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AL East Notes: Ortiz, Sizemore, Machado, O’s, Oviedo

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Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino chatted with Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com yesterday and informed Edes that his club and designated hitter David Ortiz have continued to work on an extension over the past few weeks. Ortiz himself told Edes that things were looking good in extension talks, and Edes feels that there's "little doubt" the two parties will agree on a new contract, perhaps before the end of Spring Training.

More news and rumors out of the AL East as you gear up for the weekend…

  • MLB.com's Phil Rogers takes a look at Grady Sizemore's remarkable Spring Training, noting that the former Indians All-Star is improbably closing in on a job as Boston's Opening Day center fielder. Rogers offers several quotes from manager John Farrell, who was the Indians' director or player development when Sizemore was working his way through their minor league ranks.
  • Stephania Bell of ESPN.com reports that Dr. Neal ElAttrache has lifted all physical restrictions for Orioles third baseman Manny Machado in his rehab from last season's knee injury. Machado has been slowed a bit by mild calf and hamstring strains but is nonetheless free to proceed to the final stages of his rehab. Opening Day is still questionable for the 2013 All-Star, however.
  • Orioles manager Buck Showalter was irritated that ESPN received quotes from ElAttrache before the doctor had relayed the information to himself and the team, writes Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Connolly adds that the Orioles might keep Machado playing in minor league games so they can increase the amount of at-bats he gets and also back-date a potential DL stint earlier so that he can be activated before the 15th day of the regular season if ready.
  • Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette tells MASNsports.com's Steve Melewski that he's proud of his scouting and player development departments, as they've taken a bottom-three farm system and progressively improved it. Asked if he felt that the club's core players would be homegrown five years from now, Duquette said, "That is the only way to do it. I don't know any other way to do it."
  • After arriving to camp late due to a visa issue, Juan Carlos Oviedo threw a simulated game to live hitters yesterday, according to MLB.com's Bill Chastain. However, Rays manager Joe Maddon still thinks it could be a long-shot for Oviedo to make the club. Said Maddon: "It became obvious, in spite of the fact that he's throwing the ball well, what really comes rushing to your mind is this guy hasn't been pitching in a while. … And so now you're going to rush him back under these circumstances? It might not be a good idea."

Offseason In Review: Tampa Bay Rays

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Between keeping David Price and preparing to spend a franchise-record high in payroll, the Rays are going all-in on challenging for a pennant in 2014.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Trades and Claims

Extensions

  • Ryan Hanigan, C: Three years, $10.75MM ($3.75MM club option for 2017 with an $0.8MM buyout).
  • David DeJesus, OF: Two years, $10.5MM ($5MM club option for 2016 with a $1MM buyout).

Notable Losses

Needs Addressed

It's not exactly Dodgers/Yankees territory, but for the Rays, their 2013-14 offseason counts as a major financial splurge.  Between their commitments to pre-arbitration players and the approximately $71.64MM committed to 18 players, Tampa Bay will be spending over $80MM on payroll next season, the highest in franchise history (thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info).  Executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman openly admitted that this type of payroll was "certainly not a sustainable number in terms of where we are revenue-wise" in early January, and that was even before the Rays added Grant Balfour on a two-year, $12MM contract. 

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And yet, as Friedman noted, "we felt like we had a really good chance to be great next year, that’s why we’re doing what we’re doing.”  While you can count on the Rays trimming back the payroll next offseason, right now they're willing to take a one-year financial hit in order to chase a World Series, and Friedman has assembled a club that stands as one of the favorites to win it all in October.

The first hint that this could be a more expensive winter than usual for Tampa Bay came when the team somewhat surprisingly picked up David DeJesus' $6.5MM option for 2014, and then converted that deal into a two-year, $10.5MM contract with a 2016 option.  Keeping DeJesus on an eight-figure deal seemed like a curious move given that the Rays already had Matt Joyce as a left-handed hitting outfield option.  Joyce's name was floated on the trade market over the winter but ultimately kept in the fold, so between he and DeJesus, the Rays will have the left field and DH spots covered whenever they face a right-handed starter. 

The Rays also added a right-handed bench bat in Logan Forsythe, who was the most experienced piece of a five-player package acquired in a late-January trade with San Diego.  Forsythe and minor league signings Jayson Nix and Wilson Betemit all fit the Rays' penchant of acquiring versatile bench players, and since Forsythe is only 27 and has some strong minor league numbers to his name, he's a player that could earn a bigger role with the club in the future.  The starting middle infield combo of Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar had their options exercised for 2014, and the Rays also have options on both veterans for 2015.

