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AL East Notes: Swisher, Werner, Orioles

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The Orioles are still baseball’s only undefeated team, moving to 6-0 after today’s 9-7 win over the Red Sox.  Chris Davis broke a 6-6 tie in the ninth with a three-run homer off Craig Kimbrel (making his home debut for Boston) to score the game’s deciding runs.  Here’s some more from around the AL East…

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters (including George A. King III of the New York Post) that Nick Swisher hadn’t yet signed a reported minor league deal with the club as of Monday afternoon.  Swisher will still have to pass a physical for the contract to become official, which could be difficult given his history of knee problems.  Several opposing scouts weren’t impressed by Swisher’s health during Spring Training, with one scout telling King that Swisher’s “legs are gone.”  The Yankees, however, felt Swisher could still contribute as a backup option at first, left field or DH, as Cashman said the club liked what they saw when Swisher faced them as a member of the Braves during the spring.
  • In a radio interview on the Ordway, Merloni & Fauria show, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner expressed surprise that some Sox fans felt ownership would influence certain lineup decisions, most notably insisting that high-priced Pablo Sandoval retain his starting job.  “Really our influence extends that we want the best lineup and we want to win now.  Beyond that it’s up to John [Farrell] and Dave [Dombrowski] and the coaching staff to come up with the best lineup every day,” Werner said.  “I think a lot has been made of this. Maybe there are some owners who would exert that kind of influence. The only influence that we would have is to say, ’You’re free to do whatever you want to do, and you shouldn’t worry about salary. You should worry about putting out the best lineup.’ ”  WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford has a partial transcript of Werner’s interview.
  • Jimmy Paredes is making progress in recovering from a sprained left wrist, though once he returns from the DL, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko notes that the Orioles could have a bit of a roster crunch.  Paredes is out of options, so he’d have to pass through waivers for the O’s to send him to Triple-A and there isn’t an obvious candidate to remove from the 25-man roster.  Kubatko also notes that Mychal Givens, T.J. McFarland or Tyler Wilson could be send down once Brian Matusz makes his expected return from injury on Thursday.

AL East Notes: Loup Injury, Betts, Worley, Paredes

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Blue Jays lefty Aaron Loup has been shut down for two weeks after an MRI revealed a strained flexor in his left forearm, as Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet writes. While Loup remains optimistic that he’ll be ready for Opening Day, manager John Gibbons conceded that that’s not necessarily a reasonable expectation. “That’d be kind of tough,” Gibbons told Nicholson-Smith and others at Blue Jays camp in Dunedin, Fla. “I don’t want to say no, but it might be real tough. Really it’d be a rush job.” Loup is expected to slot in as a second lefty reliever behind Brett Cecil, but if he’s unable to break camp with the club, the Jays will look at the ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte and non-roster invitees Scott Diamond, Chad Girodo, Wade LeBlanc and Pat McCoy, per Nicholson-Smith.

Here’s more from the division…

  • Mookie Betts tells Alex Speier of the Boston Globe that he’s yet to discuss a long-term deal with the Red Sox. “[A long-term deal] is not part of the discussion right now,” said Betts. “I’m just focused on going and playing this year. We’re going year-by-year [in contracts].” Betts expressed an appreciation that the Red Sox boosted his salary from $514,500 to $566K — a larger raise than many clubs give to pre-arbitration players — but stressed that his current emphasis is on establishing himself as a consistent player as opposed to worrying about his earning power.
  • Right-hander Vance Worley finds himself in a familiar position this spring as he battles for a roster spot with the Orioles, writes Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. “I feel like my whole career has always been about having to prove it again and again and again,” said Worley. “There’s always someone nipping at your heels, especially at this level. You’ve got the younger guys. This guy throws hard. This guy’s got this, he’s got that. I’m not that guy. I’ve never been that guy.” Worley admits that it was tough to lose his rotation spot with the Pirates last year upon Charlie Morton’s return from the DL, and it was more difficult to be designated for assignment and clear waivers despite posting a 3.00 ERA in 30 relief innings. “Any guy who has that situation where you clear waivers — that was my second time clearing — It’s about being mentally tough, because some guys crumble,” Worley continued. “Some guys just fall apart and they say, that’s it for the year. I know I’m a big leaguer and you have to have that mindset.” Worley is out of minor league options and will have to be exposed to waivers if the Orioles wish to send him to the minors.
  • Encina also writes that Jimmy Paredes is likely to miss significant time after suffering a sprained left wrist in an attempt at a diving catch in yesterday’s Grapefruit League contest. Paredes said he knew the injury was serious because his wrist and hand immediately went numb, though he’s thankful to have avoided a fracture. Nonetheless, it’s a poor time for an injury, Encina notes, as the Orioles had hoped to evaluate him as an option in the outfield this spring. Now, he’s wearing a plastic cast on his left wrist to stabilize the joint, and it’s unclear specifically when he’ll be able to return to action. Like Worley, Paredes is out of options and entered camp battling for a roster spot. Paredes underwent an MRI this morning and was diagnosed with a bone bruise, tweets Rich Dubroff of CSN Midatlantic.

