AL East Notes: Davis, Carpenter, Soler, Beeston
The latest from Florida, where all five AL East teams are preparing for Opening Day…
- Rays starter Wade Davis told Bill Chastain of MLB.com that he doesn't want to get traded, despite the uncertainty surrounding his role on the 2012 team.
- Red Sox right-hander Chris Carpenter tells Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that it was "kind of cool" to be traded for Theo Epstein earlier this week. Epstein called Carpenter to explain the situation.
- All of Boston's top talent evaluators including GM Ben Cherington have seen Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reports. The 19-year-old appeals to the Red Sox more than Yoenis Cespedes did, according to Edes.
- Blue Jays president Paul Beeston, who is entering the final year of his contract, told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca that he'd like to continue in his current role. “I guess I would say that, but I’m not even thinking about that right now," he said. The Blue Jays promoted Alex Anthopoulos and invested in scouting and player development since Beeston assumed his current role following the 2008 season.
- The Orioles aren't likely to add a catcher from outside of the organization any time soon, MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli tweets.
AL East Notes: Red Sox, Rays, Rivera, Vizquel
Roy Oswalt probably won't be signing in Boston any time soon and the Yankees are discussing a multiyear deal with Russell Martin. Here are some more updates of note from the AL East…
- Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said he's ready to move on without Oswalt, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports. “I think I may have been more comfortable, but I wouldn’t have been totally comfortable,” Valentine said of potentially signing Oswalt. “What did he pitch, 136 innings last year?” Valentine was close — it was 139.
- Red Sox GM Ben Cherington says he doesn’t anticipate making any more additions in the near future, Alex Speier of WEEI.com tweets.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports discusses the Rays’ impressive rotation depth and explains why it’s a good ‘problem’ to have. Manager Joe Maddon told Rosenthal the club could use a six-man rotation at times this year and said top prospect Matt Moore won’t be relegated to the bullpen.
- Mariano Rivera seems to be savoring the early days of Spring Training, so Joel Sherman of the New York Post won’t be surprised if the closer chooses to retire after the season.
- Blue Jays infielder Omar Vizquel said he'll likely become involved in coaching next year, according to MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm (on Twitter). The 44-year-old doesn't anticipate playing after 2012 and would eventually like to manage in the Major Leagues.
AL East Notes: Crawford, Youkilis, Orioles, Uehara
Here's the latest from the AL East…
- Red Sox owner John Henry e-mailed the Boston Globe today to clarify his comments from last October about not wanting to sign Carl Crawford in the 2010-11 offseason. "At the time I was opposed due to too many lefties in the lineup and particularly in the outfield,” Henry wrote. “My answer was an honest, off-the-cuff response on a radio station to a false assertion that ownership signed him for offseason PR purposes.. This was a baseball decision I ultimately backed.”
- Crawford, for his part, told media today (including Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com) that he wasn't pleased to hear Henry's comments. “I was a little surprised to hear the comments but like I said, it’s unfortunate he feels that way. I just wish those words hadn’t come out," Crawford said.
- Kevin Youkilis isn't worried about his contract situation, he told reporters (including WEEI.com's Alex Speier) today. The Red Sox hold a $13MM option on Youkilis for 2013 that can be bought out for $1MM. "For me, it’s not about a contract year. If I stay healthy and play hard, do all the little things to help the team, I know I can play here,” Youkilis said. “I know if I’m out there starting everyday and we win a World Series….it’s going to be hard for them not to bring me back. I want to make it as hard on them as possible to not bring me back.”
- Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com looks at how minor league options could impact which pitchers the Orioles keep on their roster this spring. Baltimore has 10 players on its 40-man roster who are out of options, the highest number of any team.
- Toronto's climate played a role in Koji Uehara rejecting a trade to the Blue Jays, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. "The weather is an issue," Uehara said. "I also know how hard it is to compete in that division." Despite the toughness of the AL East, Uehara has reportedly expressed an interest in returning to the Orioles if a trade could be worked out, though he told Sullivan that he would also be happy continuing to pitch for the Rangers.
- To round out the division's teams, here are some items about the Rays and Yankees from earlier today, plus the news that the Yankees have agreed to a deal with Raul Ibanez.
Rays Notes: Davis, Niemann, Pitching
With so many teams now in Florida for Spring Training, let's check on one of the teams that calls the Sunshine State home year-round…
- Wade Davis wasn't pleased about the possibility of pitching out of the bullpen this season, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. "I don't see any reason for me to be in the bullpen," Davis said. "I understand they've got to do certain things, but we'll see. … I definitely want to be a starter and stay a starter forever. And that'll be my mentality." Davis and Jeff Niemann will be battling to be Tampa Bay's fifth starter, with the other becoming a reliever. As Topkin points out, there's little Davis could do if he is assigned a relief gig, as "he wouldn't have much leverage to force a trade."
- ESPN's Buster Olney hears from some scouts that Davis is "much better suited" as a relief pitcher and "could actually be pretty good at that job."
- Between Davis, Niemann and prospects Alex Torres and Alex Cobb, the Rays like their pitching depth and want to hang onto it, executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told media (including Topkin) on Monday. Friedman did say that the Rays would "be aggressive in trying to improve [the] roster."
- Niemann didn't seem too upset over losing his arbitration case to the Rays earlier this month. “I considered it a win-win situation going in,” Niemann told Roger Mooney of TBO.com. “Certain circumstances got us to that point. We did it, went through it, got the experience. Now I’m ready to go out there and play."
