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Veteran southpaw Chris Sale discussed the possibility of reaching an extension with the Red Sox in an interesting chat with Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. The club has previously acknowledged some discussions, but Sale’s comments seemingly take things a bit further.
Sale suggests that there is a serious effort to work out an agreement.“I think we’re both mutually invested in this,” he said. “We’ve both said on both sides that it’s a possibility, for sure.”
He also indicated that he doesn’t consider a deal a necessity. “Obviously, this go-round is a little different than the last one with the contract situation,” Sale said in reference to his original contract extension. Sale says his family’s financial security was a driving force in that accord, but now affords him flexibility in deciding upon his next contract.
It’s still unclear what sort of structure is being considered — “we have a couple different scenarios,” Sale says — but the potential CBA tax impact will surely weigh heavily from the team’s perspective. It’s less clear just what will drive Sale when the time comes to make a final decision. While he indicates that he’s much more concerned with competing on the field than in the hot stove marketplace, he has previously made clear he does have a desire to “set the bar” for other players. Those looking to understand Sale’s perspective will certainly want to give Speier’s interview a full read.Comment -
As a Sox fan, Sale scares the hell outta me long term. One of the best in the game, but it always seems like the wheels could fall off at any minuteComment -
I wouldn't sign any 30 year old pitcher for more than 4 years, too risky.Comment -
Lester is probably one of the few that paid off with long term pitcher contracts.Comment -
Astros have had recent dialogue with Dallas Keuchel about a possible deal, but as of last night, not close to a dealComment -
Bruce Maxwell is playing baseball in Mexico. Do they still get paid?Comment -
Bryce Harper's agent Scott Boras: California taxes factored in Giants talks........yep good ole ca.......
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Astros righty Justin Verlander chatted yesterday about his pending free agency with Jon Heyman of MLB Network (all links to Twitter). While he’s keeping an open door to remaining in Houston, it doesn’t sound as if there’s any expectation of reaching a deal this spring. Verlander, who’s still at the top of his game at 36 years of age, reiterated his previously stated intention to pitch well into his forties. That expectation won’t lead him to chase the longest-possible guarantee in free agency, though. Having already secured career earnings in the hundreds of millions of dollars, Verlander says he’ll prioritize annual salary and other considerations while remaining “cognizant” of how his contract fits in the larger market picture. Further to that point, the veteran notes that big deals for this winter’s very best free agents have tended to mask the down-market struggles and number of teams that are not seeking to compete.
More from the western divisions …
- Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw threw to a catcher today from flat ground, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group reports in a series of tweets. That still counts as notable progress for the vaunted hurler, who also long-tossed and does not seem to have reported any issues. Shoulder issues have slowed Kershaw thus far in camp, but he has seemed to be on the upswing of late. Filling in for him early on shouldn’t be a problem for a Dodgers club that has a deep staff to call upon, but the early health issues are of greater concern given the recent history. Kershaw, who’ll soon turn 31, has now missed starts in each of the past three seasons and is under contract for three seasons and $93MM.
- While the Rangers recently worked out a new deal with reliever Jose Leclerc, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that it’s far from clear they’ll land any other extensions this spring. Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara appear to be hypothetical candidates, but both say they’re not presently engaged with the club. That could still change; Gallo and Mazara each say they are willing to listen and are interested in remaining in Texas. Otherwise, it’s tough to identify any reasonable candidates on the roster.
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Hey guys, is Mlb package a good deal for streaming baseball games out of market or is there a cheaper option?Comment -
Marlins shut down catcher Alfaro (knee) again
JUPITER, Fla. -- The return of inflammation to Jorge Alfaro's right knee is once again prompting the Miami Marlins to shut down their expected opening-day catcher for a few more days.
Alfaro re-aggravated the injury during Tuesday's game while sliding into second base.
"The biggest thing is just get rid of this inflammation so we can move forward," Miami manager Don Mattingly said.
