Hot Stove Update: Sox burn for Teixeira, AJ Burnett news

MLB Trade Rumors has the latest on Mark Teixeira:

Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald says the Red Sox burn, lust for, and love Teixeira. Silverman says Tex should end up with a salary of at least $20MM and a term of at least six years. Also, Silverman talked to one source who suggested the Yankees' acquisition of Nick Swisher "could be a prelude to another deal with a National League club."

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News says the Yankees still plan to add an impact hitter. He agrees that "several National League teams have had their eye on Swisher." MLB.com's Mark Bowman says the Braves are among them.

Teixeira told Erin Andrews last night that he hopes to sign by Christmas.

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Blue Jays Manager J.P. Riccairdi told Mike Rutsey of the Toronto Sun that he's not afriad to give AJ Burnett a 5-year deal, if that's what it will take to keep him in Toronto.

"They asked about the chances of a five-year deal and that's one of the things they're looking for no matter where they go," Ricciardi said yesterday of his recent discussions with Braunecker. "But I don't know at this point. I think we'd be open to doing anything within the working framework that we think makes sense for us. We're open to doing some things that will enable us to keep him here.

"But I've said this all along and I've said it to the player and the agent too -- we will not be the highest-paid club. This cannot be all about money from a standpoint from our end because we're not going to come in first."

"I wouldn't say it [a 5-year deal] scares me. I'd say we'd be open to talking about frameworks but right now we don't have anything on the table in terms of years or money," Ricciardi said.

Hot Stove Update: Angels to give Teixeira offer and deadline

SI.com's Jon Heyman The Angels' intend to make a quick-strike offer to Mark Teixeira, which means a fair proposal with a deadline. The offer has not yet been made, and it's unclear when it will be or how much time Teixeira will have to respond, but the Angels used this method successfully last offseason to lock up Torii Hunter for $90-million on a five-year deal.

Word is, Teixeira's agent, Scott Boras, is using the $153.3-million, eight-year contract that Miguel Cabrera got from the Tigers before last season as a baseline for negotiations, and Boras makes the points that Teixeira is a leader and also a free agent (Cabrera had two years to go before free agency when he signed that Tigers deal).

Bottom Line: A commenter over at FanNation nailed it when he said the Angel's are shooting themselves in the foot with a "deadline." Boras was not Hunter's agent and we all know that Boras will wait for the best offer - deadlines' mean nothing to him. Also Hunter was 34 when he signed that deal... Tex is 28.

I'm gonna stick with my original prediction and say the Teixeira signs a 6-year, $108M deal ($18M per yr) with two option years.

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Heyman also said that free-agent pitcher CC Sabathia is hearing from most of the major-market teams since receiving the Yankees' bold opening salvo last week, a $140-million, six-year bid that beat the Brewers' initial offer by $40 million and makes a nice high target for someone to shoot at. The Dodgers, Giants, Red Sox and Angels are among big-market teams believed to have checked in on Sabathia.

ESPN's Peter Gammons said Sabathia doesn't intend to decide on his next team until after the Thanksgiving weekend.

Bottom Line: We haven't heard much about the Sox and C.C., and one can assume that they are simply jacking up the price on the Yankees - just as the Yankees could be doing to us with Teixeira, but the Sox are definitely in the market for another starter...

The question is: Is the Hefty Lefty worth $140 mil? 2009 will be C.C.'s 9th major league season - Bartolo Colon went 21-8 in his 9th full season and then went 11-15 with an ERA in the fives over the next 3 years due to injuries.

Sooner or later his weight is going to slow him down, and personally, I don't think he's a wise investment. I say jack up the price and let him go to the Yankees - I'll be very curious to see if he can match his Brewer numbers (9-2, 1.56 ERA) while pitching under pressure in New York...

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Speaking of the Yankees...

New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner yesterday officially handed control of the major-league team to his son, Hal.

"I realize it's a great responsibility," said Hal Steinbrenner, who turns 40 on Dec. 3. "My dad is, needless to say, a tough act to follow."

The elder Steinbrenner has gradually withdrawn from the Yankees' day-to-day operations in recent years as his health faded, and brothers Hal and Hank were appointed co-chairmen in April.

Hank Steinbrenner, Hal's older brother, will continue to oversee baseball operations... and tell anyone who will listen how much he hates the Red Sox.

