OAKLAND, Calif. – Bobby Valentine has found his new man for the back end of the Boston bullpen.

The Oakland Athletics traded all-star closer Andrew Bailey and outfielder Ryan Sweeney to the Red Sox on Wednesday for outfielder Josh Reddick and infield prospect Miles Head and minor league pitcher Raul Alcantara.

In the deal, first reported by ESPN, Bailey gives the Red Sox a reliable ninth-inning guy to replace the departed Jonathan Papelbon, who signed a US$50 million, four-year contract as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies in November.

Bailey — the 2009 AL Rookie of the Year who made the all-star team that season and again in 2010 — has been the subject of trade talk this off-season.

The right-handed Bailey, 27, went 0-4 with a 3.24 ERA and 24 saves in 41 2-3 innings and 42 appearances this year. He spent time on the disabled list for the second straight season, pitching for the first time in 2011 on May 29 after being sidelined with a strained right forearm.

Bailey becomes the fourth key pitcher traded this month for the rebuilding A’s, who dealt starter Trevor Cahill and reliever Craig Breslow to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Dec. 9 and then sent left-handed starter Gio Gonzalez to Washington last Thursday.

Reddick, who began last season at triple-A Pawtucket before being promoted in late May, will look to fill a big void in Oakland’s open outfield.

The 24-year-old Reddick batted .280 with seven homers and 28 RBIs in 87 games for Boston in 2011. He can play any outfield spot and likely will get immediate action for the A’s, who already lost outfielders David DeJesus and Josh Willingham in free agency. Center fielder Coco Crisp isn’t expected to return either.

Oakland general manager Billy Beane is retooling his roster for the future in hopes of the franchise getting the go ahead to build a new ballpark in San Jose despite the San Francisco Giants owning the territorial rights to technology-rich Santa Clara County. Beane and owner Lew Wolff have said they expect to hear soon from Commissioner Bud Selig, and Beane said the unsettled stadium situation would affect him being able to sign his own free agents this winter.

The A’s (74-88) haven’t posted a winning record or earned a playoff berth since being swept in the 2006 AL championship series by Detroit.

At last summer’s trade deadline, the A’s and Red Sox were near completion on a deal that would have sent Oakland right-hander Rich Harden of Victoria to Boston for triple-A first baseman Lars Anderson, but it fell through late because of Harden’s lengthy list of injury issues.

Former Red Sox pitching coach Curt Young returned to the A’s this off-season to work under manager Bob Melvin.

Head, a first baseman, batted .299 with 22 home runs and 82 RBIs in 129 games with the Red Sox two single-A affiliates, at Greenville and Salem.

The right-handed Alcantara, 19, combined for a 1-4 record and a 2.20 ERA in 13 starts with single-A Lowell and the Red Sox affiliate in the Gulf Coast League. He struck out 50 and walked just 12 while holding opponents to a .208 batting average.

As the MLB offseason trudges along, it’s clear that some teams aren’t finished putting together their rosters, and you can add the Boston Red Sox to that list. Fellow fans here in Massachusetts know that the Red Sox still have gaps to fill, and the rumor mill is churning accordingly. Matt Garza’s name is the latest to float to the surface, but will this story stick?

Of course, there’s good reason to think that Garza would be a logical fit for the Red Sox roster. It’s no secret that GM Ben Cherington and company are looking to bolster the pitching staff, and he could very much be on the table in a potential deal with the Chicago Cubs. If Garza’s brought in, he might end up working with as good a pitching coach as Red Sox fans could hope for right now.

As the Red Sox wrap up a coaching overhaul, with Alex Ochoa and Jerry Royster brought in at first and third base respectively, the most impressive new hire not be named Valentine might be Bob McClure. McClure was recently named the new pitching coach and laid out his goals in a fairly straightforward way. McClure’s six seasons coaching with the Kansas City Royals included helping to mold Joakim Soria (who Cherington has reportedly pursued) and Zach Greinke, who won an AL Cy Young in 2009.

Garza would be a major injection of talent for McClure to work with. Provided, of course, that good old Theo Epstein is willing to give him up. Make no mistake, Garza would be costly but worth it. The 28-year-old RHP has averaged a 3.83 ERA over the course of his six seasons in the majors. He has a 109 ERA+ on average over the same time. Last season with the Cubs, he pitched 31 games and finished with a 3.32 ERA. It’s worth remembering that he was 2008′s ALCS MVP, just his third year into his major league career.

