ORLANDO – The Red Sox were scheduled to meet last night with Scott Boras, with Alex Rodriguez among the topics.
However, Boston GM Theo Epstein continued to say retaining Mike Lowell is the organization’s priority at third base.
“I feel like we are making progress [in negotiations],” he said.
It is possible Boston could ask Rodriguez to play short, though friends of Rodriguez have said he has no desire to return to his old position, and there is doubt he still has the agility to play short.
In addition, the Red Sox have indicated they would not go beyond seven years and would stay beneath $200 million in a total package, which would seem to severely minimize their chances.
The Yankees are looking for replacements for Rodriguez. The Cubs, Tigers and Marlins have strongly stated they are not pursuing A-Rod. The Dodgers seem more interested in pursuing Miguel Cabrera in a trade. And, at least from the outside, the Mets and Giants have not exhibited much passion for this hunt.
Essentially there is one team showing major interest publicly in Rodriguez, and that is the team assumed from the outset to be the front-runner: the Angels.
New Angels GM Tony Reagins is the only executive at the GM meetings openly acknowledging a strong need for and desire in Rodriguez.
“Adding offense is a priority for us,” Reagins said. It has been thought all along that Rodriguez would be ideal to fill the Angels’ No. 1 need – a cleanup hitter to bat behind Vladimir Guerrero. Reagins also acknowledged the benefits Rodriguez could potentially bring in areas such as TV ratings and attendance, items Boras is stressing in negotiations.
During the season, Angels owner Arte Moreno indicated he would not want to pay a newcomer significantly more than Guerrero’s $14 million average, especially since Guerrero can be a free agent after the 2009 season. However, Reagins described Guerrero as having “no ego” and not caring what his teammates earn as long as the team had a chance at a championship.
“We are not going to limit ourselves,” Reagins said about whether the club would want to keep any one player from earning a substantial portion of the entire payroll. “We are going to make a decision that makes baseball sense and economic sense.”
Yankees GM Brian Cashman did not seem in a hurry to find a replacement for Rodriguez. He sees the GM meetings as a fact-finding mission.
“I am not looking to overpay,” Cashman said. “The only way to move fast is to overpay.”
He said he anticipates finding a solution on the trade market, especially since, “I believe [Lowell] is going to stay in Boston.” Cashman reiterated he would consider Robinson Cano at third, but strongly prefers to keep him at second.
The Yanks are interested in Florida’s Miguel Cabrera, but Hank Steinbrenner reiterated last night by phone that the organization has no intentions of dealing top hurlers Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. And there seems no way to deal for Cabrera without at least one of those pitchers being included in the package.
“The baseball people have a right to talk me out of it, but that is how I feel and I think that is how Brian feels,” Steinbrenner said. “It would be crazy at this point to dismantle the plan [to build around young pitching]. … Nobody is untouchable except for [Sandy] Koufax, but they are by the least touchable.”
One third baseman to keep an eye on is St. Louis Scott Rolen. He has a full no-trade clause, $36 million left over three years and three shoulder surgeries in the past three years. But he also has a lousy relationship with Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, and a parting of the ways may be necessary.
“There are issues between Scott and Tony that need to be resolved internally,” Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said. “But Scott is an integral part of our organization. We cannot just give him away because dissension may exist. At the end of the day, we will do what is right for the St. Louis Cardinals.”
A team to watch is Oakland. A’s GM Billy Beane described himself as weighing whether to go for it next year or rebuild.
“We will do one or the other, because the middle ground makes no sense,” he said.
He said a decision would be made by the Winter Meetings, and if the choice is to sell parts, then third baseman Eric Chavez, starters Dan Haren and Joe Blanton, and closer Huston Street would get a lot of play.