4:39pm: Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News shoots down all Dodgers rumors – no offer in the near future for Sabathia, no talks for Halladay, and no interest in Raul Ibanez.
I think Graziano’s Halladay musings have been distorted a bit – he basically said the Blue Jays might explore the trade market at some point.
3:31pm: Graziano adds in a new post that the Giants plan to make a six-year offer in excess of $100MM but under $140MM. Tom Haudricourt had info about a Giants bid several hours earlier as well.
Haudricourt adds that the Angels will make a bid, but reports about the Dodgers may be inaccurate.
12:26pm: Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger explains why C.C. Sabathia is taking his time while mulling over the Yankees’ six-year, $140MM offer. Graziano believes Sabathia and his agents are waiting to see what the Dodgers propose.
Graziano speaks of "rumblings today that the Dodgers either have offered or are about to offer Sabathia a six-year contract worth between $110 and $120 million." He believes this could compel the Yankees to increase their offer, just to ensure a ridiculous ($30MM+) gap between the two proposals.
Graziano has a source who continues to insist the Blue Jays will explore the market for ace Roy Halladay, who has two years and $30MM left on his deal. In that case, he believes the Dodgers are the most likely match. If the Dodgers acquire Halladay, they would focus on Manny Ramirez rather than Sabathia.