Left-hander Alex Torres was sent to the Padres in the Forsythe trade, a loss that Friedman explained was tolerable since the Rays already have southpaws Jake McGee and Cesar Ramos in the bullpen.  The relief corps saw some major turnover in the offseason, with Fernando Rodney, Wesley Wright and Jesse Crain (who never actually threw a pitch as a Ray) leaving and Balfour, minor league signing Mark Lowe and Heath Bell all coming into the fold.  Juan Carlos Oviedo also re-signed with the Rays for a guaranteed $1.5MM after they declined his $2MM option for 2014.

Bell and Ryan Hanigan came aboard in the Rays' biggest move of the offseason, a three-team deal with the Diamondbacks and Reds.  Tampa Bay gave up two minor prospects in order to acquire what they hope will be their everyday catcher and to take $4.5MM of Bell's salary off the Diamondbacks' hands.  Bell could also much more than just a salary dump, given that he posted a 2.71 SIERA and 3.08 xFIP in 65 2/3 IP last season, though a .337 BABIP and an 18.5% home run rate boosted Bell's ERA to a (still not bad) 4.11 ERA.

Hanigan became expendable in Cincinnati when the Reds signed Brayan Pena, and the Rays moved quickly to lock Hanigan up to a three-year extension following the trade.  He is known for being an excellent defensive catcher in terms of pitch-framing and throwing out would-be base-stealers, but he also posted a .275/.370/.360 slash line over 1320 PA from 2006-12 before slumping to a .567 OPS in 2013 that may have been caused by a .216 BABIP.

Since the Rays brought back veteran Jose Molina, they had a surplus of their own at catcher that was addressed when Jose Lobaton and two High-A prospects were traded to the Nationals for right-hander Nate Karns.  The 26-year-old Karns brings yet another live arm to Tampa's organization, as he has a career 2.66 ERA, 2.83 K/BB and 10.5 K/9 through 304 minor league innings, though the 2014 Baseball America Prospect Handbook (which ranked him the ninth-best prospect in Washington's system) believe he projects as a future setup man unless he improves his command and adds a third pitch beyond his "91-95 mph power sinker" and "wipeout hammer curveball, which ranges from 82-85 mph."

After hitting on Casey Kotchman in 2010 and missing on Carlos Pena in 2011, the Rays struck paydirt on another short-term first base reclamation project when James Loney revived his career with a 2.7-WAR season.  The Rays checked out the market for other first basemen, including discussing a trade for Ike Davis with the Mets, before sticking with the familiar option and re-signing Loney to a three-year, $21MM contract (their largest free agent commitment ever), beating out similar offers from the Pirates, Brewers and Astros.

Questions Remaining

The Rays could use a more proven right-handed bench bat than their current selection of Forsythe, Betemit, Nix and Sean Rodriguez, though Forsythe has a solid .290/.363/.430 slash line in 249 career PA against lefty pitching.  Zobrist's power numbers took a drop last season, though he improved his contact rate.  Fifth starter Jeremy Hellickson will miss up to two months of the season after undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery, though the Rays have Jake Odorizzi, minor league signing Erik Bedard and Ramos as fill-in options.

If these seem like nit-picking problems, you're right, as there isn't much left to question about a very talented Tampa Bay squad.  It's easy to see why Friedman and principal owner Stuart Sternberg were inspired to spend some extra money this winter in order to patch up the few holes remaining in the roster — this may be the deepest and most versatile group of players in Rays history, which gives manager Joe Maddon even more opportunity to squeeze the most out of his club.

This feeling that the Rays were so close to a possible championship may be one of the reasons why Price is still in Tampa.  When the offseason began, it seemed as if a Price trade was almost inevitable, as dealing their ace with two years of remaining control would maximize the Rays' return.  This is just my speculation, but it's possible that some of the Rays' more expensive moves from earlier in the offseason (i.e. DeJesus' extension, Hanigan's extension, taking on Bell's salary) were made with the expectation that Price's salary would be off the books for 2014 and 2015.

