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Red Sox Acquire Andrew Bailey

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The Red Sox have acquired Andrew Bailey from the Athletics in a trade that will send Josh Reddick to Oakland and Ryan Sweeney to Boston, the teams announced. First base prospect Miles Head and right-handed pitching prospect Raul Alcantara are going to Oakland in the deal.

Andrew Bailey - A's

Bailey (pictured) figures to replace longtime closer Jonathan Papelbon at the back of Boston's bullpen in 2012. The 27-year-old right-hander posted a 3.24 ERA with 8.9 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 37.1% ground ball rate in 41 2/3 innings in 2011 after recovering a forearm strain that sidelined him early on in the season. MLBTR projects a $3.5MM salary for Bailey in 2012. The two-time All-Star and 2009 AL Rookie of the Year is under team control through 2014.

Reddick, 24, posted a .280/.327/.457 line in 278 plate appearances for the Red Sox this past season. The left-handed hitter got his first extended shot at Major League pitching in 2011, after posting a .278/.332/.500 line in parts of five minor leagues seasons. Reddick has big league experience at all three outfield positions and figures to get the chance to play every day in Oakland. He's under team control through 2016 and won't be arbitration eligible until after the 2013 campaign.

Sweeney, 27 in February, played all three outfield positions for the Athletics in 2011, posting a .265/.346/.341 line in 299 plate appearances. He has experience in parts of six big league seasons and will remain under team control through 2013. Sweeney's career UZR/150 of 9.2 suggests he's an above-average defender, and his numbers in right field are particularly impressive. MLBTR projects a 2012 salary of $1.6MM for Sweeney through arbitration.

Sweeney's a left-handed hitter who has a solid career line of .296/.352/.402 against right-handed pitching. However, GM Ben Cherington may want to pair him with someone who can hit left-handers given his career .233/.306/.289 line against southpaws. Ryan Kalish and Darnell McDonald (.285/.348/.451 career line against lefties) are internal candidates for the Red Sox to consider and right-handed hitting free agents Ryan Spilborghs and Cody Ross could also be fits.

The Red Sox selected Head, now 20, in the 26th round of the 2009 draft. He has posted a .274/.351/.446 line in 861 minor league plate appearances over the course of the past three seasons, but has yet to reach Double-A. Alcantara, who recently turned 19, has a 2.72 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 as a starter in 125 2/3 minor league innings. However, he has just four appearances above Rookie Ball.

Bailey will join the recently-acquired Mark Melancon in a new-look Red Sox bullpen. Boston may move  Daniel Bard to the rotation and Alfredo Aceves might also start, but Matt Albers, Scott Atchison, Bobby Jenks and Franklin Morales are candidates to contribute out of the bullpen in 2012.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney first reported the move (all Twitter links). Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Athletics Avoid Arbitration With Ryan Sweeney

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The Athletics have signed outfielder Ryan Sweeney to a one-year contract, reports MLB.com's Evan Drellich.  The deal will pay Sweeney $1.4MM in 2011, according to the Associated Press.  Sweeney was one of seven players tendered contracts by Oakland yesterday, and the signing means the club avoids arbitration with the 25-year-old.  Sweeney is represented by agent Larry Reynolds.

Sweeney hit .294/.342/.383 in 331 plate appearances with the A's in 2010, though he didn't play after July 11 due to a right knee injury that eventually required surgery.  Since coming to Oakland as part of the Nick Swisher trade in January 2008, Sweeney has a .740 OPS in 1298 plate appearances and has played all three outfield positions, though he mostly stuck to right field last year.  Sweeney made $420K with the A's last season and this would've been his first year of arbitration eligibility.

Infield Options For The A’s

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2:04pm: Tejada told a Spanish-speaking AP reporter that he's willing to play any infield position, according to Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com. Arangure Jr. cites Tejada's road numbers (.283/.313/.395) and fading defense and suggests that the infielder will have to accept a one-year deal with a low annual salary.

12:50pm: Slusser now says Tejada's representatives contacted the A's, not the other way around. The chances of a reunion don't sound great.

She says the A's inquired on Andy LaRoche a while ago, only to hear that the Pirates wanted Ryan Sweeney and Gio Gonzalez in return. Slusser suggests the A's would like to acquire a high-quality young infielder to play third or short. Failing that, the team could turn to a bargain free agent.

11:42am: The A's would consider adding an infielder who can play third base, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Two of the options they're considering are former A's Miguel Tejada and Adam Kennedy. The A's have contacted Tejada's agent and the sides could work a deal out if Tejada lowers his asking price.

After hitting .315/.340/.455, Tejada may be reluctant to sign at a discount and is apparently looking for a two-year $16MM offer. The Twins and Orioles are possible fits for the former AL MVP.

The A's also like Kennedy, but would prefer to add a player with experience at short. The infielder, who turns 34 this weekend, hit .289/.348/.410 in nearly 600 plate appearances last year. His defense was below average at second and third, according to UZR/150. We heard earlier in the week that Kennedy was Plan D or E for the A's.

