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AL East Notes: Martin, Red Sox, Vizquel

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A few odds and ends to pass along from the AL East. For more news out of the division, be sure to check out this afternoon's earlier post.

  • The Yankees and catcher Russell Martin have decided to table extension talks until after the season, writes Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com. Martin, 29, is eligible for free agency after this season, and is apparently seeking more than the three years and $20MM the Yankees were willing to offer, as reported by Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington addressed his club's shortstop situation today, according to the Associated Press: "[W]e feel good about the mix that we have, and we'll certainly keep our eyes open if there are ways to improve that. But right now we're focused on the guys we have." The current starting candidates are Nick Punto, Mike Aviles and, less likely, Jose Iglesias.
  • Blue Jays infielder Omar Vizquel passed on an offer to manage a winter league team in his native Venezuela so that he could focus on playing in the Majors for what is presumably a final season, writes Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. Davidi adds that Vizquel, signed to a minor league deal this offseason, is the favorite to claim the backup infielder's role with the Jays. Vizquel also says managing is likely in his future.

AL East Notes: Davis, Carpenter, Soler, Beeston

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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

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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.

Blue Jays Sign Rick VandenHurk

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The Blue Jays announced that they signed Rick VandenHurk to a non-guaranteed split Major League contract. The Orioles released the right-hander earlier this month, making him a free agent. 

VandenHurk, 26, has experience in five big league seasons, but he appeared in just four games for the 2011 Orioles. He spent most of the season as a starter at Triple-A, where he posted a 4.43 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 154 1/3 innings. The 6'5" native of the Netherlands has a 5.97 ERA with 8.8 K/9, 4.7 BB/9 and a 27.9% ground ball rate in 181 career innings with the Marlins and Orioles. 

The Blue Jays created 40-man roster space for VandenHurk by placing right-hander Alan Farina on the 60-day DL.

AL East Notes: Crawford, Youkilis, Orioles, Uehara

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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.

Latest On Jorge Soler

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7:57pm: The Yankees and Phillies are in hardest on Soler now, Yahoo's Jeff Passan tweets.

5:21pm: Marlins president David Samson said on 790 the Ticket that the club doesn't have interest in Soler, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets.

2:51pm: The Marlins are interested, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal hears Soler's power is comparable to that of Miami outfielder Mike Stanton — high praise to say the least.

12:59pm: The Blue Jays watched Soler and others Wednesday at the team's complex in the Dominican Republic, writes MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez.  The Orioles will be in the D.R. to watch him Sunday.  Sanchez lists the Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, Phillies, and Cubs as other interested parties.

WEDNESDAY, 8:26am: The Phillies are also interested in Soler, reports Olney.

TUESDAY, 2:18pm: The Yankees have serious interest in Soler, ESPN.com's Buster Olney tweets.

12:33pm: Many teams remain involved in the bidding for 19-year-old Cuban prospect Jorge Soler, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The Cubs have been extensively linked to the outfielder, but they’re not the only club involved. 

The Yankees are in on the bidding, tweets David Kaplan of CSN Chicago, and Heyman suggests the Marlins could be involved. Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald hears that “a good number” of teams have interest (Twitter link). Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus explained yesterday that Soler would rank 38th or 39th on his list of top prospects.

Blue Jays Extend Casey Janssen

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The Blue Jays announced that they have agreed to a two-year, $5.9MM contract extension with right-handed reliever Casey Janssen. The deal, which eliminates the need for an arbitration hearing, includes a 2014 option worth $4MM. Janssen will earn $2MM in 2012 and $3.9MM in 2013, MLBTR has learned. 

The contract buys out Janssen's final year of arbitration eligibility and his first free agent season. Janssen and agent Jim McDowell had asked for $2.2MM in arbitration, with the Blue Jays countering at $1.8MM.

The 30-year-old posted a 2.26 ERA with 8.6 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 and a 47.3% ground ball rate in 55 2/3 innings last year, when he earned $1.095MM as a second-time arbitration eligible player. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca first reported that the sides were nearing a two-year deal.

As MLBTR's Extension Tracker shows, Alex Anthopoulos has now completed seven extensions since becoming Toronto's GM.

Blue Jays Nearing Two-Year Deal With Janssen

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The Blue Jays are nearing a two-year deal with reliever Casey Janssen that includes a third-year option, tweets Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca.  As the Blue Jays are a file and trial team, a multiyear deal was the only way to the impending arbitration hearing.  Janssen and the Jays had a $400K spread, with $2.2MM and $1.8MM submissions, respectively.  The two-year deal would buy out one free agent year with an option on a second.

Janssen, 30, posted a 2.26 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 0.32 HR/9, and 47.3% groundball rate in 55 2/3 innings last year.  He earned $1.095MM in 2011, his second arbitration year.  Janssen's extension would mark the seventh in the career of Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, according to our transaction tracker.

Athletics Still In On Manny, Jays Out

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The Athletics appear to be the only team still 100 percent in the mix for Manny Ramirez, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but they'd like to add a reliever before making Manny their priority. According to Rosenthal, the Blue Jays were in on Manny at one point, but talks failed to progress. Orioles GM Dan Duquette, meanwhile, said that he doesn't see a fit for Ramirez in Baltimore last week.

As Rosenthal explains, Ramirez will be eligible to play in Spring Training games in spite of his 50-game suspension. He's also eligible to play in extended Spring Training, and can begin a 10-game minor league rehab assignment prior to the completion of his suspension to allow him to get some reps in before seeing Major Leaue action. Ramirez can work out with a Major League or minor league team prior to that, provided that he departs before the gates open that day.

Rosenthal writes that it's unclear whether other clubs are in the mix for the career .312/.411/.585 hitter. With the Blue Jays and Orioles seemingly out of the mix, it could be down to a one-team market for the oft-troubled slugger.

Twins Claim Darin Mastroianni

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The Twins announced that they claimed Darin Mastroianni from the Blue Jays, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets. The Blue Jays designated the outfielder for assignment last week to create roster space for Francisco Cordero.

Mastroianni made his MLB debut with the 2011 Blue Jays after spending most of the season at Double-A and Triple-A. The 26-year-old posted a .268/.353/.377 line with 34 stolen bases (44 attempts) in the upper minors last year. He has minor league experience at all three outfield positions and has mostly played center field.

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