Results tagged ‘ Red Sox ’

Roundup: Reds locking up their players

The Reds haven’t brought in much outside help this offseason, but they’ve still been among the busiest teams in baseball. Their mission is keeping guys in-house. The club had already inked starter Bronson Arroyo to a three-year, $35 million extension. Then, late Thursday night, the club agreed on a six-year, $51 million contract with Jay Bruce, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon.

Now, they’re apparently turning their attention to Joey Votto and Johnny Cueto.

The Reds have been wanting to sign Votto, the reigning National League MVP, to some sort of extension, but ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick believes it won’t be for the six years that Bruce got. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Reds have also had preliminary discussions with Cueto about a long-term deal.

Here’s more from around the league on Friday …

* All was quiet on the Cliff Lee front as of Friday afternoon. The Rangers on Thursday presented Lee with a wide array of complex offers, and now, they wait. The Yankees had recently upped their proposal to seven years, but good friend CC Sabathia will give Lee his space, too. Is the ballyhooed left-hander agonizing over his decision right now? C.J. Wilson doesn’t think so. He thinks Lee is deer hunting.

* Young, non-tendered catcher Russell Martin could be close to making his decision. The Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays have been reported to have serious interest, with New York taking “an aggressive approach,” ESPN.com’s Buster Olney wrote via Twitter. He is said to be deciding between those three American League East teams.

* The Orioles made potential closer Kevin Gregg a two-year offer worth $8 to $10 million, according to the Baltimore Sun. Gregg seems to be negotiating with several teams right now. The question is whether the O’s would give him a chance to be their ninth-inning man.

* A few signings made today: The Royals got Melky Cabrera to be their center fielder; the Orioles resigned veteran infielder Cesar Izturis; the Brewers picked up catcher Wil Nieves; and the Braves officially signed lefty reliever George Sherrill.

* According to Olney, Jorge Cantu is one of the first basemen “seriously being considered” by the Diamondbacks. Cantu was a solid run-producer in the middle of the Marlins’ lineup the last two-plus years, but struggled while playing sparingly with the Rangers towards the end of the 2010 season.

– Alden Gonzalez 

Orioles reportedly made Gregg an offer

The Orioles, according to The Baltimore Sun, made free-agent reliever Kevin Gregg a two-year offer worth $8 to$10 million during the Winter Meetings.

Gregg, who served as the Blue Jays’ closer last year, also has interest from the Nationals, Pirates, Mariners and Red Sox, FOXSports.com reported recently.

The 32-year-old right-hander posted a 3.51 ERA, 1.390 WHIP and went 37-for-43 in save chances through 59 innings with Toronto in 2010. The Sun said Gregg is still negotiating with the O’s, who “still think they have a shot.”

One big factor in the negotiations could be whether Gregg would have the opportunity to close. Baltimore may choose to go with Koji Uehara in that spot.

– Alden Gonzalez 

Martin catching several AL East offers

Russell Martin has received interest from the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays, according to a report Friday in the New York Post.

Agent Matt Colleran named the three American League East teams among those having “serious discussions” about the backstop. The newspaper reported that the Yankees have extended a contract offer to make Martin their starting catcher, according to Colleran. 
The Yankees tried to trade for Martin before he was non-tendered by the Dodgers, dangling Francisco Cervelli, before pulling away due to health concerns. Rookie Jesus Montero is currently envisioned as the Yankees’ starting catcher, with Jorge Posada transitioning to the designated hitter role.
– Bryan Hoch

Roundup: 1B locked up in Windy City

Day 3 of the Winter Meetings saw a couple of slugging first
basemen land in Chicago, as the White Sox resigned
their captain, Paul Konerko, and the Cubs took
a chance on Carlos Pena.

The Konerko deal was somewhat surprising, considering talks between the two
sides seemed to be on life support just a day ago. But even after signing Adam
Dunn, Chicago was able to give Konerko a three-year, $37.5 million to form what looks like one of the best lineups in baseball for 2011.

