A.J. Burnett Rumors: Wednesday
11:53pm: Not seeing the $91MM rumor on Rosenthal’s blog anymore. Mark Feinsand wrote earlier today it was $80MM. Feinsand even said the Yankees and Burnett were "working into the night on closing a deal." A Mark Bowman source put the Yanks’ offer at $85MM.
10:12pm: Ken Rosenthal says the Yanks are offering $91MM over five years. He also learned that the Yanks will not sign both Burnett and Lowe – just one of them and then possibly other free agent pitchers. Similar to Crasnick’s note below.
9:57pm: Tony Massarotti indicates the Red Sox are out and Burnett will choose between the Yankees and Braves. Jerry Crasnick says that if the Yankees sign Burnett, a third free agent rotation addition would likely be a short-term guy like Ben Sheets as opposed to Derek Lowe.
6:54pm: Jon Heyman believes the Yankees’ five-year offer to Burnett is for $80MM.
6:09pm: Crasnick’s report about the Yanks’ five-year offer to Burnett is online now. Crasnick’s source says a deal could be in place as soon as tomorrow. He says the dollar figure is not known but Burnett’s agent is believed to be seeking a deal approaching Zambrano’s five years, $91.5MM.
6:06pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reports on TV that the Yankees have offered Burnett a five-year deal.
4:53pm: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman has a Major League source who does not believe the Braves offered Burnett five years.
4:06pm: ESPN’s Keith Law believes bidding on Burnett will exceed the value of Carlos Zambrano‘s contract, which is for $91.5MM over five years.
12:54pm: Rosenthal and Gerry Fraley report that the Braves made an offer to Burnett late Tuesday for $80MM over five years. That guaranteed fifth year could be big.
11:14am: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Braves are pushing hard for A.J. Burnett and talks with him progressed through the night. The Yankees remain involved, however.
Derek Lowe Rumors: Wednesday
10:08pm: A note from Dave O’Brien:
Just so you know, one of Boras’ guys also claims the Braves have expressed at least some interest in Lowe.
5:18pm: Jayson Stark has a source saying the Phillies aren’t pursuing Lowe, and didn’t make an offer.
4:27pm: Gordon Edes agrees, Lowe is not on the verge of signing. He does have offers in hand from the Yanks and Phillies, with the Mets and Red Sox in talks. The Brewers made contact but are considered a long shot. Edes says Lowe’s desire to return to Boston has been overstated. Edes says the two offers are in the four-year, $65MM range, and a fifth year could clinch it.
3:14pm: Rosenthal says the Yankees’ talks with Lowe are progressing, but reports that they’re close are overblown. He adds that the Yanks are also in active discussions with A.J. Burnett, and, surprisingly, Andy Pettitte. Kevin Baxter believes it’s the Yanks or retirement for Pettitte.
8:56am: According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, the Yankees were discussing a four-year, $66MM deal with Derek Lowe late Tuesday night. Via MetsBlog, Heyman said on WFAN this morning that the Yanks are closing in.
John Smoltz Rumors
9:30pm: Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski confirmed interest in Smoltz.
6:56pm: MLB.com’s Jason Beck says at least seven teams have shown some level of interest in Smoltz.
4:04pm: Rosenthal says "the Braves are prepared to lose Smoltz if another team offers him a significant guarantee on a one-year deal."
2:53pm: Jerry Crasnick indicates Tom Glavine doesn’t have the same open-mindedness to other teams as Smoltz. For Glavine it’s probably the Braves or retirement. Glavine’s ahead of schedule in his rehab.
2:10pm: Nick Cafardo says Smoltz still prefers Atlanta but is also considering the Red Sox, Mets, and Tigers. The Tigers’ interest appears to be mutual, according to Jon Paul Morosi.
1:54pm: Sean McAdam says the Red Sox have had discussions with Smoltz’s agent. They’ve checked in on tons of free agents though, perhaps as a ruse.
WEDNESDAY, 11:43am: ESPN’s Peter Gammons says the Red Sox are one of the teams that received Smoltz’s medical info.
TUESDAY: Rosenthal says Smoltz’s agents are passing out medical info to teams. Rosenthal spoke to one GM who believed Smoltz might be willing to leave the Braves.
MONDAY: Since the Braves have yet to offer a contract to rehabbing pitcher John Smoltz, Ken Rosenthal wonders if other teams will jump in with bids. But rest easy, Braves fans. Everyone still expects Smoltz to re-sign with Atlanta.
Pirates Rumors: McLouth, Maholm, Doumit
WEDNESDAY, 6:22pm: Kovacevic says Doumit’s agent will meet with the Pirates later tonight to discuss their offer. Rob Biertempfel says the Pirates did make offers to all three and want to finalize deals within six to eight weeks.
TUESDAY, 11:28pm: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette offers up the latest information on the Pirates.
- The Pirates have initiated extension talks with Nate McLouth, Ryan Doumit, and Paul Maholm. The Braves inquired on McLouth and Maholm, but the Pirates’ demands were "way high" according to an Atlanta official. Kovacevic mentions Jordan Schafer as someone who could be offered.
