No Trade Market For Jack Wilson
According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates might not be able to trade shortstop Jack Wilson this offseason. Even if the Dodgers miss out on Rafael Furcal, their Plan B is Orlando Cabrera. The A’s, Royals, and Blue Jays have not expressed interest in Wilson. Kovacevic says the Blue Jays are definitely not interested. You may recall that J.P. Ricciardi went out of his way to deny interest in Wilson in July of last year.
Furcal Close To Deciding Between Braves, Dodgers
11:40pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says a Braves person said Furcal had a "gentleman’s agreement" with the team. Talks continued with the Dodgers nonetheless.
7:00pm: Matthew Leach is reporting that the Royals are no longer pursuing Furcal. Leach says the Royals were unable to fit Furcal’s demands into the payroll. Dayton Moore added that if the Royals are to add a player at this point, the team "would have to subtract [someone] because of where [the Royals] are financially." We previously heard that the Royals were one of four teams Furcal was considering offers from.
4:43pm: Tim Brown explains that while some Braves people believed they had a deal with Furcal, Kinzer and Arn Tellem are still talking to the Dodgers. The Braves probably aren’t terribly amused with the agents.
3:13pm: Ned Colletti says he’s still talking to Kinzer about Furcal, while Yahoo’s Tim Brown talks about the Dodgers and A’s shifting their focus to Orlando Cabrera.
1:00pm: Furcal’s agent Paul Kinzer says there’s no agreement yet. He says that if Furcal chose right now, it’d be Atlanta. Jerry Crasnick says it’d be a three-year, $30MM deal with a fourth-year vesting option. However, Kinzer will call the Dodgers today to give them a final chance to sign Furcal. Furcal will probably accept an offer today, and it’ll be the Braves or Dodgers.
10:51am: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says the Braves have no intention of trading Johnson or Escobar – they are moving Johnson back to left field. Bowman believes Furcal will play second base.
9:42am: Crasnick now says the Braves have a preliminary agreement with Furcal. Dave O’Brien thinks the signing points to an Escobar trade.
8:35am: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick has a source saying no agreement has been reached, but the Braves are confident and interest is mutual.
7:50am: According to Ken Rosenthal, shortstop Rafael Furcal has reached an agreement with the Braves. He came up with Atlanta, of course. Furcal just needs to pass a physical. Rosenthal believes the Braves offered three years with a fourth-year vesting option, and Furcal chose that over Oakland’s guaranteed four years.
Now we’re left to wonder what happens with Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson. Dave O’Brien notes that the Braves have inquired on young starters such as Zack Greinke and Paul Maholm. Danny Knobler says the Braves will likely put Furcal at second base and Johnson in left field.
Orioles Interested In Redding, Looper, Kawakami
9:55pm: Peter Schmuck agrees – Pavano is not on Baltimore’s radar. Instead, they like Redding, Braden Looper, and Kenshin Kawakami. He says they’ve extended an offer to Kawakami. Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker learned of two new Kawakami suitors today via a Sponichi report: the Twins and Giants. Interesting to see the Twins linked; signing Kawakami could give them the depth to make a trade.
3:07pm: MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro says the Orioles’ main focus is Redding rather than Pavano.
1:36pm: According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Orioles have been talking to agent Tom O’Connell, who represents free agent starters Tim Redding and Carl Pavano. Crasnick notes that the Padres have no interest in either pitcher. The Orioles are looking into tons of mid-rotation types.
Redding has drawn interest from the Mets and Rockies since being non-tendered Friday. Pavano has been linked to the Blue Jays, Marlins, and Red Sox.
Derek Lowe Rumors: Tuesday
SI.com’s Jon Heyman has the latest on the market for free agent starter Derek Lowe. Heyman says "some baseball people think" the Cubs might get in on Lowe, since his price tag may be similar to the four years and $63MM left on Jake Peavy‘s contract.
Heyman believes the Yankees will resume discussions with Lowe if they fail to sign Andy Pettitte. However, he says they expect Pettitte to accept their $10MM offer.
Heyman indicates the Braves, Red Sox, Mets and Angels are also on Lowe’s radar.
Odds and Ends: Wigginton, Andruw, Royals
Links and notes for Tuesday…
- The Rays held a "get-to-know you" chat with free agent reliever Joe Nelson. Also, exec Andrew Friedman doesn’t see their pursuit for a hitter lasting into late January.
- The Mets will not be affected by the money a few of their owners lost in the Bernard Madoff scheme.
- Argenis Reyes and Ambiorix Burgos are now free agents after being non-tendered.
- RotoAuthority has a running list of pitchers who are moving from the AL to the NL for 2009.
- I chatted about the Yankees with Coast To Coast Baseball.
- El Lefty Malo discusses the idea of the Giants signing Ty Wigginton.
- Kevin Baxter passes along quotes from Andruw Jones regarding the future.
- Rany Jazayerli weighs in on recent Royals moves.
- Bleeding Blue and Teal tells us about Taiwanese lefty Fu-Te Ni, who may sign with a Major League team.
Royals Sign John Bale
According to Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star, the Royals signed lefty John Bale to a one-year deal. They non-tendered him last week. Bale pitched 11.1 scoreless innings in relief this year after returning from a self-inflicted broken hand.
Manny Ramirez Rumors: Tuesday
SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Yankees aren’t optimistic about signing Mark Teixeira, and "seem ready to pounce for Manny Ramirez." He says the Yankees "love the idea of Manny."
Heyman notes that Teixeira signing with the Red Sox would be ideal for Manny and Scott Boras, since Boston is not a possibility for Ramirez. The Angels might have heightened interest in Manny if they are unable to sign Tex.
Cubs Sign Joey Gathright
TUESDAY: The Cubs have signed Gathright to a one-year deal, according to Carrie Muskat. The Chicago Sun-Times says it’s an $800K deal. The speedy outfielder has a career line of .263/.328/.304 in 1296 plate appearances. Perhaps the signing will lead to a trade of Felix Pie, who is out of options.
MONDAY: Word from WSCR 670 in Chicago is that the Cubs will sign outfielder Joey Gathright. We’ve heard the same from a source. Gathright, 28 in April, was non-tendered by the Royals on Friday.
Mets Interested In Tim Redding
Add another pitcher to the Mets’ list. According to Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News, the Mets have expressed interest in new free agent Tim Redding. Redding was non-tendered by the Nationals on Friday after they failed to work out a deal with the Rockies.
Ken Davidoff says Oliver Perez and Derek Lowe continue to top the Mets’ list; they’re less enthused with Ben Sheets, Jon Garland, or Randy Wolf. As for Pedro Martinez‘s replacement, Davidoff suggests names like Freddy Garcia or Eric Milton. As for Andy Pettitte, Mark Feinsand says the Mets are not involved.
Orioles Sign Cesar Izturis
TUESDAY, 8:07am: The Izturis signing is official. It’s a two-year, $6MM deal.
MONDAY, 4:35pm: Izturis passed his physical, according to Roch Kubatko.
WEDNESDAY, 11:46am: Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun says the Orioles "have all but finalized" a deal with Izturis that is "believed to be worth about $6MM." The O’s may not announce the deal until after the Meetings, because Izturis will have to take a physical first.
10:03am: According to ESPN’s Steve Phillips, the Orioles reached an agreement with shortstop Cesar Izturis. The deal is pending a physical.