With the Cubs, Pena is reunited with his old esteemed hitting coach, Rudy
Jaramillo, and receives what super-agent Scott Boras referred to as
a “pillow contract” — because, as Boras said, it’s comfortable for both
sides. That deal is for one year and $10 million, as Pena will try to rebuild
his worth after hitting 28 homers but batting below .200 in 2010.

Here’s more from around the league on Wednesday …

* No more fooling around for the Yankees. They’re ready to make ballyhooed
free-agent starter Cliff Lee a
preliminary offer of six years and between $140 and $150 million, MLB.com’s
Bryan Hoch confirmed. Will that be enough, considering reports of mystery teams
offering seven years?

* The Rangers met with Carl Crawford‘s agent, according to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan.

* Adrian Beltre is still open to signing with the Athletics, according
to Boras. Boras also said negotiations for his third-base client are moving
quickly, and that the Angels are a very possible suitor.  

* There had been several reports that the Red Sox would be interested in
trading for Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran. But Boras, who represents
him, says Beltran plans
to be a Met in 2011. That’s significant, considering he has a no-trade clause.

* Five teams are seriously pursuing Zack Greinke while another three are
“on the periphery,” according to FOXSports.com. It still seems like
he’d be tough
to move, however. The Royals are specific with what they want: pitching and
up-the-middle help.

* The Red Sox, according to CBS Sports, are zeroing in on Magglio Ordonez
to fill their outfield void, which would not be good news for Crawford. The Tigers are also checking.

* The Twins continue their
interest in resigning Carl Pavano, but they have competition. The
Brewers, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, have
also met with Pavano. The Nationals are another club known to have
interest. 

* In less-heralded one-year deals on Wednesday, the Mariners signed
non-tendered designated hitter Jack Cust; the Royals brought
in outfielder Jeff Francoeur; the D-backs were reportedly on the verge of signing catcher Henry
Blanco and veteran lefty Mike Hampton (Minor League deal); the
Braves acquired non-tendered lefty reliever George Sherrill; and the Dodgers were close to bringing back Russell Martin. 
 

– Alden Gonzalez 

Roundup: Winter Meetings Day 2

While Day 2 of the Winter Meetings brought the continuation of talks for some big free agents like Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford, it also surfaced the names of other players such as Delwyn Young and Ronny Paulino.
Here’s a rundown of the day’s bigger rumors and speculation. 
- The Rays and Orioles have been discussing a trade, possibly involving Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett for outfielder/first baseman Nolan Reimold. While the talks are serious, the names involved vary and nothing is imminent, according to MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli. The Rays are interested in more than Reimold, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersberg Times. 
- The Nationals are continuing their aggressive offseason on Day 2 of the Meetings. Tuesday morning brought rumors from all corners that Washington was making a hard charge for Lee, possibly offer a seven-year deal. While other reports have contradicted that, a baseball source told MLB.com’s Bill Ladson that “The Nationals are not out of it by any means.” 
Several afternoon reports, including one Twitter report from SI.com’s Jon Heyman indicated that while there was a seven-year market for Cliff Lee, it wasn’t the Nationals. By all accounts on the Yankees side,  the club isn’t willing to go to a seventh year. 
- Free agent left-hander Mark Hendrickson is drawing some interest from the Rays and Mariners, FoxSports.com’s Jon Paul Morosi tweeted on Tuesday. He added that the Orioles have kept tabs as well on the pitcher, whose value now is primarily as a reliever. 
- Add the Orioles to the list of teams who have talked to the Braves about Japanese pitcher Kenshin Kawakami, according to the Baltimore Sun. But Baltimore isn’t likely to pick up Kawakami from Atlanta, as the Braves are looking for outfield help, a baseball source told Dan Connolly of the Sun. 
-Left-hander Dennys Reyes could decide on a team within the next 48 hours, Morosi tweeted on Tuesday. The Phillies, Marlins, Mariners and Athletics have all been known to have interest. 
-Several teams are interested in utility man Delwyn Young, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweeted. The Brewers, Marlins and Phillies are all talking to Young, who played second base, third base and right field last season. The 28-year-old elected free agency after being designated by the Pirates before the non-tender deadline. 
-After Monday’s news that the Royals were asking a very high price for Zack Greinke, it appears that teams are upping their offers for the ace, Ed Price of Yahoo Sports tweeted. While the Blue Jays and Rangers have been known to have serious interest in Greinke, the Nationals also recently inquired about him, CBSSports.com reported.
-Infielder Jorge Cantu has multiple teams interested, including the Padres, Mariners and D-backs, tweeted Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown. The 29-year-old split last season between the Marlins and Rangers, hitting .256. 
- The Mets are having serious discussions with reliever D.J. Carrasco, according to an ESPN New York.com report. The report characterizes the negotiations to bring the right-hander to New York as “fruitful.”
-While it’s just discussion at this point and considered quite unlikely, the Red Sox are at least talking internally about a potential Carlos Beltran trade, ESPN New York reported. Boston would consider the outfielder a last option if their other outfield pursuits fall part, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted. 
- The Mets are seemingly looking for a catcher to back up Josh Thole as on Tuesday morning ESPN New York reported the Mets were “closing in” on free agent Ronny Paulino. Other reports, including a tweet from Sherman, indicated the club was still talking to several backstops, but Paulino was one of them.
–Bailey Stephens

