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East Notes: Hill, Hanley, Collins

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The Red Sox finally received compensation earlier today for Theo Epstein's defection to the Cubs, adding reliever Chris Carpenter and a player to be named. Here's more on Boston and a couple other stray items of note out of MLB's East divisions:

  • The Red Sox added left-hander Rich Hill to their 40-man roster and placed starter John Lackey on the 60-day DL in a corresponding move, tweets Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. The move is a show of faith in Hill's recovery from 2011 Tommy John surgery, according to Britton, and Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe tweets that Hill had an opt-out clause that he could have exercised early in Spring Training were he not on the 40-man. So, it appears the Sox didn't want to lose the lefty.
  • Marlins slugger Hanley Ramirez said he has no problem moving to third base to accomodate the arrival of newly signed shortstop Jose Reyes, according to Tom D'Angelo of the Palm Beach Post. “I never said I’m not going to do it,” he said.
  • Mets manager Terry Collins is under contract through 2013, though Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal wonders whether the skipper will be retained beyond then if the Mets are ready to move past their current transitional phase.

Phillies Links: Victorino, Lidge, Hamels

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A few items to pass along as the Phillies begin their defense of five consecutive NL East crowns …

  • Center fielder Shane Victorino, entering his final season before free agency, said there haven't yet been any negotiations between him and the Phils regarding an extension, but he said wants to remain in Philly, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. “I don’t plan on going anywhere else,” he said.
  • Brad Lidge, now of the Nationals, said the Phillies reversed course after telling him that they wanted to re-sign him at the conclusion of 2011, according to Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. GM Ruben Amaro told Brookover that the sides discussed a modest deal early in the offseason but moved on to other options when Lidge passed in favor of seeking closing opportunities elsewhere.
  • Now that Cole Hamels has expressed a willingness to remain with the Phillies — and perhaps even sign at a hometown discount — the onus is on the club to secure the left-hander with a long-term contract, opines Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Rosenthal adds that even with an already hefty payroll, the Phils can afford Hamels, as they've already sold 3.1MM tickets for 2012.

Molina Sets Deadline For Extension Talks

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Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina's agent, Melvin Roman of MDR Sports Management, said Tuesday that his client will not discuss a potential contract extension once the regular season begins, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Molina, 30 in July, is an extension candidate as he enters his final season before free agency, although extensions talks have recently been put on hold. Roman intends to remain in Florida for several days to potentially resume extension discussions, although nothing is imminent on that front as of now, according to Strauss.

"It could be tomorrow. It could be two days. It could be two weeks," Roman said. "If they want us to come back, we'll come back."

Molina, a right-handed hitter, owns a .271/.331/.377 career line with 55 homers in parts of eight big leagues seasons and is generally considered among the game's best defensive catchers. He's believed to be seeking a five-year deal with an average annual salary of $10MM, Strauss reports.

Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said he and Roman talked on Tuesday but declined to comment on whether those discussions included the parameters for a potential extension.

AL West Notes: Abreu, Uehara, Manny

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The AL West saw no shortage of action this offseason, with notables Albert Pujols, Yu Darvish and Yoenis Cespedes joining the ranks, but the division may yet make a few more transactions headlines before Opening Day. Here's the latest …

  • Angels outfielder/DH Bobby Abreu told Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com that he'd like to be traded if he's not assured of an everyday role this season — this after Halos skipper Mike Scioscia said Sunday that Abreu will split time at DH with Mark Trumbo and/or Kendrys Morales. GM Jerry Dipoto responded by saying Abreu has "no right" to issue an ultimatum, according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels said Texas has no trades in the works right now, including any involving releiver Koji Uehara, and still has no plans to sign right-hander Roy Oswalt, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Uehara has long been rumored to be on the trade block.
  • Athletics GM Billy Beane said there are no guarantees for DH Manny Ramirez, recently signed to a minor league contract, beyond Day 1, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Beane also told reporters, including Jane Lee of MLB.com, that signing Manny was strictly a baseball decision — not for PR — and that "we couldn't come up with a reason not to sign him" (Twitter links).