- The Pirates had conversations with David Eckstein‘s agent, but not negotiations. The Bucs would probably have to trade a middle infielder for it to make sense. They never made a formal offer to Mark Loretta, who signed with the Dodgers today.
- The Jack Wilson market is tepid – the Twins have mild interest, the Dodgers have moved on to Rafael Furcal.
- While the Pirates have gotten inquiries on John Grabow, teams apparently want to look at free agent options first.
- John Perrotto says Jason Davis will refuse the Pirates’ Triple A assignment and head to Japan.
White Sox, Reds Still Talking Dye
1:21pm: Danny Knobler believes the White Sox want to see whether they can move Dye for pitching before entering the free agent market.
WEDNESDAY, 12:23pm: Ken Rosenthal says the Dye-Reds discussions continue at a moderate level, but for now the Sox expect Dye to be their Opening Day right fielder. A deal was close at one point, but Dye’s salary became an issue for the Reds. Rosenthal specualates that the Reds could now just try to get a bargain on Bobby Abreu or Pat Burrell.
TUESDAY, 10:37pm: MLB.com’s Scott Merkin says the White Sox have not talked to the Braves since the Javier Vazquez deal. It’s been a quiet Winter Meetings for the Sox so far.
12:17pm: MetsBlog passes along a WFAN report from Sweeny Murti that the Braves are in serious discussions for Dye.
11:11am: From SI.com’s Jon Heyman:
A person familiar with the White Sox’s thinking said late Monday night, "The Jermaine Dye trades are dead … for tonight, anyway.”
Heyman says the Rays, Braves, and Reds were among ten teams to to express interest. He adds that Homer Bailey alone would not have been enough.
Jake Peavy Rumors: Tuesday
11:07pm: Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune has Phillies sources saying the deal is in place if the Cubs will pull the trigger with the Padres. Sullivan also talked to chairman Crane Kenney, who implied the Cubs included Peavy’s contract within projected budgets to bidders.
Sullivan adds that the Cubs have not had talks for Bobby Abreu yet.
9:17pm: Stark says there’s no way such a complicated trade will get done before the end of the Meetings. He adds that extra teams are not necessarily requirements. The Cubs will need to move a contract and get ownership approval, though.
8:39pm: Ruben Amaro Jr. came close to acknowledging the Phils are involved in the Peavy deal, says Jayson Stark.
8:31pm: Jeff Passan: the lone holdup in this complicated trade is the Cubs moving Marquis. A deal is not imminent, though, according to Towers.
7:26pm: Brock talked to Towers, who met today with Hendry and said a trade seems more likely today than it did yesterday. They’ll meet again tonight. If a deal is reached, it’d be announced after Thursday’s Rule 5 draft. Brock says the Phillies are believed to be the third team.
3:31pm: MLB.com’s Corey Brock says nothing is imminent and the Cubs appear reluctant.
2:25pm: The saga continues…Kevin Towers does not think this deal lost steam in the last 24 hours, according to Yahoo’s Tim Brown and Gordon Edes. However, they say the Cubs are having second thoughts about this four-team mess. The Cubs source says the price is too steep for them right now and they’re looking at another short-term option for the rotation (Randy Johnson maybe).
2:02pm: Tom Krasovic says the Padres are not seeking J.A. Happ or Chris Coste as has been previously rumored. Also, Ronny Cedeno is not the Padres’ first choice to replace Khalil Greene at short. Krasovic adds that the Braves apparently are now happy the Padres didn’t take their offer for Peavy.
Kras adds that the Padres did some fact-finding with Mark Grudzielanek‘s agent. Grudz wants to play for a winner though.
1:10pm: Roman Modrowski of the Chicago Sun-Times says Peavy sang "Go Cubs, Go" at a Vegas bar last night. Good times. But did Roy Oswalt sing along? Also, Modrowski believes the Cubs would be willing to eat as much as $6MM of Marquis’ $9.875MM.
Jayson Stark says an Aaron Heilman-Marquis deal appears unlikely, as the sides cannot agree on what portion of Marquis’ contract the Cubs would assume.
12:08pm: Rosenthal says the Cubs maintain they’re not close on Peavy. And they still need to identify their new owner before a deal can get done. The Cubs are mulling Randy Johnson as a backup plan, and continue to prioritize the lefthanded bat.
10:36am: Phil Rogers says the key to this potential four-team Peavy trade would be the Phillies or Orioles taking on Marquis and some of his contract. Rogers says "it will be a stunner if the Cubs don’t acquire Peavy."
1:00am: Chris De Luca says a source close to Jim Hendry characterized a Peavy deal as "very close." De Luca’s sources say a Cubs-Orioles component is set (Felix Pie for Garrett Olson). This runs counter to Roch Kubatko’s report below. De Luca says the Cubs still want to trade Marquis and acquire a lefthanded hitter before closing the Peavy deal.
12:41am: Ken Rosenthal’s source says the Cubs’ attempts to bring in a third team have involved "probably 20 names with four to five clubs." So it’s not necessarily DeRosa or the Phillies. Rosenthal says an agreement is still not close.