Teams such as the Rangers, Dodgers, Mariners, Giants, Blue Jays and Diamondbacks at least checked in on what it would take to obtain Price, though no serious trade rumors ever seemed to develop.  As the offseason hit January, opinions began to shift that the Rays would now keep Price through 2014, or at least until the trade deadline if the team struggled.  Price himself thought Masahiro Tanaka's late posting may have been a factor, as interested suitors like the Dodgers and D'Backs spent much of their offseason in pursuit of the Japanese right-hander rather than negotiating a deal with Friedman.    

Why didn't a Price trade materialize?  The simple answer is that Friedman didn't find an offer that met the high standard he required to move his best starting pitcher.  Friedman's ideal trade package included both blue-chip prospects for the future and quality everyday players who could help the Rays in 2014; that's a very high price tag (no pun intended) for any team to meet.  The Rays managed such a trick once when they dealt James Shields to the Royals, but since moving Price would further deplete the Rays' pitching staff, Friedman was likely looking for even more for Price than he received for Shields.

You could hardly call it a disappointment for the Rays that no trade partner emerged, as having Price atop the rotation is not exactly a burden, plus Friedman can always explore a deal next winter.  He'll get less of a return for just one year of Price's services, but that's a sacrifice Friedman would happily make if Price's presence helps the Rays to a World Series.

Deal Of Note

Between Rodney and Kyle Farnsworth, the Rays have had great success over the last few years at creating star closers out of cheap relief signings.  This season, however, Tampa Bay eschewed the low-cost veteran route and replaced Rodney by spending $12MM to sign Balfour.  It was a reasonable price for a free agent closer in this year's market, and $2MM less than the Mariners paid to sign Rodney.

The problem with paying extra for a closer, of course, is that if the closer struggles or gets injured, that loss hurts a small-market team even harder.  Balfour's health became a question mark when the Orioles walked away from a two-year, $15MM agreement with the closer due to concerns about his knee and wrist.  Since Balfour passed his Rays physical and the O's also nixed an agreement with Tyler Colvin over a physical, it could be that Baltimore is just particularly cautious and Balfour is fine.  Still, Balfour's recent dead arm issue during Spring Training undoubtedly caused some concern for Rays fans, even though Balfour is back throwing with no apparent problem.

If the Rays were ever going to sign a closer to an eight-figure deal, however, Balfour is a good fit.  He is both a known quantity to the Rays (having pitched for the club from 2007-10) and he's been one of the better relievers in baseball in recent years, amassing a 2.47 ERA, 9.2 K/9 and 2.82 K/BB rate over 254 2/3 IP from 2010-13 and posting an incredible 2.9 rWAR performance as a setup man in 2008.  It's a track record that comes at a price for the Rays, but Balfour's history indicates he'll be worth it.

Overview

The Rays are no strangers to the postseason, and since most of their young core is controlled, it isn't like 2014 will be the last time the Rays are ever in the playoff hunt.  Nonetheless, this year seems like it carries extra weight for Tampa given their added payroll and their closing window with Price, as a long-term extension for the ace left-hander still seems quite unlikely. 

In my Rays Offseason Outlook piece from October, I wrote that "Friedman needs the return on the Price trade to keep the Rays afloat for championship runs for the rest of the decade."  One could argue that Friedman hurt the 2019 or 2020 Rays by not dealing Price at the best possible time, but then again, if Friedman couldn't find a deal to his liking, maybe this past offseason wasn't that ideal time.

Since the Rays are putting such a focus on this season, could we see Tampa Bay acquire a high-priced contract at the trade deadline if Friedman feels it's the last piece of the puzzle?  As Sternberg recently said, "this year's the exception….we want to give this organization and teams like this a chance to compete and win. And we know that it's going to cost us more than we can afford."  While the Rays' expenditures are still very much on the modest side, Sternberg's words have to be music to Tampa Bay fans' ears.

