of the crazier seeming contracts in baseball history," writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Heyman talks to several anonymous team executives about the contract, with theories ranging from the Reds being worried about the Dodgers' aggressive new ownership to the Reds being able to afford Votto thanks to several years of collecting luxury tax payments. Then again, one competing GM says simply, "The Reds look like they have no plan."
- Attorneys for Major League Baseball made a court filing arguing that the Dodgers shouldn't be allowed to emerge from bankruptcy until the team pays back $8.3MM worth of bills from the league, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
- Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch looks at how some recent big contracts around baseball could impact the Cardinals. Miklasz thinks that Cain's deal will make Adam Wainwright's next contract even more expensive, but I don't agree, given that Wainwright is three years older and has a more checkered injury history.
- Several Padres players, as well as several players from the entire NL West and AL West, are discussed by opposing scouts in a chat with Tom Krasovic of Inside The Padres.
Cafardo On Suzuki, Oswalt, Correia, Zimmermann
In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe argues that two best players at catcher and shortstop positions in camp with the Red Sox organization are Ryan Lavarnway and Jose Iglesias and believes that they absolutely should be on the final 25-man roster. There could be disagreement from different factions of the club about what to do with the two players and it'll be interesting to see how it all turns out. Here's more from Cafardo..
- The Rays have been trying hard to get A's catcher Kurt Suzuki but Oakland isn’t crazy about getting Wade Davis or Jeff Niemann in return. One National League GM points out that those are the type of pitchers that Billy Beane winds up trading and would want a higher grade of pitcher. Right now, the Rays aren’t willing to pay that price.
- The idea that Roy Oswalt wants to play in the Midwest or South can be overcome with money, according to a major league source. To get him, Cafardo writes that the Red Sox have to loosen their purse strings.
- Major league sources say that the Pirates would entertain a deal for right-hander Kevin Correia.
- The Angels asked the Nationals about Jordan Zimmermann, but there’s no chance unless they part with someone like Mike Trout, and that’s not happening.
- Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald could get some bites if he gets squeezed out in Boston. The Indians, Giants, and Braves are all looking for a righthanded-hitting outfielder.
- The Yankees are being a little careful about trading their pitching depth, but it appears Freddy Garcia would be available at the right price, which may be high.
- White Sox pitchers Gavin Floyd and John Danks are both available in the right deal, but according to one GM, Kenny Williams will want at least "two A-level prospects and a third that’s a notch below, and that might not get it done."
Angels Emerging As Front-Runner For Oswalt?
8:58pm: "I can't qualify for everything you hear," said GM Jerry Dipoto to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez while reiterating that he is looking for overall pitching depth. "You never have enough pitching, so it's tough for me to say that there's not a time in this season where our situation may not change, but right now, we're very happy with where our pitching is."
10:25am: The Angels are "suddenly the front-runner" for free agent right-hander Roy Oswalt, reports ESPN's Jim Bowden (on Twitter). The Red Sox remain in the mix, though the Rangers and Cardinals are fading out of the picture despite Chris Carpenter's neck problems.
Oswalt, 34, is reportedly willing to sign anywhere and is eyeing a midseason return. Earlier in the offseason he was said to only be interested in playing for a team close to his Mississippi home. Andy Pettitte's return to the Yankees for a $2.5MM minor league deal may have set the market for free agent pitchers coming back during the season, though Oswalt isn't coming out of retirement like his former Astros rotation-mate.
The Angels have reportedly been seeking pitching depth behind their strong front four of Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, C.J. Wilson, and Ervin Santana, though they are said to be targeting out of options players and non-roster invitees. Oswalt at a salary similar to Pettitte's could be the bargain of the year.
Quick Hits: Wuertz, Oswalt, Jimenez, Matsuzaka
Earlier today Chipper Jones announced he’ll retire following the 2012 season. Here are some other updates from around the Major Leagues…
- Michael Wuertz threw for 15 teams today, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
- Roy Oswalt doesn’t expect to pitch in the Major Leagues before June, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets. The Cardinals have uncertainty atop their rotation and other openings could emerge around the league, but the free agent right-hander seems content to wait for now.
- Ubaldo Jimenez explained to Yahoo's Jeff Passan that the disappointing ending to his tenure in Colorado wasn't related to money. “It’s not about the contract,” Jimenez said. “People are going to say that. They know what it is.” The Indians are optimistic that Jimenez will put together a healthy season reminiscent of his breakout 2010 campaign.
- Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said Daisuke Matsuzaka could join the rotation by early June, according to MLB.com's Ian Browne. The right-hander is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Latest On Roy Oswalt
The Cardinals and Rangers — Roy Oswalt’s preferred teams earlier this year — both have questions in their rotations, but it doesn’t sound as though either team is in the mix for the free agent right-hander at this time. The Cardinals aren't sure how much time Chris Carpenter will miss, and Neftali Feliz got his shoulder checked out this week, so both of last year’s World Series contestants may have less pitching than expected.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Cardinals prefer to rely on internal options and that the Rangers aren’t currently keen on Oswalt (all links go to Twitter). The Cardinals will rely on Lance Lynn, who’s currently being stretched out as a starter. The Rangers can turn to Alexi Ogando or Scott Feldman if Feliz’s injury proves to be more serious than expected.
As Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out (Twitter links), Andy Pettitte’s $2.5MM salary establishes precedent for Oswalt should he also sign soon. Oswalt prefers the Cardinals, according to Sherman.
Cardinals Notes: Carpenter, Oswalt, Luhnow
The Cardinals may open the season without their ace starting pitcher. Here are the details along with reactions from around the league…
- Chris Carpenter returned to St. Louis to be examined by nerve specialists, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. It now seems likely that Carpenter will open the season on the disabled list with Lance Lynn taking his spot in the Cardinals’ rotation.
- Richard Justice of MLB.com doubted Roy Oswalt's decision to sign midseason, but now that Carpenter and Rangers starter Neftali Feliz are battling injuries, there's uncertainty on Oswalt's two preferred teams.
- Jeff Gordon of the Post-Dispatch makes the case that “revisiting the Oswalt Option is imperative.”
- Astros GM Jeff Luhnow says his time spent working in the Cardinals front office formed him professionally, Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch reports. "My time with the Cardinals — it defines who I am. It defines what kind of baseball executive I am and will be," Luhnow said.
Red Sox Links: Oswalt, Blanton, Beltran
It was on this day in 2000 that six Boston pitchers (including starter Pedro Martinez) combined to throw a perfect game against the Blue Jays in a Spring Training matchup. While perfect games in the spring obviously aren't nearly as prestigious as those during the regular season, it was still an opportunity for Martinez to finally be involved in a recognized perfecto. Martinez threw nine perfect innings against the Padres on June 3, 1995 but his performance isn't considered a perfect game by MLB rules since (shades of Harvey Haddix) the 0-0 game went into extra innings and Martinez allowed a hit to the first batter of the 10th inning.
Here's the latest from Fenway….
- The Red Sox have "their radar up on Roy Oswalt," writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe as part of a reader mailbag. Carfardo thinks if Oswalt wants to pitch for Boston, the club will sign him. Oswalt was reportedly holding out for a team closer to his Mississippi home but recently said he's willing to pitch anywhere, though perhaps not until midseason. Also in Cafardo's piece, he says the Sox aren't going to make a move for a pitcher until they see what they have in Daniel Bard and internal fifth starter candidates like Felix Doubront.
- Scouts from the Red Sox and Orioles have joined the contingent of scouts at Joe Blanton's spring starts, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. The Phillies are reportedly willing to pay up to $2MM of Blanton's $8MM salary as part of a trade, but Boston makes another move, even $6MM might be too much for the Sox, who are trying to keep payroll down to avoid a big luxury tax hit.
- Carlos Beltran was interested in joining the Red Sox this winter, reports Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal, but ultimately signed with the Cardinals since Boston's focus was on working out a deal with David Ortiz. "We talked a little bit, and they had interest," Beltran said. "They were trying to get something done first with David. At the end of the day, I wasn't going to wait until they got that done." As MacPherson points out, it may have been a moot point since the Sox wouldn't have been able to afford Beltran once Ortiz accepted salary arbitration.
Oswalt Open To Playing Anywhere
Roy Oswalt spent most of the offseason telling teams that he'd prefer to sign close to his Mississippi home, but the free agent right-hander will now consider other opportunities. He's telling clubs he'll play anywhere, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (all Twitter links).
Oswalt said last month that he's looking at a possible midseason return and the probable timeline for a deal hasn't changed, according to Crasnick. By June Oswalt's kids will have finished school, and a potential move would be easier on his family at that point in the season. Oswalt's decision may depend on which contender needs pitching depth a few months from now, Crasnick writes.
Cafardo On Jones, Nationals, Floyd, Indians, Red Sox
Agent Scott Boras told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that he expects trade deadline activity to decrease because the superpowers in baseball are going to save money on the luxury tax and can’t spend it in the draft. Boras was in attendance for the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston and our own Tim Dierkes sat down for an interview with the super agent. Here's more from Cafardo's Sunday column..
- The Orioles' Adam Jones keeps popping up in trade discussions with the Nationals, but O's sources indicate that there’s very little chance he'll be dealt. The Nats are trying to figure out center field, and for the moment they’re content with using Jayson Werth, Roger Bernadina, and Rick Ankiel. However, they will be scouting Michael Bourn, B.J. Upton, Gerardo Parra, and Peter Bourjos in spring training.
- White Sox right-hander Gavin Floyd could be in play for the Blue Jays or Red Sox. The White Sox don’t appear eager to move Floyd, but GM Kenny Williams wouldn’t be shy if it brought him a decent bounty in return.
- The Indians will try to fill in for Grady Sizemore with Michael Brantley, but their scouts are looking for a center field option in the trade market.
- Free agent Adonis Garcia is drawing interest from several teams, but the Red Sox aren’t overly enamored, according to a team source.
- Roy Oswalt is still in play and later in camp the Red Sox could put on a full-court press for him.
- The Rays are looking for a catcher to back up Jose Molina and Boras may look to put Ivan Rodriguez in that spot.
- There seems to be concern that the Astros are shooting themselves in the foot by moving starter Brett Myers into the closer role as he is one of the veterans they have been trying to deal. Teams typically need innings-eaters over late-inning relievers.
- Cafardo wonders aloud if Terry Francona will land with the Mets when he resumes his managerial career.