Obtained from Philadelphia as part of the trade that sent J.T. Realmuto to the Phillies, Alfaro originally injured the knee while chasing a foul popup in the Marlins' Grapefruit League opener, banging it against a metal pole that supports the dugout railing.
Mattingly doesn't expect the issue to last more than a couple of days.Comment -
Boras shot down another theory about why Harper chose not to come to San Francisco, saying he wasn't concerned about the ballpark's pitcher-friendly dimensions. The agency ran a study that showed Harper would hit more home runs at Oracle Park than he did at Nationals Park because his swing strengths are to left-center field. (It should be noted that Citizens Bank Park is a much easier place to hit than Oracle or Nationals Park).Comment -
The orioles are looking promising thusfar i'd love to see them make a fuking run this year.Comment -
The Nationals and Braves “are not ’in’ on” free agent closer Craig Kimbrel, according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic (via Twitter). Whether that’s a truly definitive statement on those two clubs’ engagement with Kimbrel isn’t clear; each has been linked (his former team in Atlanta, especially) over the course of the winter and would surely be interested at the right price. The arms race in the NL East has continued all offseason long and has not really halted with the start of Spring Training. Financial considerations make several teams in the division conceivable suitors for Kimbrel, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams examined in depth.
More from the NL East:
- Outfielder Michael Conforto says he’s interested in exploring a potential extension with the Mets, per SNY.tv’s Andy Martino, though there’s no indication that talks will occur this spring. Conforto is still under control for three seasons, the first of which will come at a $4.025MM salary. While both he and GM Brodie Van Wagenen say they’re interested in a long-term relationship, Conforto also acknowledges that he doesn’t believe “the time’s here yet” for contract talks. Conforto, who recently celebrated his 26th birthday, says his focus is on the ballfield. He’ll be looking to build off of a strong run through his first four seasons in the majors, over which he carries a .251/.349/.476 slash with 76 home runs.
- Pitching health remains a major storyline in Braves camp; MLB.com’s Mark Bowman covered some updates today (Twitter link). It is beginning to seem questionable whether Mike Foltynewicz will be ready for the start of the season given that he hasn’t yet returned to the mound while resting his elbow. He’s said to be playing catch and feeling good, but evidently hasn’t been cleared to ramp things back up. Meanwhile, relievers Darren O’Day and A.J. Minter are each dealing with some issues — forearm for the former and shoulder for the latter. The expectation is that these minor maladies won’t prevent the two bullpen pieces from being ready for the start of the season — which the team will certainly hope to be the case, with Minter in particular representing a key member of the pen. Otherwise, the Braves have made some initial decisions on which of their young hurlers will continue to compete for active roster spots. As David O’Brien of The Athletic tweets, the Atlanta organization has sent a host of hurlers back to minors camp, including many of the team’s most exciting prospects. Among them, only Luiz Gohara has prior MLB experience. He has been slowed in camp by shoulder issues.
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Mariners say 3B Seager fine after injury scare
PEORIA, Ariz. -- Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager is not expected to miss any additional time after rolling over his glove hand diving for a ground ball during a spring training game.
Seager was pulled one batter after jamming his glove into the dirt and bending his wrist awkwardly on a hard grounder by Javier Baez of the Chicago Cubs in the fourth inning Friday night. Seager took off the mitt and favored his wrist and hand while Baez ran out his double.
The Mariners say Seager was pulled as a precaution and did not receive medical treatment.Comment -
King Felix won't start Opening Day for Mariners
PEORIA, Arizona -- For the first time since 2008, the Seattle Mariners will have a new pitcher on the mound on Opening Day. On Friday afternoon, manager Scott Servais told Felix Hernandez that he would not be the team's 2019 Opening Day starter.
Hernandez, who is in the final season of a seven-year, $175 million contract, has 11 Opening Days starts in his 14-year major league career, including 10 in a row. Last year, the Venezuelan-born right-hander became the seventh pitcher in major league history to make 10 straight Opening Day starts.
