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Red Sox Eyeing Mike Scioscia

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The rumors surrounding John Farrell and the Red Sox won’t go away, especially now that Farrell’s Blue Jays are visiting Boston, where he coached until 2010. Farrell is the top choice of Red Sox officials to replace Bobby Valentine as the team’s manager in 2013, but he isn’t the only American League manager the Red Sox are considering. The Red Sox will turn to Angels manager Mike Scioscia if the Angels fire Scioscia and Farrell isn’t available, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

The Red Sox are expected to fire Valentine soon after the regular season ends, Nightengale writes. By that point the availability of Farrell, who’s under contract for 2013, and Scioscia, who’s under contract through 2018, should be more clear. Red Sox president Larry Lucchino told Nightengale the team hasn’t made a decision about Valentine’s future in Boston. "We'll re-evaluate it at the end of the season," Lucchino said.

Farrell Likely To Be Top Choice In Boston

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John Farrell has a job and the Red Sox have a manager, but rumors about Boston’s interest in Farrell persist as the Blue Jays prepare for a series at Fenway Park. MLB sources indicated to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that Farrell will be the top choice to replace Bobby Valentine in 2013. Furthermore, people who know Farrell say he’d welcome the opportunity to return to Boston, according to Cafardo. However, Farrell maintains that his focus remains in Toronto.

“My focus and my commitment has been and is here, unequivocally," he told reporters this week.

Farrell, who is under contract for 2013, was Boston’s pitching coach before being hired by the Blue Jays. The Red Sox attempted to acquire him from Toronto twice last year, according to Cafardo. Though the Blue Jays were willing to listen, the sides didn’t agree on compensation. The Red Sox eventually hired Valentine, who’s also under contract for 2013. However, there’s a widespread expectation that Valentine won’t return to Boston next year.

The Red Sox probably wouldn’t want to part with recently-acquired pitching prospect Rubby De La Rosa, but the Blue Jays would love to add someone like him to their organization, Cafardo writes.

Red Sox Notes: Valentine, De Jesus, Ellsbury

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The Red Sox are on track to finish below .500 for the first time since 1997. Here’s the latest as a disappointing season winds down:

  • Manager Bobby Valentine is now fighting a battle that he cannot win, opines Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.  Miller writes that Valentine couldn't possibly be back as skipper in 2013 because either the Red Sox will lose patience or he will.
  • In a heated interview on WEEI, Valentine characterized the 2012 season as "miserable" but said he'd definitely like to manage the Red Sox again in 2013. "If that's what I'm asked to do, that's what I'm going to get paid to do," Valentine said. He also suggested he would like to punch radio host Glenn Ordway in the face and defended himself when asked about a late arrival to a game earlier this year (highlights via Alex Speier).
  • Blue Jays manager John Farrell would be an excellent hire for the Red Sox, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com writes. The Red Sox tried to acquire Farrell from Toronto twice last offseason, including once after the Blue Jays made it clear that Farrell was off-limits to teams seeking managers, Bradford reports. The Blue Jays asked for Clay Buchholz as compensation for Farrell, according to WEEI.com. Red Sox pitchers who worked with Farrell in Boston have a deep respect for their former coach based on both friendship and fear, Bradford adds.
  • Farrell said yesterday he’s  "unequivocally" focused on the Blue Jays.
  • Ivan De Jesus Jr. wanted to get traded from the Dodgers leading up to the non-waiver trade deadline, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports. “I wanted a fresh start,’’ said De Jesus, who was sent to Boston in the recent blockbuster trade between the Red Sox and Dodgers.
  • The price tag on a potential extension for Jacoby Ellsbury would be “astronomical" should the Red Sox attempt to lock the outfielder up long term, ESPN.com's Buster Olney said on WEEI today (partial transcript via Kirk Minihane of WEEI.com). Olney said he's doubtful rival teams will overwhelm Boston with trade offers for Ellsbury, partly because he's a Scott Boras client.