AL East Notes: Gardner, Orioles, Red Sox, Moore

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In his latest Yankees Inbox column, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch tackles a number of topics, perhaps most notably the possibility of a Brett Gardner trade this winter. Hoch notes that a deal is at least possible, as it might be one of the only ways in which the Yankees can creatively gain some flexibility this winter. With Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran locked into the other two outfield spots and Alex Rodriguez blocking Beltran from DH at-bats, there’s little room to make changes on the roster. While Hoch says that “initial indications” are that it won’t be a big-spending winter for the Yankees, moving Gardner could give the team both roster and financial flexibility. Within his column, Hoch also touches on the 2016 plans for Greg Bird and notes that the Yankees aren’t simply going to hand the second base job to Rob Refsnyder in 2016 as they feel he’s still developing from a defensive standpoint.

More from the AL East…

  • Orioles fans will want to check out this column from MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko, as he covers a number of players on the fringes of Baltimore’s 40-man roster and their future with the organization, including Dylan Bundy, Steve Johnson, Nolan Reimold, Steve Clevenger and Jimmy Paredes. Bundy will compete for a spot in the 2016 bullpen, but he’ll be out of options, complicating his future. Johnson drew interest from the Phillies and Mariners last year before re-signing a minor league deal with Baltimore. He could draw trade interest this offseason, Kubatko notes. The Orioles are expected to keep Reimold this offseason, and Clevenger’s defensive improvements have satisfied O’s decision-makers, though he could still be marketed in trades this offseason. Kubatko notes that the O’s had the chance to deal Clevenger at the July trade deadline — he lists the Mariners as an interested party — but hung onto him. Paredes’s future is less certain after a dismal second half, Kubatko writes (in much further detail than I’ve covered here).
  • One rival executive tells Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald that he expects Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski to “blow up the farm system” (as Mastrodonato terms it) and make trades to acquire the front-line pitching Boston desperately needs. “Dave is going to make some moves. He’ll be busy,” the exec told Mastrodonato. Dombrowski said he’s already begun receiving phone calls from other general managers to begin expressing interest in working out deals, Mastrodonato adds.
  • In a second article, Mastrodonato talks to Royals GM Dayton Moore about the interview he had to become the Red Sox general manager one year prior to taking his current post with Kansas City. Moore, who previously oversaw the Braves’ scouting and player development operations, said he actually didn’t have interest in becoming a GM but took the interview after his own boss with the Braves, then-GM John Schuerholz, told him to go through the process. “You’ll learn a ton,” Schuerholz told Moore. Moore was staying at the same hotel as Sox president Larry Lucchino and chairman Tom Werner at the time, so he went through the interview process and found it enjoyable. “That was the first time I started thinking about wanting to become a GM.”

AL East Notes: Pirela, Travis, Paredes, Red Sox

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The Yankees are set to bring up second base prospect Jose Pirela, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports on Twitter. It remains to be seen how the playing time will be sorted in the middle infield, but the club has received scant production to date at both second base (Stephen Drew and Gregorio Petit) and shortstop (Didi Gregorius). With the Yankees otherwise looking good atop the AL East, it is fair to wonder whether Pirela and/or Rob Refsnyder will get extended early looks to help inform the club’s decisionmaking over the summer.

Here’s more from the competitive AL East:

  • Meanwhile, things are headed in quite a different direction at the keystone for the Blue Jays, who have received stunning production from offseason acquisition Devon Travis. As Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca explains, while Travis’s incredible start is obviously not sustainable, he has exhibited a series of skills — hitting the ball long and hard, and showing quality strike zone control — that bode well for his future. While Toronto obviously hoped he could become a long-term answer when it dealt for him, the club now has good reason to believe that he will be installed at second for years to come.
  • Another infielder off to a surprisingly hot start is Jimmy Paredes of the Orioles. As Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun writes, the 26-year-old has traveled a long road through five organizations to get to this point. Still a work in progress in the field, Paredes has shown real promise at the plate this year. With Jonathan Schoop still working back from injury and Manny Machado having missed significant time in each of the last two seasons, Paredes could be an important piece for Baltimore if the team hopes to stay in the playoff hunt.
  • Things have gotten bad in a hurry for the Red Sox, writes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Bradford opines that losing Hanley Ramirez for any significant stretch would be a huge blow for Boston; while his injury does not appear to be as serious as it looked, any loss of production could be problematic in a tough division. Of course, the club has plenty of options in the outfield, and the bigger concern remains a rotation that has struggled badly. Though it is reasonable to hope that the results will begin to better match the underlying peripherals, Bradford says that the team does not have any obviously promising internal candidates to add quality innings in the near term.