Odds & Ends: Nationals, Podsednik, Duchscherer

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Links for Monday…

  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Nationals still have money left to sign Matt Capps, assuming he wants to go there. Morosi expects Capps to decide on his next team this week.
  • In a separate tweet, Morosi notes that the Tigers are only interested in Scott Podsednik if it's a one-year deal. Detroit has no interest in Rick Ankiel.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that Justin Duchscherer has received contract offers from three unnamed teams, and he expects to decide on his 2010 home within a week.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Royals are interested in free agent outfielder Brian Anderson on a minor league deal.
  • Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle sees Rajai Davis and Ryan Sweeney retaining starting jobs in the wake of the impending Coco Crisp signing.  Slusser suggests a possible reduced role or trade for Scott Hairston.  FanGraphs' Dave Cameron doesn't understand the move, noting that Davis and Sweeney are similar to Crisp.  Crisp's physical will take place tomorrow, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. 
  • Matthew Carruth of Lookout Landing explains that Mariners fans fully understand the dangers of Milton Bradley.  The Seattle Times' Geoff Baker reflects on Carlos Silva's time with the club.
  • Patrick Newman joins FanGraphs with a look at Japanese baseball imports and exports for 2010.  Speaking of which, new Met Ryota Igarashi would like to be Francisco Rodriguez's set-up man.

A’s Acquire Matt Holliday

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5:01pm: Scott Miller of CBSSports.com says the Rockies are prepared to turn around and trade Street to another team.

4:08pm: Gonzalez confirmed his inclusion in the trade in a phone call to Jorge L. Ortiz of USA Today.

3:42pm: A Rockies spokesman told the AP that talks are fluid, and "everything’s speculation."  Heyman is now aboard with Gonzalez/Smith/Street as the package.  Seems solid for one year of Holliday and the accompanying draft picks.

3:20pm: Susan Slusser spoke to Smith, who is flying to Denver for a physical.  She agrees that Street and Gonzalez are the other two players.

2:54pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick confirmed Smith is in the deal.

2:39pm: Troy Renck says the A’s had been offering Street and Gonzalez.  Meanwhile ESPN adds Ryan Sweeney and Gonzalez to their mix of players discussed.

2:30pm: Brown says the two teams have agreed in principle to a deal that will send Gonzalez, Smith, and Street to the Rockies.

2:24pm: The ESPN report now says Brett Anderson was under discussion as well as Smith.

2:03pm: The ESPN guys talked to A’s assistant GM David Forst, who said, "It’s still an ongoing discussion."

2:00pm: Ken Rosenthal chimes in.  The deal may not be finalized for about 48 hours.  Players discussed over the weekend: Carlos Gonzalez, Huston Street, and Smith.  Rosenthal says the A’s do not plan to flip Holliday or trade him in July.  Rosenthal also says the A’s could increase payroll to as high as $80MM, which could mean $25-30MM to play with.

1:57pm: ESPN’s Buster Olney and Jerry Crasnick say the two teams have agreed to terms, and believe pitcher Greg Smith was under discussion.

1:51pm: Yahoo’s Tim Brown also says a deal is close.

1:27pm: According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, the A’s traded for Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday.  More as it comes in!

Nick Swisher Traded To White Sox

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Baseball Digest Daily is reporting that the A’s have traded Nick Swisher to the White Sox for Gio Gonzalez, Fautino De Los Santos, and Ryan Sweeney.  I’d heard about the Sweeney part but hadn’t been able to confirm it.  This is a fascinating trade – let’s discuss.

I have to imagine the White Sox plan to use Swisher as their center fielder for the next couple of years; he did play 59 games there in ’07.  Kenny Williams stuck to his word about adding OBP to his team, picking up Swisher and Carlos Quentin to fill out his outfield.  Swisher, 27, is signed at a very reasonable price: $3.5MM in ’08, $5.3MM in ’09, $6.75MM in ’10, $9MM in ’11, and a $10.25MM club option for ’12 with a $1MM buyout.  The option gets a $1.75MM bump if Swisher is top five for the MVP voting during the contract.  He has limited no-trade protection for 2011-12.

The White Sox paid a massive price to get their man, however.  Pitchers De Los Santos and Gonzalez were their two best prospects, according to Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein.  De Los Santos is said to have a huge ceiling, whereas Gio is a solid lefty who’s nearly big-league ready.  Goldstein ranked Sweeney eighth on the team, but projects him as more of a fourth-outfielder type (he was once very highly regarded though).

If it wasn’t obvious with the Dan Haren trade, the A’s are in full-fledged rebuilding mode.  Joe Blanton, Huston Street, and Mark Ellis could be next to go.

Odds and Ends: Cabrera, Blanton, Haren, Sabathia

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Let’s round ’em up.