Photo courtesy of Steve Mitchell/USA Today Sports Images

Quick Hits: SABR, Sandoval, Bedard, Twins, Owings

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If you missed the recent SABR Analytics Conference, you are in luck, as Ben Lindbergh of Baseball Prospectus provides an excellent breakdown of the main topics of conversation. Among other things, the conference touched upon injury analytics, team chemistry, tracking technology, and front office personnel trends. Here are a few links from around the game to round out the evening:

  • The Giants have yet to begin discussing a contract extension with third baseman Pablo Sandoval, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). With less than two weeks remaining before Opening Day, the sides will have to move quickly if there is any interest in making a run at a new contract before the start of the season. Sandoval is set to become one of the best available free agents following the 2014 season.
  • Rays pitcher Erik Bedard says he will exercise his March 23rd opt-out clause if he does not make the Opening Day roster, tweets Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune. Though Bedard has been knocked around somewhat in his 11 1/3 spring innings, he says he would look to find a rotation opening elsewhere.
  • Twins assistant GM Rob Antony said today that the front office has been fielding calls about possible trades as rosters begin to take shape, tweets Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Antony indicated that out-of-options players are the key topic. As MLBTR's Tim Dierkes recently reported, the Twins have eight out-of-options players of their own, several of whom are still battling for roles. Presumably, the team could also be a landing spot for the out-of-options players from other clubs.
  • Free agent Micah Owings is looking for a job as a pitcher, tweets Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDIsh.com. After transitioning to the field just last year, the 31-year-old will hold a showcase later this week as he returns to the bump. 

Orioles Among Teams Interested In Nick Franklin

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The Orioles have joined the Rays and Mets as teams discussing a deal with the Mariners for middle infielder Nick Franklin, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Baltimore would be interested in using Franklin at second base, where the team remains somewhat unsettled entering the season.

Franklin is competing (nominally, at least) with Brad Miller at short for Seattle after being displaced at second by Robinson Cano. The 23-year-old had a solid debut last year, posting a .225/.303/.389 line in 412 plate appearances after taking over at the keystone for Dustin Ackley. Franklin is considered a more marginal defender at shortstop than Miller, and has no apparent alternative spot in the Seattle infield, opening the possibility for a deal.

AL East Notes: Ichiro, Tigers, Cervelli, Blue Jays

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A year ago, Jon Lester was coming off a poor season and his long-term future in Boston looked in doubt.  Now, as Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald writes, Lester has rebuilt his career following a rebound season and another World Series ring, and it seems he's in position for a nine-figure contract from either the Red Sox or another club as a free agent next winter.  Lester and the Sox have discussed an extension, and Lauber notes that the Sox (for all their promising young arms on the farm) have nobody who can replace Lester's 200 innings in 2015, so the club needs their star southpaw back.

Here's the latest from around the AL East…

  • Yankees officials tell Joel Sherman of the New York Post that the Tigers haven't asked about Ichiro Suzuki in the wake of Andy Dirks' injury.  Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski tells Sherman that his team is "not actively seeking a big move," though they haven't decided if they'll use an internal or external player to platoon with Rajai Davis in left.
  • Ichiro, for his part, had "nothing to say about" the subject of whether or not he would want to play for another team that could offer him more regular playing time.  “But as far as being part of [trade rumors], when I first came to New York, I knew it was something that happens here," Suzuki said.  "You have to be emotionally ready and prepare yourself for it."
  • Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli seems somewhat torn between his desire for more playing time and his desire to remain with the Yankees.  "I’ve been here forever. I don’t have that answer right now because this is, I feel like, my house," Cervelli told reporters, including Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.  "But if somebody wants me to go over there, I’ve got to make the adjustment. I told you guys many times that my dream is to be a starting catcher. Right now, my role is a backup. That’s what I’m playing for. But I’m never going to stop because an opportunity is going to come again."  Cervelli has drawn interest from several teams (including the White Sox and Diamondbacks) as one of Yankees' backup catchers could be traded to bring infield help to the Bronx.
  • The Blue Jays' lack of success in obtaining starting pitching this offseason leads Sportsnet.ca's Shi Davidi to re-evaluate the team's decisions to not tender a qualifying offer to Josh Johnson and to pass on a potential trade for Brett Anderson due to medical concerns.
  • According to some Red Sox players, Stephen Drew regrets not accepting Boston's $14.1MM qualifying offer, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.  Drew has lingered on the free agent market in his search for a multiyear deal, and while the possibility of returning to the Sox as a veteran alternative for Xander Bogaerts or Will Middlebrooks seemed to have potential earlier this winter, the club seems to have moved on.  Red Sox veterans, Abraham writes, no longer feel the team needs to re-sign Drew after seeing how Middlebrooks has conducted himself during Spring Training.
  • No matter how well the Rays perform on the field or how much they spend on payroll, Cork Gaines of Rays Index notes that the team can't seem to top an average of 23,000 fans per game at Tropicana Field. Gaines speculates that even a World Series title could only bump the Rays over that 23K attendance threshold for a season or two, at most.