Check back all winter long for more Hot Stove updates!

Wakefield considering retirement

There is a rumor floating around on the Sons of Sam Horn message boards that Wake's shoulder has been bothering him and that he is seriously considering retirement.

This is the same injury that forced Wake to shut things down in 2007, causing him to miss the playoffs and World Series:

Due to recurring shoulder problems, Wakefield said he spoke with Red Sox management and the club’s medical staff, and the decision was made to shut it down. It is believed that he will not need off-season surgery, but he will undergo extensive testing at season’s end, including an arthrogram MRI where dye is injected into the shoulder. It’s not known at this point whether it’s a rotator cuff issue or a torn labrum.

According to Wakefield, the injury began with inflammation in his posterior shoulder and back.

So what does this all mean?

If the rumor is true, it means that Theo and Co. could be more serious about signing AJ Burnett or Derek Lowe than we first thought.

Wake has averaged 12 wins per seasons over the past 7 years, so it really is time to hang up the cleats, the Sox will need some one to fill that void. Burnett (31) is certainly capable of picking up 10-15 wins, but only is he's healthy - and that has to be a concern for the Sox, despite the 221 innings he pitched this year. The Yankees and the Blue Jays are also bidding for Burnett's services, so the price will be high... If Wake doesn't ride off into the sunset, he's a much more economic option at $4 million.

Lowe is another guy that is capable of 10-15 wins, but he's 35 and Boras is currently asking for a "Barry Zito like contract", and I don't think the Sox are going to shell out $126M over 7 years for Derek - no matter how much he wants to come back to Boston.

The Sox have plenty of other options of course, and some of the other rumblings may suggest that the Sox could lean on the kids again this season. The decision to Trade Coco to the Royals for RP Ramon Ramirez could mean that the Sox plan to shift Justin Masterson back into the rotation. As good as he was as a reliever, Masty was a solid 4-3 with a 3.67 ERA as a big league starter in 2008.

Peter Gammons also recently reported that the Sox were not interested in trading Clay Buchholz or the combination of Justin Masterson/Nick Hagadone/Michael Bowden for catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia... and since the Sox could really use a catcher, this makes me think that the Sox might be using Bucky, Masty and Bow...dy (sure why not) as their fall back plan.

Names like Paul Byrd (8-2, 3.46 after the break last year) and injury-prone Brad Penny (16 wins in '06 & '07) have been thrown out there as well, but I think the aforementioned kids have just as good a chance of posting 10+ wins in 2009 as these guys do. See the full Free Agent list - here.

The Sox would probably prefer to give it shot with Wake (hence the $4M option), but they know that he could go down at any time... but they also know that they have enough arms in the farm to make them cautious about handing over a huge contract to a risky Free Agent. That said, we need only look at Julio Lugo's contract to see that the Sox aren't afraid to throw around the cash... and mabrowndog points out on the SOSH board, the Sox have cleared over $30M off the current payroll and could have as much as $64M in which to use for Free Agents...

So far, they've culled nearly $34 million from their $134M payroll. They'll probably wind up owing around $10 million in salary to the aribtration-eligible Youkilis, Papelbon, Lopez (and Cash if he returns). Meanwhile they're only obligated to pay a little over the $392k MLB minimum to their 7 youngsters (Pedroia, Lester, DC, Ellsbury, Aardsma, Buchholz & Lowrie), or around $3M, but let's go ahead and call it $5M just in case they're feeling generous and benevolent with Pedroia and Lester after their stellar seasons. The rest of the holdovers (Drew, Lowell, Ortiz, Beckett, Lugo, Daisuke, Bay, Crisp, Okajima & Wake) are due about $85M, bringing the team's total to about $100 million -- or $96M without Wake.

The luxury tax threshold for 2009 is about $160M. That leaves $64M of dollar-for-dollar flexibility, so if they chose to they could certainly absorb payouts to the likes of Teixeira, Lowe, and Burnett. And opting for Penny/Sheets/etc in lieu of the pricier Burnett would be a slam dunk in terms of feasibility.

Personally, I hope all that new found money goes towards Mark Teixeira - who I feel is the future of the Red Sox and will take $108M for 6 yrs with 2 option yrs - but we're talking pitchers here.