AL East Notes: Rays, Chavez, Varitek, Red Sox, Burnett
A look at some news out of the American League East..
- It would make sense for the Rays to hold on to their surplus of starting pitching as they've needed at least seven starting pitchers in each of the past four seasons, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters that Eric Chavez's return isn't a sure thing, tweets Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
- Red Sox skipper Bobby Valentine isn't expecting Jason Varitek in camp today, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. The manager added that the front office hasn't asked them to get the catcher's uniform ready, tweets Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com. On Friday, we learned that Varitek is leaning towards retirement.
- There is some concern over the Red Sox's shortstop position in 2012 but Valentine told reporters that he was on board with the trade that shipped Marco Scutaro to Colorado, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).
- Unloading A.J. Burnett's contract was a move that the Yankees had to make, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- The Burnett deal will likely be officially announced tomorrow, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Once the deal is official, the Yankees will have the money neccessary to sign another bat such as Raul Ibanez.
- With an annual average of $2MM in his new three-year deal, Rays skipper Joe Maddon would rank in the middle third based on current contracts, writes Topkin.
Rays Sign Chris Gimenez
The Rays signed catcher Chris Gimenez to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter link). Gimenez elected free agency earlier in the week, not long after the Mariners designated him for assignment.
The Mariners non-tendered Gimenez in December, re-signing him to a Major League deal soon afterwards. The 29-year-old has a .171/.279/.272 line in 267 career plate appearances from 2009-11. He also has experience at first base and the corner outfield positions.
Rays Extend Joe Maddon
WEDNESDAY, 10:00am: The Rays officially announced Maddon's three-year extension.
TUESDAY, 4:04pm: Maddon will earn approximately $2MM per season under his new contract, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe tweets.
11:13am: The Rays have agreed to a three-year contract extension with manager Joe Maddon, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Maddon's contract had been set to expire after 2012, and the sides had been working on an extended agreement over the course of the offseason. An announcement is expected tomorrow, according to Topkin.
Maddon, the 2011 American League Manager of the Year, has managed the Rays to three playoff berths in the past four seasons, including an AL pennant in 2008. In six years under the 57-year-old Maddon, the Rays have a 495-477 record.
Minor Moves: Coon, Salazar
We'll keep track of today's minor league moves in this post …
- The Rays have signed outfielders Brad Coon and Jeff Salazar to minor league contracts with invitations to Spring Training, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Coon, 29, has spent his career in the minors, while Salazar, 30, has had cups of coffee in the Majors with the Rockies, Diamondbacks and Pirates.
Quick Hits: Kershaw, Moreno, Cespedes, Joyce
Here are a few items from around the Majors as we head into Sunday…
- The first priority for the new Dodgers owner should be to sign Clayton Kershaw to a long-term extension, says ESPN's Buster Olney in a video blog. Kershaw's recent two-year contract only covers his first two arbitration years, putting him on track for free agency (at age 26) after the 2014 season. "The entire landscape of baseball would be all over Kershaw as a free agent," says Olney, who believes the Dodgers should offer Kershaw something akin to a five-year, $100-120MM deal to lock him up.
- Arte Moreno expects the Angels to be "a highly competitive team" and discussed several other topics about the upcoming season with MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez.
- As part of a piece about the risks of signing Yoenis Cespedes, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald explores how other heavily-hyped Cuban stars have been the victim of high expectations in the Major Leagues.
- Rays outfielder Matt Joyce has changed agents and is now represented by the ACES firm, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Joyce, a possible extension candidate, will be arbitration-eligible for the first time next winter and is under team control through 2015.
- Asdrubal Cabrera's arbitration-avoiding deal with the Indians prompted Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer to examine the possibility of signing Cabrera to a multiyear deal. Last month, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes looked at what a Cabrera extension could cost the Tribe.
- From that same piece, Hoynes says that the Indians' lack of guaranteed contracts past 2012 is probably not a sign that the Dolan family is "streamlining the franchise" as a prelude to a possible sale of the club.
- Four of top seven prospects in the Athletics' system came via the Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez trades, writes MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.
Friedman On Catching, Offseason, Maddon Extension
Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was interviewed on 620-WDAE radio on Thursday, and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times has a few of the interview's highlights…
- The team is "a little uncomfortable" in pairing an inexperienced catcher like Jose Lobaton or Robinson Chirinos alongside veteran Jose Molina, but Friedman thinks the Rays' catching situation has been upgraded from 2011. The Rays looked at a few different catchers this winter but, aside from Molina, weren't able to work out a deal with any of them. The 36-year-old Molina has spent much of his 12-year career as a backup, reaching the 245-plate appearance plateau just twice in his career.
- Friedman was very pleased with the fact that the Rays were able to add hitting and bullpen depth without giving up a starting pitcher or making a move that would hurt the team's defense. "If you had told me then where we stand now with upgrading where we did and also maintaining our depth in the meantime, I would have said that that was a dream scenario,'' Friedman said. "We still have a lot of work to do in terms of this division and this league, but as far within the scope of what we can do, this off-season worked out very well in our estimation.’’
- Friedman expects Joe Maddon to remain in Tampa Bay for years to come. Topkin reported two weeks ago that Maddon and the Rays are expected to announce a three-year contract extension for the manager before the start of Spring Training.