"I am disappointed, but I understand [the decision]," Hernandez told ESPN. "I did not have a good year last year, so I understand that part. But only that part. It hurts me because of all the years that I've been here, but that's the way baseball is. This is a business."
A visibly upset Hernandez told ESPN that Servais informed him that he was slated to start one of the Mariners' exhibition games in Japan and an exhibition game in Seattle, and that his first official start this season would be on April 1 against the Los Angeles Angels.
The Mariners will open the 2019 season in Tokyo, Japan, with a two-game set vs. the Oakland Athletics on March 20 and 21 at the Tokyo Dome. They will also play Tokyo's Yomiuri Giants in two exhibition games on March 17 and March 18.
Hernandez's 11 career Opening Day starts are ranked 10th-most in MLB history, tied with Fergie Jenkins, Dennis Martinez and CC Sabathia. Hall of Famer Tom Seaver is the all-time record holder with 16 Opening Day starts.
Hernandez earned the moniker of "King Felix" about a year after he debuted with the Mariners, a title he secured when he came in second in AL Cy Young voting after posting a 2.49 earned run average in his 19-win season in 2009. A year later, Hernandez was voted the AL Cy Young winner after finishing with a 15-12 record and a major-league-leading 2.27 ERA.
Last season was the worst of Hernandez's career, posting a career-worst 5.55 ERA with an 8-14 record over 28 starts.Comment -
posting a career-worst 5.55 ERA with an 8-14 record over 28 starts.
Felix is washed, no way hes an ace on that staffComment -
Ex-MLB pitcher Esteban Loaiza gets 3 year prison sentence for cocaine possession with intent to distribute. He's going to be deported after he serves his time. http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/2...ntence-cocaineComment -
- Renowned for his offensive ability, Mets first base prospect Pete Alonso has lived up to the billing this spring with a .423/.464/.885 line and three home runs over 26 exhibition at-bats. But it’s the 24-year-old’s defense which has truly raised manager Mickey Callaway’s eyebrows, per Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News. “I kind of knew the offense was going to be somewhat special. So for me, the defense and how locked in to a game he is every day (is surprising),” said Callaway, who added, “All the little things that it takes to be a quality major-league player, he’s doing them on defense.” A consensus top 100 prospect, Alonso is competing with Dominic Smith, who was a touted farmhand not long ago, for the Mets’ starting job at first. Smith has also raked this spring (.435/.500/.609 in 23 ABs), and it could help his cause that New York would gain an extra year of control over Alonso by sending him back to the minors until mid-April. The Mets, however, have insisted service time won’t play a role in whether Alonso lands an Opening Day roster spot.
- After enjoying a stunningly effective rookie year in 2018, Giants right-hander Dereck Rodriguez has earned a place in the team’s season-opening rotation, manager Bruce Bochy said Saturday (via John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle). Bochy noted that he hasn’t set the entire quintet in stone yet, but as Shea points out, Madison Bumgarner, Jeff Samardzija, Derek Holland and Drew Pomeranz look like locks to accompany Rodriguez in the starting five. Rodriguez was arguably the best member of the group last season, when he turned in a 2.81 ERA/3.74 FIP with 6.77 K/9 and 2.74 BB/9 in 118 1/3 innings (21 appearances, 19 starts).
- Left-hander Vidal Nuno’s minor league contract with the Nationals includes opt-out chances on March 27 and June 15, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports. Thanks in part to the Nationals’ release of fellow lefty Sammy Solis on Saturday, Nuno’s chances of cracking their 25-man roster by one of those dates have seemingly improved, Dougherty observes. Further, the 31-year-old Nuno has gained an important fan in manager Dave Martinez, who said Saturday: “From what I’ve seen, he’s got a multitude of pitches that he can get people out with. I mean lefties, righties, he’s not afraid of pitching in. I like him. His presence on the mound is good. He attacks the strike zone. I really like what I see so far.”
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