Bottom Line: It will be a sad day when Shaky Waky retires, but the Sox have the kids and the cash to fill the void whenever it happens.

Tip of the cap to Joy of Sox who had the rumor - here.

Coco traded for RP Ramirez; Who's the new 4th OF ???

The Globe's Nick Cafardo has confirmed that the Coco Crisp/Ramon Ramirez trade is legit:

The Red Sox have traded center fielder Coco Crisp to the Royals for righthanded relief pitcher Ramon Ramirez, a major league baseball source has confirmed to the Globe's Nick Cafardo.

The deal was first reported this morning on Kansas City sports radio station WHB 810 by Brian McRae, a former Royals outfielder who is a part owner of the station:

During an on-air interview a few moments ago, Royals senior adviser Mike Arbuckle would not confirm that the deal was complete. "I would say Coco is a good player and we're always interested in getting good players," said Arbuckle, who recently joined the Royals after working in the front office of the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. Arbuckle politely declined a request from the hosts to evaluate Crisp as a player, saying, "Well, at this point, he's still under control of another organization. I wouldn't want to get into a tampering charge." The deal was first reported on the station by Brian McRae, a former Royals outfielder. When contacted via e-mail and asked if there was anything to this rumor, Kansas City Star columnist Joe Posnanski gave a one-word reply: "Yes."

Ramirez is an interesting acquisition for the Red Sox -- his arrival would suggest that the ball club is at least considering using Justin Masterson as a starter. Reports say the 27-year-old throws in the low 90s, with an outstanding curveball and a changeup that acts like a splitter.

He's coming off a very good 2008 season, having posted a 2.64 ERA in 71.2 innings this year while striking out 70. Ramirez allowed just two home runs, and held righthanders to a .153 average in 137 at-bats. He was particularly effective in September, allowing just one earned run in four hits in 9.2 innings (0.93 ERA).

I guess we just could go any longer without a Ramirez on the roster...

I'm a huge Coco fan, so this is a tough pill to swallow. But... if Theo wants to shoot me a text and let me know that this is all part of his master plan to shave a few mil' off the payroll so that he can outbid the Yankees for Teixeira - then I'll accept the deal. Seriously though, I remember this kid having good stuff when the Royals came to town this year and I think Remy thought highly of him as well.

Bottom Line: There's nothing wrong with adding a young and lively arm to your bullpen, I just wonder if Coco was worth more than a still unproven reliever... you just never know what you're gonna get from year to year with relievers.

* * * Centerfield has a nice photo send off for Coco... you will be missed "10." * * *

Also, Coco's departure makes me curious... Who do the Sox plan to use as their back-up outfielder when Drew inevitably goes down or Ellsbury falls into another funk...

Coco offered outstanding defense and proved that, given a semi-steady stream if at-bats, he could still hit: Coco hit .315 in the second half of the '08 season.

Here's a look at the OFs in the farm:

Jon Van Avery
Van Avery hit .263 with 15 2Bs, 26 HRs and 70 RBI in 380 at-bats with Pawtucket. He hit just .235 in 11 at-bats with Botson last year.

Sox Prospects Scouting Report: Centerfielder with a good arm and a great glove. Average bat, speed, and on base ability. Has shown flashes of above average power, but not consistently throughout his career. Hits to all fields. Streaky at the plate, but generally has a good hitting approach. Provides outfield depth with some options, Van Every will likely be insurance for Boston while roaming the outfield in McCoy. Able to play center and left, but hasn't spent a lot of time in right field.

Jeff Bailey 1B/OF
Bailey hit .301 with 28 2Bs, 25 HRs and 75 RBI in 418 at-at-bats with Pawtucket. He mad a splash with Boston, hitting a pair of ding-dongs and batting .280 through 50 major league at-bats.

Sox Prospects Scouting Report: Bailey mainly plays 1B and corner outfield these days after previously spending a lot of time as a catcher. He is adequate defensively, with below average range, a decent glove, and a good arm. With the bat, he has outstanding power and strength. Good contact and plate patience. Slow on the basepaths, but runs intelligently - about what you'd expect from a converted catcher. Strikes out a little too much, but that has improved over the years. Has potential to be a versatile backup and off-the-bench bat at the major league level. Probably could start for a lot of small market teams. Bailey has been a team leader and model teammate with the Red Sox organization for five seasons.

