A’s Rumors: Jenkins, Haren, Swisher
Susan Slusser and Rick Hurd check in with the latest on Billy Beane and the A’s.
- Hurd indicates that the A’s might have some interest in free agent Geoff Jenkins. It’s a sign that the A’s might be playing for 2008, after all. Slusser wonders whether Barry Bonds rumors are next to surface, if that’s the case.
- The D’Backs put together a five-player offer for Dan Haren, including Carlos Gonzalez and Brett Anderson. Slusser says there’s a "slim chance" of a deal. Likewise the Dodgers are not close to anything on Joe Blanton.
- While the Cubs have liked Nick Swisher for some time, they’ve never impressed the A’s with an offer.
- Beane had some talks yesterday with Huston Street‘s agent about a long-term pact.
- The best quotes of the day yesterday came from Beane in reference to our debacle of a three-way trade rumor. Beane labeled it the "all-time most ridiculous" trade rumor and "laughable." It sounds like it almost knocked Beane off his exercise bike.
Hiroki Kuroda Rumors: Wednesday
UPDATE, 12-6-07 at 1:08am: Geoff Baker reads between the lines, and thinks the Mariners may have added that fourth year to their offer for Kuroda.
UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 5:59pm: Per Scott Lauber, the Phils are out on Kuroda.
UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 10:46am: Todd Zolecki says Kuroda will visit the D’Backs, Mariners, and Dodgers next week, so it’s fair to assume those are three of the four finalists.
FROM 12-5-07 at 9:41am:
Yesterday morning it was reported that the Mets had reached "Round 2" of the bidding for free agent Hiroki Kuroda. At that time 8-10 teams were in on him.
Now, the Kuroda derby is down to four finalists and the Mets aren’t one of them. David Lennon agrees, saying the Mets were "drifting to the back of the pack" for Kuroda.
My guess on the four finalists: Mariners, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, and Royals.
Brewers Inquire On Valverde
UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 2:22pm: I was just speculating below, but it turns out the Brewers actually did talk to the D’Backs about Valverde. However the teams don’t seem to match up.
FROM 12-4-07 at 10:52pm:
According to ESPN’s Enrique Rojas, the Diamondbacks are listening to offers for closer Jose Valverde. They feel they’ve got the bullpen depth to cover his loss. This trade possibility is nothing new to MLBTR readers, as it was first mentioned on November 6th. Valverde figures to get a $3MM raise for ’08, to about $5MM.
No mention of possible suitors, but maybe the Brewers and Astros would be interested?
Dan Haren Rumors: Wednesday
UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 11:20am: Joel Sherman says Stephen Drew, Mark Reynolds, and Tony Pena are also off the table in the Haren talks.
UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 8:09am: Susan Slusser adds that the A’s aren’t being unreasonable with Arizona – they haven’t asked for Justin Upton or Chris Young. Slusser also notes that Billy Beane wouldn’t sit down with the Tigers unless they’d discuss Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin. That’s when the Tigers turned to the Marlins. Beane downplayed the chances of trading Haren, but what else is he going to say?
FROM 12-5-07 at 12:09am:
Technically it’s Wednesday now, and some of the more rumor-filled threads were getting really long. So I’m happy to start a set of new ones. You can check out Tuesday’s Dan Haren thread here.
According to Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune, the D’Backs are willing to discuss a package of Carlos Gonzalez, Emilio Bonifacio, and Brett Anderson for Haren. That the D’Backs could spare these three very talented youngsters without skipping a beat speaks to how deep their farm system is. Magruder’s source says the A’s could ask for a staggering six players.
Jose Valverde, Dustin Nippert, and/or Alberto Callaspo could be involved to give the A’s some MLB-ready talent. From previous reports, we know that Conor Jackson and Max Scherzer will not be involved. Ken Rosenthal had suggested last night that the A’s initial request scared the D’Backs off, but he’s since corrected that information.
The A’s, however, want to wait for something to happen with Johan Santana before trading Haren.
Additionally, Magruder adds that the D’Backs have a touch of interest in Noah Lowry.
Latest Erik Bedard Rumors: Tuesday
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 11:36pm: Geoff Baker says that a Bedard trade with the Mariners would likely involve Wladimir Balentien, Adam Jones, and Brandon Morrow.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 11:06pm: The Dodgers met with the Orioles to talk Bedard today. Ned Colletti has pretty much deemed Broxton untouchable, and no deal is close.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 10:19pm: John Fay says the Reds are seriously pursuing Bedard. Wayne Krivsky won’t reveal much, but Fay thinks Bailey, Votto, and another prospect might interest the Orioles.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 10:16pm: The Mets again offered Heilman, Gomez, and Humber for Bedard, perhaps thinking that offering it twice would be helpful. MLB.com’s Marty Noble says the Mets may reconfigure their offer, replacing Humber with Pelfrey or Mulvey.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 4:10pm: Joel Sherman confirms the Cubs’ interest, so that’s officially 11 teams in on Bedard. Sherman says the Yankees and Mets are unlikely to snag the southpaw ace, and names the Dodgers as the frontrunner. Peter Angelos is letting Andy MacPhail run the show but doesn’t want Bedard traded within the division. Sorry Yankees and Blue Jays.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 3:10pm: Nick Cafardo notes that Cubs GM Jim Hendry and Andy MacPhail had lunch today, which leads him to believe they may have discussed Bedard. A bit of a stretch since Hendry and MacPhail used to work together. Then again the Cubs did pursue in a Mark Prior/Miguel Tejada deal a few years back. The Cubs would represent the 11th team in on Bedard.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 3:01pm: Buster Olney says the Jays continue to talk with the Orioles about Bedard, noting that the Jays have the young pitching. Bedard would certainly represent the Canadian draw they’ve been looking for.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 2:16pm: There is growing buzz that the Dodgers may get Bedard. ESPN’s Amy Nelson has a source saying a deal may be close. Matt Kemp and Jonathan Broxton would be the main pieces of a trade. Readers are reporting in that WFAN is saying the same.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 9:32am: The Mets are still hawking Gomez, trying to get Bedard. Joel Sherman adds the Tigers to the list of teams after Bedard, bringing the total to ten. He says the Tigers and Phils are getting creative trying to get Bedard. The Tigers don’t need to get that creative – they can offer Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller.