Considering the steady decimation of the pitching staff, which now seems as though it will be without once-hyped Bobby Jenks (who recently underwent back surgery), Garza is exactly what the Red Sox need. Since the Soria deal (apparently) fell through, and Theo is reportedly open to dealing Garza to the Red Sox, it should be a no-brainer.

Unfortunately, Cherington and ownership (or perhaps just ownership) seem intent on filling in the gaps with low-cost, low-key moves. We can only hope that cheap gambles pay off, but if the Red Sox pass up on Garza, it isn’t clear that they’ll find a better deal let alone a cheaper one.

Taurus Londono has lived in Massachusetts for over ten years. He is a longtime fan of the Boston Red Sox.

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BOSTON (AP) – The Boston Red Sox have hired Bob McClure as pitching coach and moved Tim Bogar to bench coach.

The Red Sox said on Friday Alex Ochoa will be first base coach on manager Bobby Valentine’s staff and Jerry Royster will be the third base coach. Bogar and Ochoa both played under Valentine with the New York Mets.

Bogar is in his fourth year with the Red Sox, spending the last two as the third base coach.

McClure recently joined the Red Sox organization as a special assignment scout and instructor. He spent the previous six seasons as the pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals.

Ochoa was the hitting coach for Boston’s Class-A affiliate in Salem of the Carolina League.

Royster was most recently the manager of the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization from 2008-10.

 

The Boston Red Sox will begin another exciting run in the Grapefruit League beginning in March. The first game in the 2012 Red Sox Spring Training schedule is on Sunday, March 4 when the team hosts the Minnesota Twins down in Florida. The schedule stretches through April 3 before the regular season opener on Thursday, April 5 against the Detroit Tigers.

2012 Boston Red Sox Spring Training Schedule

Sunday, March 4

Minnesota Twins (SS) at Boston, 1:35 p.m. ET

Monday, March 5

Boston at Minnesota, 7:05 p.m. ET

Tuesday, March 6

Baltimore Orioles at Boston, 1:35 p.m. ET

Wednesday, March 7

Boston at Toronto Blue Jays (SS), 1:05 p.m. ET

Thursday, March 8

Boston at St. Louis Cardinals, 1:05 p.m. ET

Friday, March 9

Pittsburgh Pirates at Boston, 7:05 p.m. ET

Saturday, March 10

Tampa Bay Rays at Boston, 7:05 p.m. ET

Sunday, March 11

Boston at Baltimore, 1:05 p.m. ET

Monday, March 12

Florida Marlins at Boston, 1:35 p.m. ET

Tuesday, March 13

Boston at New York Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET

Thursday, March 15

St. Louis at Boston, 2:35 p.m. ET

Friday, March 16

Minnesota (SS) at Boston, 7:05 p.m. ET

Saturday, March 17

Boston (SS) at Baltimore (SS), 1:05 p.m. ET

Baltimore (SS) at Boston (SS), 1:35 p.m. ET

Sunday, March 18

Boston at Tampa Bay, 1:05 p.m. ET

Monday, March 19

Minnesota at Boston, 1:35 p.m. ET

Tuesday, March 20

Toronto Blue Jays at Boston, 7:05 p.m. ET

Wednesday, March 21

Boston at Pittsburgh, TBD

Thursday, March 22

New York Yankees at Boston, 7:05 p.m. ET

Friday, March 23

Boston at Baltimore, 1:05 p.m. ET

Saturday, March 24

Boston (SS) at Florida, 1:05 p.m. ET

Philadelphia Phillies at Boston (SS), 1:35 p.m. ET

Sunday, March 25

Boston at Toronto, 1:05 p.m. ET

Monday, March 26

Boston at Philadelphia, 1:05 p.m. ET

Tuesday, March 27

Tampa Bay at Boston, 1:35 p.m. ET

Thursday, March 29

Toronto at Boston, 1:35 p.m. ET

Friday, March 30

Boston at Minnesota (SS), 1:05 p.m. ET

Saturday, March 31

Boston at Tampa Bay, 1:05 p.m. ET

Sunday, April 1

Minnesota at Boston, 1:35 p.m. ET

Monday, April 2

Washington Nationals at Boston, 1:35 p.m. ET

Tuesday, April 3

Boston at Washington, TBD

Source:

Red_Sox_Main_Site

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The gold standard of Red Sox pitching coaches, John Farrell, has long since left for Toronto. His successor, Curt Young, lasted only a season and left after what amounted to a scandal. So when manager Bobby Valentine was on the hook to come up with a replacement, he knew he had to get it right. He thinks he did, and he didn’t have to go far to find him.