AL Notes: Kipnis, Sizemore, Mulder

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How do teams take players from promise to big league production? Grantland's Jonah Keri takes a look at some different developmental approaches for players approaching MLB readiness, most of them from AL clubs. The Twins, for example, advance players based upon their readiness to fill a need at the MLB level, while the Rays pay close attention to service time in a bid to maximize the value of each player asset. Here's more from the American League:

  • The Indians are still believed to be discussing an extension with second baseman Jason Kipnis, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. With just two years and 69 days of service, Kipnis will not reach arbitration eligibility until next year (though he received a relatively sizeable $554,900 contract from Cleveland for the coming season). As Hoynes notes, there is an interesting comp in the Cardinals' recent six-year, $52MM extension of Matt Carpenter, an older player with less service (and, on the whole, a less impressive overall track record). 
  • Grady Sizemore is an increasingly plausible option not just to break camp with the Red Sox, but to beat out Jackie Bradley Jr. for the center field job, writes Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. He has shown enough for the club (and, perhaps, Sizemore) to dare to dream, even if manager John Farrell is still preaching caution. But the skipper also joined those offering praise for Sizemore's performance thus far in camp. "The fact that Grady's having encouraging signs in spring training is not a bad thing for Jackie Bradley or for anybody," Farrell said. "It means we've got another good player. Grady gives us the potential to build another talented and deep roster." 
  • Though an achilles tear ended Mark Mulder's comeback bid this year with the Angels, the 36-year-old says that does not mean he is giving up entirely, reports MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. "Barring a setback, or me not being able to pitch with my ankle for some reason, I don't see why not," Mulder said. "My arm's still going to be the same next year."

Out Of Options Players: AL East

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The following 40-man roster players have less than five years service time and are out of minor league options.  That means they must clear waivers before being sent to the minors, so the team would be at risk of losing them in attempting to do so.  I've included players on multiyear deals.  This list was compiled through MLBTR's sources.  Today, we'll take a look at the AL East.

Blue Jays: Brett Cecil, Jeremy Jeffress, Luis Perez, Esmil Rogers, Sergio Santos, Todd Redmond, Moises Sierra

Back on February 20th, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos spoke about beginning the season with an eight-man bullpen, as they did in 2013, partially because of the desire not to lose a player, according to MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm.  Cecil, Santos, Casey Janssen, Steve Delabar, and Aaron Loup are the locks.

Perez has already been sent to minor league camp, with the Jays expected to buy some time by putting him on the DL to start the season.  Dustin McGowan is under contract on a multiyear deal, and was not listed above because he has over seven years of big league service.  Still, the Jays will have to find a spot if they wish to retain him, and they probably will.  McGowan, Rogers, Redmond, and Jeffress are part of the fifth starter competition, as outlined by Rosie DiManno of the Toronto Star on Friday.  In theory, all four could be retained: one in the rotation, the other three filling out the bullpen.  That scenario would involve sending Neil Wagner and other solid pitchers to Triple-A, establishing strong depth but perhaps not putting the team's best 13 pitchers on the Opening Day roster.  A trade would be another way to find some breathing room.  The Jays are known to be in the mix for Ervin Santana, who would take a rotation spot and have a ripple effect on the above-named players.

Sierra seems to have a good shot at the team's last bench spot partially because of his lack of minor league options.  It's another case where making the decision to retain the player might be less than ideal, as Sierra would have to be the team's fourth outfielder over the defensively superior Anthony Gose.  Sierra would also platoon at DH with Adam Lind and could pitch in at first base, however.

Orioles: Edgmer Escalona, Chris Davis, Tommy Hunter, Troy Patton, Nolan Reimold, Chris Tillman, Zach Britton, Kelvin De La Cruz, David Lough, Brian Matusz, Steve Pearce, Francisco Peguero, Josh Stinson

The Orioles' list includes a staggering 13 players.  Let's start with the team's rotation.  We can project three members with certainty: Ubaldo Jimenez, Chris Tillman, and Wei-Yin Chen.  At this moment, Miguel Gonzalez and Bud Norris would grab the two remaining spots.  Two of the above-named pitchers, Britton and Matusz, had been among those competing for the fifth starter job before Jimenez was signed.  Further muddying the picture, as explained by Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun today, is the pursuit of Ervin Santana.  Additionally, Suk-min Yoon and Johan Santana will come into play later in the season.