FROM 12-4-07 at 8:45am:
How many teams are after Erik Bedard? The tally yesterday included the Phillies, Cardinals, Yankees, Mets, Mariners, Angels, Dodgers, and D’Backs – that’s eight. The Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly check in with the latest on the Orioles’ ace.
- There’s been a ton of trade interest in Bedard (as you might expect). Andy MacPhail is still talking about signing him to an extension, but no one really buys it. The package he’ll get in trade should rival what the Twins get for Johan.
- The Dodgers, Mariners, and Mets have been pursuing Bedard the most aggressively. More meetings with the Mets should occur today. The Mariners could make an intriguing offer built around Adam Jones and Brandon Morrow.
- A new team is added to bring the tally to nine: the Reds are interested. However, Jay Bruce is off the table.
Nationals Rumors: Colon, Fukumori
MLB.com’s Bill Ladson has a handful of Nationals rumors tonight.
- As you know, Damian Miller, Johnny Estrada, and Miguel Montero have been targeted at the catcher position.
- The Nats want to sign Bartolo Colon to a one-year deal, but it appears he craves multiple years.
- As mentioned earlier, the Nats like Kazuo Fukumori. What we didn’t mention earlier was the idea that Fukumori could start. The notion seems questionable, as the 31 year-old hasn’t started a game since 2002.
- The Nationals have no interest in David Eckstein or Kenny Lofton, despite their desire for a leadoff hitter. They certainly don’t need an outfielder, anyway.
Dan Haren Will Be Pricey
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 11:09pm: Hank Steinbrenner weighed in on the Haren-Yankees talks, calling Billy Beane’s request "ridiculous." The Yankees are out on Haren.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 2:00pm: Nick Piecoro’s source says Conor Jackson is not a part of the Haren talks, actually.
UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 12:13pm: The Boston Herald’s Rob Bradford says the A’s and D’Backs have had "constructive talks" about Haren for Carlos Gonzalez, Conor Jackson, and two others.
FROM 12-4-07 at 10:58am:
OK, you already knew that. But Joel Sherman has details.
- Billy Beane sees Dan Haren as equal in value to Johan Santana, all things considered. Over the next three years, that could be true – plus Haren is much more reasonable in terms of salary.
- Beane’s focus is young pitching.
- Beane doesn’t want Melky Cabrera from the Yankees. He wants a package starting with Phil Hughes and one of Ian Kennedy or Alan Horne.
- Sherman says the Mets don’t have the blue-chippers in Mike Pelfrey, Phil Humber, and Kevin Mulvey.
- The Dodgers and D’Backs match up better for Haren than the Yankees and Mets, though Arizona doesn’t really have the young pitching.
- Joe Blanton won’t be cheap either; Beane equates him with Brad Penny.
- Athletics Nation believes Blanton is much more likely to be traded than Haren this winter.
Odds and Ends: Peavy, Ellsbury, Montero, Fukumori
More random rumors to devour…
- The Braves are looking at adding Damian Miller as their backup catcher. The Nats are known to have interest and more playing time for Miller. The Padres are considering him as well; Miller will definitely play in ’08.
- Jake Peavy will get a three-year, $52MM extension with a $22MM option for 2013. Who knows how the Padres will feel about that option when they get there. Peavy will earn $15MM in 2010, $16MM in ’11, and $17MM in ’12. The ’13 option has a $4MM buyout attached.
- Jacoby Ellsbury signed on with the Scott Boras Corporation. I made an error earlier saying Jon Lester had as well.
- Pirates inked utility man Chris Gomez for a million bucks.
- The Nationals have their eye on Arizona’s Miguel Montero. They’re also one of the ten teams in on Kazuo Fukumori. Barry Svrluga tosses a new Japanese reliever into the mix: Katsuhiko Maekawa. Don’t know a thing about him yet.
- Larry LaRue tries to explain why the Mariners didn’t offer arbitration to Jose Guillen.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Rolen, Haren, Prior, Hawkins
Ken Rosenthal has some new rumors for us.
- The Dodgers lead the chase for Scott Rolen, with the Angels also in the mix. The Giants’ Brian Sabean denied interest.
- The D’Backs view the Athletics’ requests for Dan Haren to be quite excessive.
- Talks between the Padres and Cubs for Mark Prior have cooled.
- The Rangers offered LaTroy Hawkins a one-year deal with a club option. As you know, he wants two years.
D’Backs Rumors: Haren, Kuroda, Carlos Gonzalez
MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert has some trade rumors to digest this evening concerning the D’Backs.
- Arizona had discussions with the A’s about Dan Haren today. Many names were thrown about. Conor Jackson was not involved. The A’s asked about Max Scherzer and were told he’s not available. We learned earlier that Carlos Gonzalez‘s name came up.
- By the way, the D’Backs aren’t interested in Joe Blanton.
- Arizona is still around 3/30 on Hiroki Kuroda.
- The Rangers inquired about Carlos Gonzalez but wouldn’t consider parting with Eric Hurley for him.
- The Nats are indeed interested in Miguel Montero, as reported previously.