Red Sox, Padres complete Gonzalez deal

Multiple sources told MLB.com on Sunday that the Red Sox deal for Adrian Gonzalez, a the three-time All-Star, is essentially done. The Red Sox have scheduled a news conference Monday morning at Fenway Park where they are expected to formally announce the deal.

The trade remains the same as first reported Saturday. The Red Sox get Gonzalez for a package of three well-regarded Minor League prospects — right-handed pitcher Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, outfielder Reymond Fuentes — and a player to be named.

In 2010, Gonzalez hit .298 with 31 homers and 101 RBIs, to go along with a .904 OPS. In 858 Major League games, Gonzalez is a .284 hitter with 168 homers and 525 RBIs. The lefty-swinging Gonzalez has a smooth opposite-field stroke, which makes him a perfect fit for Fenway.

Roundup: Winter Meetings eve edition

On the eve of the Winter Meetings, attention around the league is turning to the big prizes of the free agent market. That’s right, the sweepstakes for Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth and others could be about to kick into high gear. 

It’s no secret that the Rangers and Yankees are two of the major players in the Lee market. It could come down contract years, as the Rangers will likely only go as far as a five-year deal, the Boston Globe reported on Sunday. The Yankees, on the other hand, could offer up a sixth year to seal the deal, the report suggested.

While a large number of free agents could sign during next week’s Meetings, negotiations with Crawford could take time, because of the number of interested parties, The Globe also noted. The Angels and Red Sox have long been seriously interested in acquiring Crawford, while the Yankees’ interest is newer. The Bombers could be touching base with Crawford to drive the price up for the Red Sox, Joel Sherman of the New York Post speculated on Sunday.

Outside of the heavyweights, there are plenty of names that could come off the board soon. Here’s at Sunday’s action around the league: 

- Looking for another catcher to supplement Chris Iannetta, the Rockies have interest in Bengie Molina, Trey Renck of the Denver Post tweeted on Sunday.  Another option for the Rockies is former Dodgers catcher Russell Martin, but he represents more of a long shot, according to Renck.

- The A’s have less than 24 hours to reach an agreement with Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Twitter Sunday. The negotiating window isn’t set to expire at midnight, but the two sides would have to agree by then to allow time for the physical. Not long after the A’s won the rights to negotiate with Iwakuma earlier this offseason, talks reportedly came to an impasse, making a deal appear unlikely. 

–Bailey Stephens

Roundup: Jeter chapter closed, plenty others open

The focus of the hot stove season shifted away
from Derek Jeter on Saturday, but not necessarily away from the Yankees.

Jeter and the Yankees finally came to terms — a move almost
universally expected — to the tune of a guaranteed three-year deal, worth $15
to $17 million per. The deal isn’t official until Jeter takes a physical, but the
hard part, the sometimes contentious negotiations, should be a thing of the
past.

Left atop the free agent market are Cliff Lee and Carl
Crawford, and the former’s destination could be what determines the latter’s.

MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer wrote that the Angels are
actually pulling for the Yanks to land Lee: If Texas, the other perceived
contender in the Lee sweepstakes, is able to re-sign Lee, that means the Angels
could be up against not only the Red Sox, but the Yankees in a bidding war for
Crawford. If the Yankees sign Lee, however, New York likely would be
hard-pressed to get seriously involved with Crawford as well.

Boston on Saturday grabbed headlines too when it took a
giant step toward a revamped lineup.

Adrian Gonzalez, the Padres’ first baseman who is a free
agent after the 2011 season, was flown into Boston on Saturday and passed a
physical. The Padres and Red Sox have a trade in place that would bring
Gonzalez to the Sox, but that’s contingent on Gonzalez agreeing to a contract
extension. The reported deadline for the two sides to reach an agreement is 2
p.m. Sunday.

The Cardinals made noise late in the day by announcing the
signing of Lance Berkman. The one-year, $8 million deal brings the 34-year-old
back to the National League Central, where he thrived for so long with Houston.

Another NL Central club, the Reds, might have reason to be
concerned that their slugger — and the league’s MVP — might not want to be
around for long. Joey Votto, who’s arbitration eligible, said on Saturday that
he’s just not sure where he’ll be a few years down the road.

“When [Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki] signed that 10-year
contract, I was blown away,” Votto told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. “I
can’t imagine seeing myself 10 years from now saying I want to be here. It’s an
overwhelming thing to ask a young person like myself and say, ‘Here’s a lot of
money. Be happy with this over 10 years, deal with it.’”

The Dodgers have had a busy start to the offseason, locking
up Ted Lilly, Jon Garland and Hiroki Kuroda. They added Rod Barajas to the mix
on Saturday, signing the catcher to a one-year, $3.25 million deal.

– Evan Drellich

Padres ready to make moves?

Aside from trading for Marlins CF Cameron Maybin last month, it’s been a quiet winter for the Padres.

Well, aside from watching free agents Jon Garland, Miguel Tejada and Yorvit Torrealba sign elsewhere.

It looks like the Padres have reached a deal with right-handed pitcher Aaron Harang, who is a San Diego native and said Thursday that he would love to pitch at PETCO Park. I imagine it’s going to be a one-year deal, maybe with a mutual option.

Harang, effectively, would take the spot left by the departure of Garland.

So what’s next for the Padres? How about dealing first baseman Adrian Gonzalez? It could happen, as an online report Friday stated the Padres are talking to the Red Sox.

It’s a forgone conclusion that Gonzalez, a free agent after the season, won’t finish the 2011 season with the Padres. Until recently, it looked as though the team was prepared to take him into the regular season.

Perhaps that has changed. If so, the Padres, who won’t likely have a payroll exceeding more than $40 million or so, would be asking for a handful of prospects. The Red Sox have plenty and Padres GM Jed Hoyer — who used to be the assistant GM in Boston — knows the farm system well.

We figured to hear a lot about Cliff Lee, Carl Pavano and Carl Crawford at the Winter Meetings next week in Florida. Could we hear more about Gonzalez?

– Corey Brock, MLB.com

Sox would have gone to Mo?

In what would have been the latest storied chapter of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalary, reports indicate that Boston made a push to sign Mariano Rivera before the future Hall of Famer reached an agreement to stay in the Bronx. The Yankees haven’t announced their new deal with Rivera, but it is all but done, according to several media outlets.

Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com, citing a source with direct knowledge of the situation, said that the Red Sox offered Rivera two years at $30 million, but the righty turned it down before accepting a similar proposal from New York.

Edes added that under that scenario, the Sox would have non-tendered closer Jonathan Papelbon, who made $9.35 million last year and is entering his walk year. Papelbon is coming off the worst season of his career, as he blow eight of his 45 save opportunities.

But the Red Sox did wind up tendering Papelbon a contract in advance of Thursday night’s 11:59 deadline.  Deep down, Boston likely knew that it was very unlikely Rivera would leave the Yankees, particularly to go to their chief rivals.

– Ian Browne

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