Josh Reddick
21-year old Reddick hit .343 with 11 2Bs, 17 HRs, and 57 RBI in .312 at-bats with Single A Lancaster last season. It's safe to say he's not the guys the Sox are counting for 2009, but there's a chance we'll see him help out in September... get the Sox Prospects Scouting report - here.

And here's a list of the Free Agent OFs that are out there, but half of them will want to start. Guys like Kapler, Baldelli and Kotsay stick out... and even Floyd or Hariston would make a nice fit.

Left fielders
Moises Alou (42) - Type B
Garret Anderson (37) - Type B
Milton Bradley (31) - Type B
Emil Brown (34)
Pat Burrell (32) - Type A
Adam Dunn (29) - Type A
Cliff Floyd (36)
Luis Gonzalez (41) - Type B
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Raul Ibanez (37) - Type A
Gabe Kapler (33)
Kevin Mench (31)
Jason Michaels (33)
Craig Monroe (32)
Greg Norton (36)
Jay Payton (36)
Manny Ramirez (37) - Type A
Juan Rivera (30)
So Taguchi (39)

Center fielders
Rocco Baldelli (27)
Willie Bloomquist (31)
Jim Edmonds (39)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (33)
Gabe Kapler (33)
Mark Kotsay (33)
Corey Patterson (29)
Scott Podsednik (33)
So Taguchi (39)

Right fielders
Bobby Abreu (35) - Type A
Casey Blake (35) - Type B
Emil Brown (34)
Cliff Floyd (36)
Ken Griffey Jr. (39) - Type B
Gabe Kapler (33)
Jason Michaels (33)
Trot Nixon (35)
Brad Wilkerson (32)

Dustin Pedroia is your AL MVP; Youk takes 3rd

Dustin Pedroia won the AL MVP Award in comfortable fashion, garnering 16 out of 28 first-place votes. He also received six second-place votes, four third-place votes and one fourth-place vote for 317 total points.

Runner-up Justin Morneau of the Twins received seven first-place votes and finished with 257 points. Boston first baseman Kevin Youkilis finished third, tallying two first-place votes and 201 points in a third-place finish.

Read more here.

Youk vs Pedroia for MVP... Who ya got?

The American League MVP Award will be announced today and Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia are the front runners for the honor.

The Globe's Nick Cafardo had this to say:

Pedroia's case is compelling because he won the Gold Glove at second base, won a Silver Slugger for being the best offensive player at his position, led the league with 54 doubles, and was considered the heart and soul of the Red Sox.

Youkilis played both corner positions after Mike Lowell went down and ended up with a .312 average, 29 homers, and 115 RBIs. He hit .374 with runners in scoring position and .358 with men on base. He was voted the Hank Aaron Award as the league's best offensive player.

Nick also says that Carlos Quentin, Francisco Rodriquez and Justin Morneau will also earn some votes, but it appears that the Red Sox have to two most likely candidates.

So I ask you Red Sox Nation: Who do YOU think should be the MVP?

Both guys played impeccable defense all season, but Youk managed to seamlessly bounce across th diamond almost every night... Both guys were machines at the plate, but what was more impressive, Dustin's chase for the Batting title or Youk filling the gap at cleanup when Manny pouted his way out of town?

Maybe it's too close to call, so you'll base it on the facial hair... but I think Youk is the clear favorite there.

Cast your vote on the right and check back for the MVP Award announcement later today.

Gold... and now Silver for Pedroia

A year ago, Pedroia was the American League's Rookie of the Year. Last week, Pedroia won the Gold Glove Award for the first time. Now he's a Silver Slugger.

In case you missed it, Pedroia (.326) finished just two points behind Joe Mauer (.328)in the chase foe the AL Batting title, while leading all second basemen with 54 doubles and a staggering 213 hits. He also hit 17 ding dongs, drove in 83 runs and even spent a few days in the clean up spot for the Red Sox.





Here are the other AL winners:

C Joe Mauer, MIN
1B Justin Morneau, MIN
2B Dustin Pedroia, BOS
3B Alex Rodriguez, NYY
SS Derek Jeter, NYY
OF Josh Hamilton, TEX
OF Carlos Quentin, CWS
OF Grady Sizemore, CLE
DH Aubrey Huff, BAL