Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Blue Jays Rumors

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees

By | at

Links from the AL East, before the Orioles and Yankees play for the right to face off against the Tigers in the ALCS…

  • Red Sox owner John Henry is seeking a minority owner for Fenway Sports Group, Charlie Gasparino and Matt Egan of the FOX Business Network report. Henry appears to be entertaining the idea of establishing a limited partnership in the holding company, according to the FOX reporters. 
  • The Red Sox denied the report, saying it contains “absolutely no truth,” according to Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. The Red Sox made a similar statement last month when Gasparino reported Henry had started shopping the team.
  • Blue Jays manager John Farrell told Jody McDonald on MLB Network Radio that rumors about interest from the Red Sox haven't distracted him from his job in Toronto. "I'm extremely challenged, happy as manager of the Blue Jays," Farrell said, adding that he hasn't been in touch with the Red Sox or heard of talks between GM Alex Anthopoulos and his counterpart in Boston, Ben Cherington.
  • A number of high-profile pitchers who were traded last offseason are now making an impact in the postseason, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca writes. Trades involving pitchers such as Gio Gonzalez and Mat Latos will prompt teams like the Blue Jays to weigh the value of depth against the value of certainty as they contemplate their own moves for the offseason ahead.
  • Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal explains that while money can't buy championships, it can help teams like the Yankees build deep benches. Aging stars like Ichiro Suzuki and Raul Ibanez are luxuries the Yankees can afford, and the depth is paying off this October.

Duncan, Repko, Carlin, Hoey Hit Free Agency

By | at

Outfielders Shelley Duncan and Jason Repko, catcher Luke Carlin and right-handers Jim Hoey and Robert Coello have hit free agency, according to the transactions page at CBSSports.com. Repko declared free agency while Carlin, Duncan, Hoey and Coello refused minor league assignments.

Duncan got more MLB playing time than the others in 2012. He spent much of the season as Cleveland's left fielder, and posted a .203/.288/.388 batting line in 264 MLB plate appearances. Carlin appeared in four games with the Indians this year, spending most of the season at Triple-A. The 31-year-old posted a .703 OPS in 244 plate appearances with Columbus.

Toronto outrighted Coello off of the 40-man roster two days ago after he appeared in six games with the club this past season. The 27-year-old also appeared in 19 games at Triple-A Las Vegas, posting a 3.00 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 42 innings. Hoey pitched alongside Coello in Las Vegas, posting a 4.60 ERA in 60 2/3 innings.

Repko played in five games for the Red Sox this year and posted a .743 OPS in 228 minor league plate appearances.

Quick Hits: Sanchez, Leyland, Felix, Blue Jays

By | at

With Terry Francona now off the market, it wouldn't make a sense for the Tigers to let Jim Leyland go at the end of the year, opines Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press.  Yesterday, Leyland confirmed that he wants to continue managing in 2013, but the veteran skipper's contract will expire at the end of the year.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • If the Tigers re-sign Anibal Sanchez, they'll have to move another one of their starting pitchers, opines Jason Beck of MLB.com.  Beyond the simple numbers issue, the Tigers will be facing a payroll crunch if they choose to keep Sanchez with the same rotation in place.  Justin Verlander will earn $20MM next season, Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello will head to arbitration for the second time, and Doug Fister is first-time arb eligible.  In theory, Detroit could part with one of the four and plug Drew Smyly in their place.
  • Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach is set to interview with the Red Sox for their managerial vacancy next week, tweets Ken Gurnick of the Los Angeles Times.
  • Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik wouldn't discuss whether he has had contract extension talks with ace Felix Hernandez, but reiterated that both sides are hoping that he will stay put in Seattle for the long-term, writes Greg Johns of MLB.com.  Hernandez has two years and $40.5MM left on the five-year, $78MM deal he inked in 2010.
  • Omar Vizquel opined earlier this year that the Blue Jays were in desperate need of veteran leadership, but Jose Bautista says that he doesn't agree with that assessment, writes Chris Toman of MLB.com.  "I really don't understand why everybody is making — in my eyes — a big deal out of that subject," Bautista said. "It's not something that needs to be addressed in our clubhouse."
  • Despite talk of the Phillies looking to improve with minor moves this winter, Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News wouldn't rule out Ruben Amaro making a major splash by signing the likes of B.J. Upton or Michael Bourn.