Connolly notes that Norris or Gonzalez could move to the bullpen if necessary.  Hunter, Darren O'Day, Ryan Webb, and Matusz seem to be locks for the pen.  A 25-game amphetamine suspension for Patton takes him out of the picture for most of April.  That leaves Escalona, De La Cruz, Britton, and Stinson as out of options pitchers competing for three likely spots, with Steve Johnson, Alfredo Aceves, T.J. McFarland, and Evan Meek also in the mix.  You may recall the Orioles were loose with 40-man roster spots in the offseason, giving them to Escalona, De La Cruz, and Peguero despite scant big league experience.  Retaining them now requires putting them on the 25-man roster.  This situation seems to call for a trade or two.

As the backup center fielder, Lough is assured a spot on the roster.  The Cruz signing takes away at-bats from Reimold, but he still seems likely to make the team.  Peguero or Pearce could take the final roster spot, but only by beating out the other candidates in camp, such as Delmon Young, Xavier Paul, Julio Borbon, Quintin Berry, and Henry Urrutia.  There seems a good chance Peguero or Pearce is exposed to waivers; perhaps both.  Again, a minor trade could make sense in the coming weeks.

Rays: Jake McGee, Cesar Ramos, Matt Joyce, Chris Archer, Josh Lueke, Brandon Guyer

Archer is a lock for the Rays' rotation, while Ramos is battling pitchers such as Erik Bedard, Jake Odorizzi, Nate Karns, and Alex Colome for the fifth starter job until Jeremy Hellickson's projected late May return.  If he doesn't win the job, Ramos would go back to the Rays' bullpen.

McGee is a lock for a bullpen job, as are Grant Balfour, Heath Bell, and Joel Peralta.  Juan Carlos Oviedo has yet to report to camp due to visa issues, but he's expected to take a spot as well.  If Ramos doesn't win the rotation job, that leaves one potential opening for Lueke.  Late last month, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times named Brad Boxberger, Brandon Gomes, and Mark Lowe as other candidates, choosing Lueke as the favorite given his option situation.

Joyce is a lock for a roster spot.  If the Rays go with a traditional fifth outfielder, Guyer could snag the job, as Roger Mooney of The Tampa Tribune explained late last month.  The team could also use Sean Rodriguez or Ben Zobrist as the fifth outfielder. 

Red Sox: Mike Carp, Felix Doubront 

Doubront is penciled into Boston's rotation.  Carp has a bench spot locked down, though he did pop up in recent trade rumors.

Yankees: Francisco Cervelli, Ivan Nova

Nova is a key piece of the Yankees' rotation, while Cervelli is highly likely to break camp as the backup catcher.

AL East Notes: Ervin, Johan, Salty, Lester, Bedard

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Orioles manager Buck Showalter wouldn't rule out the possibility of his team adding Ervin Santana to the fold when asked by Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Said Showalter: "I wouldn't say that and be completely sure that it's true." Kubatko has garnered that the Orioles were comfortable going into the three-year, $30MM range but weren't interested at Santana's asking price of four years, $50MM. More on the Orioles, who officially signed a different Santana (Johan) yesterday…

  • Executive vice president Dan Duquette wouldn't commit to whether or not Johan Santana will be used as a starter or reliever if he's able to eventually take the mound, tweets Kubatko. Santana's contract contains incentives for games started, though reports yesterday indicated that they viewed him as a relief option as well. Duquette says Santana's ultimate role will be determined once the team sees how his velocity progresses. The two-time Cy Young winner topped out at 81 mph in his most recent workout, but he's very early in his throwing program at this point.
  • The offer Jarrod Saltalamacchia received from the Red Sox this offseason was the lowest of the six or seven offers presented to him, the catcher told reporters, including the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo (Twitter link). The Boston Herald's Scott Lauber tweets that despite signing for a much lower average annual value, Saltalamacchia said he wouldn't have accepted a qualifying offer from the Red Sox, as he preferred multiyear security. The Globe's Matt Pepin has full quotes from Saltalamacchia, who said Boston's best offer was for two years, but "not a straight two-year deal," adding that there "were other things involved."
  • Jon Lester told reporters, including WEEI.com's Rob Bradford, that there have been no recent developments in his contract talks with the Red Sox. Lester, who has made his desire to stay in Boston well known, said he prefer to let agents Seth and Sam Levinson of ACES and GM Ben Cherington worry about those matters.
  • Andrew Astleford of FOX Sports Florida spoke with Rays non-roster invitee Erik Bedard about how he is adjusting to the new clubhouse and what it's like to come into camp looking for a job each year. Bedard says he didn't think back to his days with the Orioles when he faced them in his first Spring Training outing, because he doesn't know many of the players or coaches anymore. "Every team turns around every year. It's never the same. Nobody keeps the same guys anymore. They'll switch, trade, get released. Back in the day, everybody stayed."