Bob McClure had been hired a month earlier as a scout/roving instructor for the system, but whether or not he left his Kansas City pitching coach job in hopes of someday landing the same spot in Boston, that’s how it worked out. The longtime (19 years), onetime major leaguer was announced as one of three new coaching hires Friday, along with another veteran major leaguer, Jerry Royster, who’ll coach third base, and former Sox coaching assistant Alex Ochoa, who’ll man first base. The group will join newly appointed bench coach Tim Bogar, bullpen coach Gary Tuck and hitting coach Dave Magadan.

“I need someone who could communicate up and down, communicate with me what the needs of the pitchers were and able to communicate with the pitchers what their daily needs might be,” said Valentine, who apologized for the length of the search. “I was looking for someone who had experience, obviously, at the major league level, but also someone who understood both starting and relieving as a pitcher.

“Bob has … a real true grit to him. He can be very sociable and jovial, but he also can be stern when he needs to be and I think that’s a good prerequisite for this job.”

The first order of business for McClure, who worked with the likes of Joaquin Soria and Zach Greinke, will be getting on the same page – with Valentine, with his starters and with his relievers, whoever they might be. An immediate concern will be working with Daniel Bard and Alfredo Aceves, who’ll be stretched out as starters during the spring.

“From my past experience what I’ve seen is that guys actually end up better,” McClure said. “They’re able to work in spring training because they’re working multiple innings on another pitch. I think there’s a lot of benefits to doing it. You get to see how it works out as far as endurance, as far as being able to repeat your delivery. A lot of relievers are in the bullpen that have starters’ stuff because they don’t have the ability to repeat their delivery for 100, 130 pitches.”

McClure has yet to speak with any of his staff, but when he does, he expects it to be a lot meaner and leaner given how the Sox are reorganizing their training staff. “One of the other major focuses of the baseball operations department,” said Valentine, “is to put together basically a new training and strength and conditioning group that now is being finalized and I’m going to lean on them heavily to have our pitchers as well as our position players exhibit world class conditioning. I don’t think the fans, nor the owners nor the organization, should expect anything less than world-class athletes performing at a world-class level and I think you do that by being in the best physical condition possible.”

As for Valentine, he’s satisfied that his staff is in place and he can get on with the business of planning for spring training. He chose Bogar, the former third base coach, because, “he convinced me that he was ready, able and willing to do as good job as anybody out there. So I was really confident when after talking with Tim that the right thing for him and for the organization was to get him in the dugout and working at my side.”

Royster, he said, sold him because of his major league experience, as well as his managerial experience, which included three years in Korea. “He had three years of fabulous experience of being the only and the first foreign manager to manage in the professional league in Korea. They gave him a month and he lasted three years. I think that gave him the kind of a blueprint that I was looking for for someone to coach third at our ballpark. So Jerry fit the bill.”

Mike Fine may be reached at mikefine@ledger.com.

 

BOSTON (AP)—The Boston Red Sox have hired Bob McClure as pitching coach
and moved Tim Bogar to bench coach.

The Red Sox said Friday Alex Ochoa will be first base coach on manager Bobby
Valentine’s staff and Jerry Royster will be the third base coach. Bogar and
Ochoa both played under Valentine with the New York Mets.

Bogar is in his fourth year with the Red Sox, spending the last two as the
third base coach.

McClure recently joined the Red Sox organization as a special assignment
scout and instructor. He spent the previous six seasons as the pitching coach
for the Kansas City Royals.

Ochoa was the hitting coach for Boston’s Class-A affiliate in Salem of the
Carolina League.

Royster was most recently the manager of the Lotte Giants of the Korea
Baseball Organization from 2008-10.