12:30am: To summarize yesterday: Kevin Towers has facilitated an apparent three-team Jake Peavy trade that he will present to the Cubs. I say three because Roch Kubatko says the Orioles don’t know of any agreement. So the best guess right now (based on reports) is that the Cubs would send Mark DeRosa to the Phillies, and both teams would send young players to the Padres. The Cubs could offload Jason Marquis in the deal, and the savings from Marquis and DeRosa would seem to neatly equal Peavy’s $11MM salary for ’09.
A.J. Burnett Rumors: Tuesday
10:57pm: Heyman says the Yankees’ topped the Braves offer for Burnett by a few million dollars. He says the Yanks apparently will attempt to sign all three top free agent starters – C.C. Sabathia, Derek Lowe, and Burnett.
8:34pm: J.P. Ricciardi says the Blue Jays won’t offer Burnett a five year deal or four years with an option. Braunecker still won’t admit the Jays are out of it.
5:18pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Yankees are considering making a five-year offer to Burnett. Dan Graziano believes Burnett has the personality to thrive in New York.
3:21pm: Ken Rosenthal says it’s not out of the question that Burnett’s price could rise to five years, $100MM if the Yanks miss out on Sabathia.
3:06pm: ESPN’s Keith Law says Burnett is unlikely to sign this week, barring a major change.
2:14pm: Rosenthal says the Braves will meet with Braunecker again today.
2:07pm: Some talk from Braunecker via Amalie Benjamin:
Braunecker also said that about a half dozen clubs have "significant mutual interest" in Burnett, including one team that entered the fray in the last 72 hours and one that has essentially been eliminated from the mix.
1:23pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick says the Yanks’ meeting with Burnett took place Monday night, and they’ll talk again today. The Yankees are prepared to top Atlanta’s offer and wouldn’t mind signing both Burnett and C.C. Sabathia.
1:00pm: Joe McDonald of The Providence Journal says the Red Sox had "significant dialogue" with Burnett and he appears to be Boston’s main free agent pitching target.
12:26pm: Joel Sherman says the "Blue Jays have now acknowledged there is almost no way Burnett is returning," which J.P. Ricciardi pretty much said publicly a few days ago. Sherman notes that they hope to sign Carl Pavano to a minor league deal. He says the Jays are targeting an $83MM payroll, something I originally missed but Drunk Jays Fans didn’t.
11:15am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says Brian Cashman hopes to meet with A.J. Burnett‘s agent Darek Braunecker today. The Yankees are expected to top Atlanta’s four-year, $60MM plus a vesting option bid. The Braves seem willing to counter, though.
D’Backs Rumors: Webb, Lopez, Jackson
10:25pm: The D’Backs met with Brandon Webb‘s agent for more than an hour last night. They discussed Webb’s desire to stay in Arizona but there is no extension offer at this time.
Also, the D’Backs could sign pitcher Mike Bascik to a minor league deal for depth.
7:55pm: D’Backs rumors for Tuesday…
- According to Nick Piecoro, the D’Backs met with Scott Boras on Monday to discuss Felipe Lopez. The D’Backs did not make an offer at that meeting. Lopez wants a multiyear deal, and figures to be out of their price range.
- Piecoro heard a Conor Jackson for Kelly Johnson trade was discussed, but it doesn’t have momentum.
- Joe Beimel does not seem to be a priority for Arizona.
- At least one team is looking at Brandon Lyon as a starter.
Reds Rumors: Rhodes, Reyes, Francoeur
10:18pm: Mike Berardino says the D’Backs are one of the other two Rhodes finalists.
TUESDAY, 4:37pm: Rhodes’ agent says he should make a decision within 24-48 hours. It’s down to the Reds plus two unknown teams.
MONDAY, 10:52pm: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says the Reds "may have some interest in Jeff Francoeur." However, the Braves don’t want to move him.
8:35pm: A few Reds rumors this evening…
- The Reds met with the agents for Jerry Hairston Jr. and David Weathers and will meet again tonight. Weathers is already a Red for ’09 after accepting arb, but his salary has yet to be determined.
- The Reds still have an offer to Arthur Rhodes on the table.
- Also on the lefty reliever front, the Reds have had talks with Dennys Reyes‘ agent.
Marlins Rumors: Cantu, Uggla, Pudge
10:17pm: Berardino says the Giants appear to be out of the running for Cantu due to defensive concerns. That sentiment has been coming from the Giants writers as well lately.
12:36pm: MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro says the Marlins "don’t have immediate interest" in Ivan Rodriguez.
10:49am: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Marlins don’t expect to trade Dan Uggla or Jorge Cantu at the Meetings, "but they remain open to all ideas." Cantu has been linked to the Giants and White Sox in recent days.
Rosenthal names the Braves, Reds, and Rays as teams interested in Jeremy Hermida, though nothing is close. Nick Cafardo also suggested the Giants. The Cubs apparently haven’t discussed Hermida in a while.