Quick Hits: Damon, Guillen, Jackson

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Here are a few odd items of note as Tuesday becomes Wednesday …

  • Executives from three teams believe Johnny Damon has altered his patient plate approach in his quest to collect 3,000 career hits, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Damon is believed to be intent on reaching 3K to increase his odds of reaching the Hall of Fame, which is turning off potential suitors, according to Sherman. The outfielder/DH denies this.
  • Outfielder Jose Guillen, who did not play last season, wants to return in 2012, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com (Spanish link). Guillen, 35, last appeared in the Majors in 2010 with the Giants.
  • The one-year, $11MM contract the Nationals gave to Edwin Jackson seems more advantageous under the new CBA than it did at first glance, writes Amanda Comak of the Washington Times.
  • If the Mets are not in better financial shape by next offseason, Commissioner Bud Selig must take action, opines Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Doing so would be difficult for Selig, writes Rosenthal, as Wilpon is a long-tenured and well-respected owner.
  • For a look at how each first-year GM fared this offseason, check out this writeup by John Schlegel of MLB.com.

West Notes: Cruz, Cespedes, Dodgers, Padres

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Passing along a few stray items out of the West divisions …

  • Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz's two-year, $16MM contract is backloaded, according to the Associated Press (h/t Boston Herald). Cruz will earn $5MM in 2012, along with a $500K signing bonus, and will earn $10.5MM in 2013. The right-handed hitter can also earn up to an additional $500K based on plate appearances.
  • Yoenis Cespedes did not secure a no-trade clause in his contract with the Athletics, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, so the A's will have the option of trading off the outfielder if he becomes too expensive as he nears free agency after 2015.
  • The remaining bidders for the Dodgers will meet with MLB's ownership committee early next month, according to Ronald Blum of the Associated Press.
  • The Padres will receive a rights fee of $30MM in 2012 for their new TV deal with FOXSports, a source tells Jay Posner of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The source adds that the Friars could earn as much as $40MM this year depending on a signing bonus and other factors.

Minor Moves: Coon, Salazar

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We'll keep track of today's minor league moves in this post …

  • The Rays have signed outfielders Brad Coon and Jeff Salazar to minor league contracts with invitations to Spring Training, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Coon, 29, has spent his career in the minors, while Salazar, 30, has had cups of coffee in the Majors with the Rockies, Diamondbacks and Pirates.

Orioles, Adam Jones Avoid Arbitration

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The Orioles and center fielder Adam Jones have avoided arbitration by agreeing to terms on a one-year deal, the team announced via press release. Jones will earn a base salary of $6.15MM with $50K in performance-based bonuses — $25K apiece for reaching 620 and 635 plate appearances, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links).

Jones, 26, is under team control through the 2013 season, after which he is eligible for free agency. We heard earlier today that the O's and the right-handed hitter have discussed a possible long-term extension, although Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com tweets that those talks have been tabled till next offseason, as GM Dan Duquette considers in-season negotiations a distraction.

Jones, for his part, seems uncertain about the prospects of a long-term deal with the O's, according to Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com: "I don't know, I guess I am brand new to this sort of thing. Whatever happens, happens. I just go out there and get to do what I love to do. All the people that talk, let them talk. Let me play. I don't care to see the talking back and forth. Just let me go play."

The Orioles offered Jones $5MM for the upcoming season, while he and his agent, Nez Balelo of CAA Sports, filed at $7.4MM, so the settled amount of $6.15MM is just shy of an even midpoint. With Jones' 2012 salary now settled, the Orioles have no remaining arbitration eligible players, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows.

Central Notes: Gimenez, Young Twins, Cardinals

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Passing along a few notes from the Central divisions, where there was plenty of news earlier today. Kosuke Fukudome found a new home, the Brewers won an arbitration case, and the Royals picked up their manager's option. On with the links …

Quick Hits: Cespedes, Sanchez, Cabrera

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The Twittersphere is um, atwitter, with Jeremy Lin chatter right now, but you'll have to head over to Hoops Rumors for the latest on the Knicks' sudden superstar. Here are a few baseball-related odds and ends to share as the night winds down …

  • Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen said on ESPN 1000 Radio today that while there's a lot to like about free agent Yoenis Cespedes, the outfielder doesn't come without some concerns. Guillen added that many teams are interested in Cespedes, implying that it's hardly a sure thing that the Cuban defector will sign with Miami.
  • An arbitration expert told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that the Marlins "blew it" by allowing Anibal Sanchez to earn a $4.3MM raise through arbitration coming off a season in which he won eight games and posted a 3.67 ERA (Twitter link). Sanchez will earn $8MM in 2012.
  • An arbitration expert also told Heyman that the Indians did well in settling with shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera slightly above the midpoint of their exchanged figures, as the Tribe's original offer was low (via Twitter).

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