Minor Moves: Cooper, Flores, Perez

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Here are today's minor moves from around the league…

  • Indians first baseman David Cooper has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, the club announced on Twitter. He'll be back in camp as a non-roster invitee. Cleveland designated him for assignment to make room for Justin Sellers on the 40-man roster.
  • The Royals have inked catcher Jesus Flores to a minor league deal that doesn't include a Spring Training invite, according to the team's transactions page. Flores, 29, hasn't appeared in a big league game since 2012 with the Nationals but spent parts of five seasons with Washington's Major League team. In 1014 career plate appearances in the Majors, the Venezuelan backstop is a .241/.289/.375 hitter.
  • The Rays have signed right-hander Sergio Perez to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league Spring Training, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The signing marks a homecoming for the 29-year-old, who was born in Tampa and played college ball at the University of Tampa. The Astros selected Perez in the second round of the 2006 draft, and he's climbed as high as Triple-A in the minor leagues, posting a career 4.74 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9. He began the 2013 campaign with the Athletics and wound up spending the bulk of the season pitching for the Mexican League's Pericos de Puebla.

AL East Notes: Rays, Lowe, Peralta, Napoli, Ortiz

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If David Price isn't traded, "almost every baseball person one talks to mentions the Rays as the team to beat in the American League," Peter Gammons writes in his latest piece for his Gammons Daily website.  Price has stayed in the fold despite multiple trade rumors this winter, with the Rays instead adding roster depth instead of moving another cornerstone player for prospects.  The depth and continuity carrying over from 2013 is a big factor for Evan Longoria, who notes that "for the first time since I’ve been here, we have almost everyone back. We have a team that is going to play together two years in a row.”

Here's some more from around the AL East…

  • The Rays' "laid back environment" was a key reason why Mark Lowe chose to sign a minor league deal with the club, MLB.com's Bill Chastain reports.  Lowe notes that his choice came down to the Rays and Indians this winter, as those were the two clubs who "pushed the hardest" for his services.  Tampa manager Joe Maddon said that the Rays originally tried to sign Lowe during the 2012-13 offseason.
  • Jhonny Peralta said the Yankees offered him a three-year contract and the opportunity to play third base, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports (Twitter links).  The Yankees were Peralta's preferred Big Apple team since the Mets only offered him a two-year deal that Peralta described as "not really good."  Of course, Peralta overcame the stigma of his 50-game PED suspension last season to sign a four-year, $53MM contract with the Cardinals as their everyday shortstop.
  • Mike Napoli rejected a qualifying offer from the Red Sox last fall and the slugger felt the draft pick compensation limited his free agent options, Napoli tells Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.  “It’s tough because it’s kind of holding you back,” Napoli said. “You get (to free agency) and it should be all the teams that want you. The way it is now, if a team doesn’t want to give up a pick, they’re not going to be interested.”  It ended up being something of a moot point for Napoli, as he openly wanted to return to Boston and re-signed for a two-year, $32MM deal.
  • There isn't any new news about David Ortiz's contract talks with the Red Sox, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports.  The two sides apparently haven't had any further negotiations since their initial meetings two weeks ago.  (Cafardo shared some more items about the AL East in his regular Sunday column, as reported earlier.)
  • Quintin Berry talks to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford about why he signed with the Orioles and how he appreciated his time with the Red Sox last season, though the Sox didn't push too hard to re-sign him.  “Supposedly [they tried] a little bit, but I know they had a couple of things in mind they wanted to do, some guys they wanted to try and give experience to,” Berry said. “So I just wanted to test the market and see what else I could do."  Berry signed a minor league deal with the O's in January.
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