Red Sox Notes: Francona, Valentine, Henry

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Red Sox owner John Henry and general manager Ben Cherington met the team in Seattle yesterday, but they don't appear to be there to implement further changes. Henry told reporters that he doesn't plan to fire manager Bobby Valentine despite Boston's recent struggles and 62-74 record. Here are some more Red Sox-related notes…

  • The Red Sox should dismiss Valentine and hire Terry Francona again, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. Rosenthal makes it clear that Valentine won’t return to Boston in 2013, but reports that Francona won’t be invited back either, according to people familiar with the situation. The team’s owners will try to “lower the volume” with their next hire, Rosenthal writes. Plus, Francona could draw interest from other teams.
  • Red Sox players don’t trust owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner and president Larry Lucchino, Yahoo's Jeff Passan reports. The players see the owners as the source of leaks and lies and they have an equally frustrated relationship with Valentine, Passan writes. The Red Sox need to dismiss Valentine before the 2013 season, Passan writes.

Quick Hits: Myers, Red Sox, Strasburg

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Early September is always a good time to be a minor league player on the 40-man roster of an MLB team. So far today 21 players have been recalled to the MLB level, where they’ll earn a pro-rated portion of the MLB minimum salary and collect service time. Here are today’s links…

  • Congratulations to Wil Myers, who was named Baseball America's 2012 Minor League Player Of The Year. He hit 37 home runs and posted a .313/.387/.600 batting line in the upper minors this year while playing third base, center field and right field. Before long he’ll be hitting in the middle of the Royals’ lineup, J.J. Cooper writes at Baseball America.
  • In light of Boston’s disappointing year, Alex Speier of WEEI.com recalls some recent teams that reached the postseason following losing seasons. Rarely have big ticket free agents played a role in these bounce-back campaigns, so it probably makes sense for Red Sox GM Ben Cherington to maintain a disciplined approach to spending, Speier writes.
  • Here are some more notes about the Red Sox from earlier today.
  • Manager John Farrell said he's "unequivocally" focused on the Blue Jays and acknowledged he has one year remaining on his contract with the team, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports (on Twitter).
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo deserves credit for protecting Stephen Strasburg and taking responsibility for his decision, Tom Verducci writes at SI.com. The decision to limit Strasburg’s innings is a truly modern one, “made with the kind of awareness, statistical study and medical information" that wasn't out there a decade ago, Verducci adds.

Rosenthal On Pierzynski, Ortiz, Cardinals, Marlins

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Here's a look at the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • A.J. Pierzynski is in a slump but all in all, he's having a strong year at the age of 35 and could be an interesting name on the open market.  The Yankees could have interest if they look to replace Russell Martin, the Marlins could look to reunite him with Ozzie Guillen and Mark Buehrle, and the Dodgers were close to signing him after the 2010 season.  As for the White Sox, no one knows what direction they'll head in, but price could be a major factor.  The catcher is making $6MM this year.
  • David Ortiz accepted arbitration from the Red Sox last season to take himself off of the open market, but this year could be a different story.  This would be a smart time for him to reject a one-year deal and pursue a multi-year contract with leverage on his side.  Both the Yankees and Blue Jays could have interest in him as a DH.
  • The Cardinals are unlikely to re-sign Kyle Lohse, who should be one of the top starters available this winter.  They also are unlikely to overpay on an extension for Adam Wainwright, who has one year left on his contract.  St. Louis has a glut of talented starters both in the majors and waiting in the wings and is against locking up too much money in the rotation long-term.
  • The Marlins' top front office execs are signed through 2015 but other clubs say owner Jeffrey Loria is considering a major shakeup.  Team president David Samson told Rosenthal that they'll go through their usual evaluations after the season and take a hard look at everyone, but he added that it is only September 1st and they'll won't get into it until after the season.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles, Sanchez

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A look at the latest out of the American League East..

  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports updated his list of winners and losers of the trade deadline to include the deals that have gone down in the month of August and put the Red Sox at the top of the winners column.  He writes that while Boston certainly won’t win the division, they came away as winners this month with their quarter-billion-dollar purge.  The Orioles also made it to the winners circle thanks to their pickups of Nate McLouth and Omar Quintanilla.
  • The Blue Jays had "all kinds of offers" for minor league right-hander Aaron Sanchez at the deadline, one veteran talent evaluator told Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.  However, Toronto held on to the 20-year-old as he continues to evolve at a rapid pace, with his velocity climbing from the 92-93 mph range to 94-96.  Sanchez has a 2.29 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 in 86.1 innings for Single-A Lansing this year.
  • Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe believes that the Red Sox owners are irked that Theo Epstein managed to leave the club without blame for the club's struggles this year.  Owners John Henry, Tom Werner, and Larry Lucchino have taken a great deal of criticism in Boston for the club's direction over the past twelve months while the former GM has recieved little, Shaughnessy writes.