East Notes: Herrera, Lough, Rays

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Here’s the latest from the East coast:

Orioles Acquire Jimmy Paredes

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The Orioles have acquired infielder/outfielder Jimmy Paredes from the Royals in exchange for cash considerations, the team announced. Paredes, who had been designated for assignment by the Royals last week, has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

This isn’t the first time that Baltimore has shown interest in Paredes, as they briefly claimed him off waivers from the Marlins this offseason before losing him on waivers to the Royals just a couple of days later.

Paredes went from the Astros to the Marlins to the Orioles to the Royals on waivers this offseason and ultimately received just 10 plate appearances (which yielded a pair of singles) for Kansas City’s big league club. Most of his season was spent at Omaha, where he produced a strong .305/.332/.457 batting line in 280 plate appearances.

As a career .306/.343/.468 hitter that bats from both sides of the plate and can play multiple positions, it’s not surprising that Paredes continues to find clubs willing to give him a 40-man roster spot. However, he’s yet to produce in 406 big league plate appearances, having totaled just a .233/.272/.308 batting line.

Royals Designate Jimmy Paredes For Assignment

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The Royals announced that they have designated infielder Jimmy Paredes for assignment and optioned right-hander Louis Coleman to Triple-A Omaha in order to clear room on the roster for the newly acquired Jason Frasor.

Paredes went from the Astros to the Marlins to the Orioles to the Royals on waivers this offseason and ultimately received just 10 plate appearances (which yielded a pair of singles) for Kansas City’s big league club. Most of his season was spent at Omaha, where he produced a strong .305/.332/.457 batting line in 280 plate appearances.

Given the fact that Paredes failed to pass through waivers unclaimed three times this offseason and his strong numbers for Omaha, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a team express interest in a trade or on waivers now that he has been designated.

Royals Claim Jimmy Paredes

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The Royals announced (on Twitter) that they've claimed infielder/outfielder Jimmy Paredes off waivers from the Orioles. The 25-year-old Paredes was claimed by the Orioles (from the Marlins) just two days ago. Paredes' departure from Baltimore's 40-man roster makes room for right-hander Suk-Min Yoon, though the O's have yet to officially announce his signing.

The switch-hitting Paredes batted .192/.238/.248 with a homer and four steals in 135 plate appearances for the Astros in 2013. He was claimed by the Marlins in November before being designated for assignment upon Jeff Baker's signing in Miami. Though he's yet to experience much success at the Major League level, Paredes is a career .306/.347/.471 hitter in 894 plate apperances at the Triple-A level. He has experience at both outfield corners as well as second base and third base.

AL Notes: Dempster, BoSox Payroll, Drew, O’s, Mulder

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Earlier today, Ryan Dempster announced he will not pitch in 2014 forfeiting the $13.25MM he was due in the final year of his pact with the Red Sox. Boston, however, does not intend to pursue Ervin Santana, Ubaldo Jimenez, or other free agent starting pitching, writes WEEI.com's Alex Speier. The Red Sox expect to slot Felix Doubront into the starting rotation and Brandon Workman into the swingman role with their stable of pitching prospects providing depth, according to Speier. Elsewhere in the American League:

  • Speier notes in the same article the Red Sox have newfound financial flexibility with Dempster's salary now off the books. Boston projects to have a 2014 payroll of $176MM (including $9MM allocated for in-season trades and roster additions), a $13MM cushion against the luxury tax. The Red Sox could re-sign Stephen Drew, but Speier wonders whether common ground can be found.
  • GM Ben Cherington passed on the opportunity to discuss the Red Sox's unexpected financial windfall saying the focus should be on Dempster, reports the Boston Globe's Pete Abraham.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets the Yankees are not considering any additional free agent acquisitions, which would rule them out on Drew.
  • Jimmy Paredes, claimed on waivers yesterday by the Orioles, is a prime candidate to lose his 40-man roster spot once the team makes its signing of Suk-Min Yoon official, according to MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko. Yoon has passed his physical, per multiple reports.
  • Mark Mulder, who saw his comeback bid with the Angels end when he ruptured his left Achilles tendon, told reporters, including Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com, he has yet to decide whether he will attempt another return in 2015. "I'd love to say yes, but I don't know. I have to wait and see what the doctors say — see what the process is of how healthy I can get it, how good it feels." Mulder undergoes surgery Monday and the rehab could last up to eight months.

Orioles Claim Jimmy Paredes

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The Orioles have claimed outfielder Jimmy Paredes off waivers from the Marlins, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets. The Marlins designated Paredes for assignment last week.

Paredes played parts of the 2011 through 2013 seasons for the Astros, where he hit .234/.274/.311 in 396 total plate appearances. He also hit .287/.345/.462 in 358 plate appearances at Triple-A Oklahoma City last year, playing shortstop, third base and second base as well as outfield. The Marlins claimed him from the Astros in November.

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