Managerial Notes: Red Sox, Rockies

By | at

The latest managerial news from around MLB…

  • The Red Sox have contacted Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach to determine his interest in their managerial opening, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports. Wallach is interested and the Red Sox are expected to interview him in the coming days. 
  • Boston continues to target Blue Jays manager John Farrell, Silverman reports. However, hiring Farrell could involve compensation or take a long time, so the club's exploring options such as Wallach, who also drew interest from Boston last offseason. Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus is believed to be on Boston's list of possible candidates.
  • The Red Sox intend to start interviews related to their managerial opening on Friday, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. The process will likely continue over the weekend and early next week, Bradford reports.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports outlines the Rockies' managerial options, including Wallach. Under Colorado's new front office structure, director of Major League operations Bill Geivett assumes some of the responsibilities that would traditionally go to the field manager.
  • MLBTR had two sets of managerial links yesterday which are worth checking out.

Jesse Litsch Elects Free Agency

By | at

Right-hander Jesse Litsch has elected free agency instead of accepting an outright assignment to the minor leagues, the Blue Jays announced. The team reinstated Litsch from the 60-day disabled list today at which point he elected free agency.

Left-hander Aaron Laffey and right-handers Shawn Hill, Bobby Korecky and Scott Richmond also elected free agency, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports (on Twitter). The Blue Jays had outrighted Hill, Korecky and Laffey last week.

Litsch missed the entire 2012 season due to injuries. He experienced a "career threatening" shoulder infection early in the year and underwent biceps surgery in June. The 27-year-old pitched 75 innings in 2011, posting a 4.44 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. In five MLB seasons he has a 4.16 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9. Litsch earned $975K in 2012 and would have been under team control through 2013.

This Date In Transactions History: Chris Carpenter

By | at

On this date in 2002, the Blue Jays released their Opening Day starter, right-hander Chris Carpenter.  The 27-year-old was removed from the 40-man roster after a trying season in which he went just 73 1/3 innings before being shut down to undergo shoulder surgery.  He posted a 5.28 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in his final year in Toronto, but the former first-round pick had a stronger season in 2001 finishing with a 4.09 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 powered by a solid first-half of the year.  The Blue Jays did offer Carpenter an incentive-laden minor league deal to stay on board, but the hurler instead decided to try his luck on the open market.

The Cardinals, of course, would be the team to roll the dice on 6'6" right-hander.  Carpenter was signed to a deal with a club option for 2004 with the hope that he would be ready to return by the mid-season in 2003.  The club bought out his '04 season for $200K rather pay the him the $2MM he would have made, but the two sides were able to negotiate a new deal later on that winter.  The Cardinals were grateful that they did, as Carpenter returned in 2004 to register a 3.46 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 across 28 starts to help the Cards win the National League pennant.  That was a sign of great things to come as he would edge Dontrelle Willis for the Cy Young Award in 2005 and delivered an almost equally strong campaign in '06.

In his time with St. Louis, Carpenter's legacy has been one marked by quality pitching and frustrating injuries, but the resilient pitcher has always found a way to bounce back from his extended absences.  A torn labrum delayed his Cardinals debut, but he certainly managed to make it worth the wait.  Four years later, Tommy John surgery limited him to four starts across two seasons.  Tomorrow afternoon, Carpenter will take the mound against the Nationals in Game 3 of the NLDS despite undergoing surgery to repair his thoracic outlet syndrome which was supposed to sideline him all season long.  Despite his battles through multiple injuries, it's safe to say that the Blue Jays' decision ten years ago is one that they would like to have back.

Outrighted: Robert Coello

By | at

The latest outright assignments from around MLB as teams look for ways of opening up 40-man roster spots…

  • The Blue Jays announced that they reinstated right-hander Robert Coello from the 60-day disabled list and outrighted him off of their 40-man roster. Coello, who appeared in six games for the Blue Jays in June, missed the end of the season with elbow inflammation. The 27-year-old appeared in 19 games at Triple-A Las Vegas, posting a 3.00 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 42 innings.