Quick Hits: Astros, Blue Jays, Yankees, Wolf, Appel

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Blue Jays first round draft choice Marcus Stroman has been suspended for 50 games for violating the minor league drug prevention and treatment program, the team announced. Stroman, who obtained a $1.8MM bonus earlier in the summer, maintains that he “unknowingly ingested a banned stimulant that was in an over-the-counter supplement.” He wasn’t the only former first rounder suspended today. Josh Sale, who was selected 17th overall by the Rays in 2010, also obtained a 50-game suspension, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune (on Twitter).

Here are Tuesday’s links…

  • “We’re continuing to assess our list of candidates,” said Astros GM Jeff Luhnow to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart about the club's managerial search. “We need someone that’s going to be good at teaching, someone good at inspiring and basically working with the front office and help us achieve our goal of becoming as competitive as possible."
  • The Yankees hadn’t placed Alex Rodriguez on waivers as of yesterday morning, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post reports. Though the Yankees would like to dump Rodriguez and the $114MM remaining on his contract for luxury tax purposes, Davidoff says A-Rod and the Yankees have a pretty good relationship these days.
  • ESPN officially announced an eight-year extension for the rights to broadcast MLB games. John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal reports that the deal is worth $700MM per year for a total of $5.6 billion. The deal also covers digital, international and radio rights.
  • Four teams showed interest in Randy Wolf when he hit the free agent market, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The Athletics were one of the teams with serious interest in Wolf before he agreed to sign with the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (on Twitter).
  • ESPN.com's Keith Law previews the 2013 amateur draft class, suggesting it projects as one of the weakest in years. Mark Appel, the Pirates' first round selection in 2012, projects as a top talent for 2013 along with college right-hander Ryne Stanek.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Clemens, Plouffe, Drew, Ortiz

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On this date 20 years ago the Mets sent right-hander David Cone to the Blue Jays for 24-year-old second baseman Jeff Kent. Cone helped Toronto win the first of two consecutive World Series titles and Kent went on to become a borderline Hall of Famer (though he spent his most productive seasons in San Francisco). Here are today’s links as we await the next major trade of the 2012 season…

  • Alan Blondin of the Houston Chronicle writes that Roger Clemens called his recent performance for the Sugar Land Skeeters a favor to Skeeters manager Gary Gaetti. Clemens told Blondin he doesn't have plans for further pitching performances, but cautioned, "That could change in a couple days." 
  • Twins general manager Terry Ryan feels that now is the time for Trevor Plouffe to step up and establish himself as the team's long-term answer at third base, writes Phil Mackey of 1500 ESPN. Mackey quotes Ryan as saying Plouffe "[has] the rest of the year" to show the Twins that third base isn't a position they need to address.
  • Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson and general manager Kevin Towers told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that they don’t regret trading Stephen Drew to Oakland, even though Willie Bloomquist experienced a setback in his return from a back injury. “No. We wanted to see what [Jake] Elmore was capable of doing,” Towers said. “He’s held his own, I think, defensively out there.”
  • David Ortiz, a free agent this offseason, wants to re-sign with the Red Sox, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. “This is what I know and this is something I want to be part of,” Ortiz said.
  • The Athletics and Astros have improved their farm systems considerably in the last year, Jim Callis of Baseball America writes in this week’s edition of Ask BA.
  • The Blue Jays should have publicly told the Red Sox that manager John Farrell is off-limits long ago, Shi Davidi writes at Sportsnet.ca. The Blue Jays have failed to limit speculation about the possibility of Farrell returning to Boston, Davidi writes. Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos has said the Blue Jays won’t announce an extension with Farrell, even if the sides agree to one.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

Athletics Acquire Jesse Chavez

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The Athletics announced that they acquired right-hander Jesse Chavez from the Blue Jays for cash considerations. Oakland's 40-man roster is now full.

Chavez, 29, posted an 8.44 ERA with 11.4 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 21 1/3 innings with the Blue Jays this year before getting designated for assignment. He has spent most of the season starting games at Triple-A, where he has a 3.98 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 95 innings. The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks made the Blue Jays an offer for Chavez earlier this year, but Toronto declined.

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