  • Indians GM Mark Shapiro will soon get a contract extension offer for C.C. Sabathia approved by ownership.  Then he’ll put that in front of Sabathia’s agent, with an eye on resolving the situation one way or another before Spring Training.  Shapiro’s model will not be Johan Santana’s upcoming deal but rather Jake Peavy’s three-year, $50MMish extension.
  • White Sox outfielders Ryan Sweeney and Brian Anderson might be on the fringe.  The Marlins, if I recall correctly, once had interest in Anderson as a center field option.
  • Miguel Cabrera is out to prove he’s a good athlete and can stay at third base – he’s beginning a rigorous workout program like nothing he’s ever done before.
  • The D’Backs could pursue Joe Blanton or Dan Haren, while the Yankees may turn to Haren if they fail to acquire Johan.
  • The Yankees are receiving a lot of interest in The Farnz, according to Brian Cashman.

Odds and Ends: Garcia, Greene, DeJesus

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With so many rumors, there’s a need for a daily Odds and Ends post to catch ’em all.

  • Buster Olney talked to Freddy Garcia’s agent.  He’s looking at a June return from shoulder surgery.
  • Indians GM Mark Shapiro made an offer on Brad Lidge.  The Astros didn’t even reply.  They did hear back from the Marlins on their Miguel Cabrera inquiry.  The price is seemingly too high for talks to continue.  Peter Gammons says that before the Astros got Michael Bourn, the White Sox pushed for a Chad Qualls for Ryan Sweeney swap.
  • Evan Grant notes that the Rangers have discussed trading shortstop Joaquin Arias to the Royals for Joey Gathright.  They’ve also talked to the Brewers about Tony Gwynn Jr.  GM Jon Daniels needs to have options if he can’t afford Torii Hunter or the other free agents.  Grant adds that the Rangers have already been in touch with Kerry Wood.
  • Jose Guillen declined his $5MM option with the Mariners – that’s no surprise.  So far the Royals have expressed interest.
  • Khalil Greene is under the Padres’ control through 2009, but his salary is going to jump significantly in arbitration for the ’08 and ’09 seasons.  The Padres want to sign him to a multiyear deal, perhaps buying out one year of free agency.  GM Kevin Towers is also posturing that he might use Scott Hairston as the regular center fielder next year, which seems a stretch.  Also, Geoff Jenkins is on Towers’ radar.
  • Ed Wade and the Astros have asked the Marlins about Dontrelle Willis.  However the ’Stros probably do not have the goods.’
  • One way or another, the Marlins will ditch Miguel Olivo.  They hope to bring Yorvit Torrealba aboard, which would take an offer better than two years, $6MM.  The Mets, Brewers, and Blue Jays also like Torrealba.  The Marlins are serious about upgrading behind the plate and will spend some money to do so.
  • Jorge Posada seems set on testing the market, which never bodes well for the incumbent team.
  • David DeJesus is a hot commodity as an affordable center fielder, but Dayton Moore expects to hang onto him.  Maybe he’ll change his mind once some big names are off the board.

Kenny Williams Ready To Deal

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This is going to be an incredible offseason, I just know it.  This is going to be a hot stove season for the ages.  White Sox GM Kenny Williams seems ready to dive right in, starting with the GM meetings on Monday.

Interesting notes from the above-linked Mark Gonzales article:

  • Josh Fields’ position for 2008 will be revealed shortly, which seems to indicate a trade of Joe Crede on the horizon.  Fields will end up at third base or left field next year.
  • Outfielders Brian Anderson and Ryan Sweeney may be shopped.  Anderson is doing a nice job talking his way out of Chicago, and Williams notes that Anderson must be "disappointed over the opportunities he hasn’t maximized."  Ouch.  Maybe the Marlins will take a flier.
  • Gonzales throws down the Crede for Johnny Damon idea I’ve been pushing here repeatedly.  This idea is spreading!

White Sox Receive Tejada Offer

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Remember when I decided to start calling Kenny Williams "spunky" based on his Javier Vazquez and Jim Thome trades?  I’m starting to think I should stick with "bold," as cliche as it may be.

As I mentioned earlier on this site, the White Sox submitted two trade proposals for Miguel Tejada with a deadline of December 31st.  Now the White Sox have re-entered the Tejada fray.

A rock-solid source of mine close to the White Sox tells me that the team is "lying in the weeds" and allowing the Mets, Devil Rays, Orioles, and Red Sox to beat each other up with this whole Manny/Tejada 4-way thing.  The White Sox hope that the 4-way deal falls apart because it’s too complicated and too expensive.  Presently, it seems that their wish will be fulfilled.

The Orioles want the Tejada deal done soon, and approached the White Sox yesterday with a proposal.  The Orioles asked for Jose Contreras, Juan Uribe, Ryan Sweeney, and a top pitching prospect.  That unknown prospect may be a sticking point, but it can probably be worked out.  Alex Woodson has been previously mentioned in discussions between the two clubs.  It would be a daring move by Kenny Williams to subtract Uribe and Aaron Rowand after winning a World Series with defense as the team’s strength.

My source tells me to look for an announcement by Friday about Tejada, no matter where he ends up.  The White Sox have their own motivation to wrap things up before the weekend: they’d like to have an announcement that does not conflict with a Bears playoff weekend or the Cubs Convention.

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