Athletics Rumors: Chapman, Duchscherer, Beltre

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle brings us the latest A's buzz…

• The A's are "in the thick of the bidding" for Aroldis Chapman.  We saw a tweet yesterday from MLB.com's Joe Frisaro that the Marlins are also "firmly in the Chapman sweepstakes."  ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. pointed out yesterday that Chapman stands to lose millions to taxes if he signs in 2010, and it's unlikely the paperwork could be done in time even if an agreement is reached in '09.
• Slusser says Justin Duchscherer had a physical yesterday and his signing should be announced this morning.  His contract calls for a $2MM base with another $3.5MM in incentives.
• The Athletics' talks for Adrian Beltre "have not progressed much beyond the initial stages," writes Slusser.  ESPN's Buster Olney wrote on Saturday that the A's are "taking a serious look" at Beltre.  We read details on Boston's interest from ESPN's Gordon Edes yesterday.