Managerial Notes: Rangers, Red Sox, Rockies

By | at

Managers are in the spotlight more than ever in October, since in-game decisions are heavily scrutinized throughout the postseason and it’s a busy month for hirings and firings. The latest…

  • Though there’s a lot of self-evaluation going on in Texas following the Rangers’ disappointing finish, manager Ron Washington will return in 2013, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Washington’s current contract covers the 2013-14 seasons.
  • Candidates such as Tim Wallach, Sandy Alomar Jr. and Brad Ausmus would surely come up if the Rockies look outside of the organization for potential managers, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports (on Twitter). Jim Tracy resigned as the team's manager two days ago.
  • The Red Sox will start their search for a new manager in earnest in the next few days, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. Boston will start by asking the Blue Jays for permission to speak with John Farrell, Olney reports. Ausmus could be a candidate in Boston, too.
  • Bobby Valentine may have been paid not to criticize the Red Sox following his dismissal, rival officials suggested to Olney. Such financial incentives are not uncommon, according to Olney.
  • In case you missed it, Ozzie Guillen's future with the Marlins remains unclear.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Blue Jays, Farrell, Ichiro

By | at

The Red Sox have plenty of money to spend but a soft free agent market means that General Manager Ben Cherington will have to get creative to improve the club heading into 2013.  Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald looks at some of the available options, including Yankees first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher.  It doesn't seem likely that Swisher would be a fit for the Red Sox as he will turn 32 in November and believes that he's in store for a Jayson Werth-type deal.  While executives don't see the veteran getting something in the neighborhood of $126MM over seven years, he's still likely to net a lucrative multi-year pact.  Here's more out of the AL East..

  • The Blue Jays continue to suggest that they won't let manager John Farrell go to the Red Sox, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com isn't sure why as they don't seem to be sure about him in the long term.  Several people around baseball suggest that things are less-than-perfect between Farrell and the Toronto front office.
  • Of course, the Blue Jays could have a change of heart, and Alex Speier of WEEI.com looks at what it might cost the Red Sox to pry Farrell away.  The two deals that happened last year involving decision-makers suggest that Boston wouldn't have to forfeit an elite prospect in a trade.  While the Marlins shipped right-hander Jhan Marinez and infielder Osvaldo Martinez, ranked fourth and fifth in their farm system, to the White Sox for Ozzie Guillen, Jim Callis of Baseball America notes that their rankings were a reflection of Marlins' lack of minor league talent.
  • The union between Ichiro Suzuki and the Yankees has turned out to be an ideal marriage, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  General Manager Brian Cashman told Ichiro prior to the trade that he would have to shift to left field and hit towards the bottom of the lineup.  However, the outfielder has since moved up to second in the order and has seen time at all three outfield spots.

AL East Notes: Jones, Red Sox, LaRoche, Blue Jays

By | at

Yesterday, the Yankees informed Andruw Jones that he will not be on the ALDS roster against the Orioles.  Jones says that he understands the move and won't consider retirement as a result, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post.  “I’m going to be playing,” said the 35-year-old. “I don’t know where, but I’m not done playing.”  Jones will be a free agent this winter as his one-year, $2MM deal expires.  Here's more out of the AL East..

  • The Red Sox have plenty of money to work with this winter thanks to their blockbuster deal with the Dodgers, but there isn't much for them to spend it on, notes John Tomase of the Boston Herald.  Tomase could see Boston targeting Adam LaRoche and Mike Napoli, but the Red Sox would be wary of a substantial long-term commitment to the latter.
  • If the Red Sox can't pry John Farrell away from the Blue Jays, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald suggests that they could instead target Toronto's first base coach Torey Lovullo. 
  • The Daisuke Matsuzaka era in Boston came and went without a bang, writes Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald.  Despite Dice-K's less-than-impressive pitching with the Red Sox, Buckley hopes that the club continues to put a strong emphasis on international scouting.
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top