Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Orioles Rumors

Odds and Ends: Thorman, Sabathia, Pettitte

By | at

Links for Tuesday…

Jake Peavy Rumors: Monday

By | at

8:42pm: Towers gave Tom Krasovic a Peavy update.  Towers believes that the Braves’ unwillingness to grant Peavy a no-trade clause remains on obstacle in that potential match.  Plus, a Krasovic source wonders whether Peavy would even OK a trade to Atlanta.

Krasovic adds that the Cubs and Padres discussed a 5-for-1 deal, where the Orioles would be involved to route more pitching to San Diego.  However, Towers noted the Cubs’ current payroll concerns.

10:35am: Murray Chass snagged a good quote from Padres GM Kevin Towers regarding the Jake Peavy trade talks:

"I would say the Cubs are still in it.  Lou said they’re not in it, but their general manager says they’re in it. The Dodgers have bigger fish to fry. That’s not to say they might not circle back later in the winter. Our primary goal is to trade Peavy."

One Cubs source spoke of a "two-year window to win," according to Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune.  Chass quotes Towers as seeking established players back for Peavy, which is why the Cubs would need to get a third team involved.  Van Dyck says the Cubs hope to hang on to Mike Fontenot and Sean Marshall.

Rafael Furcal Rumors: Monday

By | at

ESPN’s Jayson Stark has the latest on free agent shortstop Rafael Furcal.  Furcal’s agent Paul Kinzer doesn’t see his client signing before the winter meetings, which kick off next week.

Four teams are in on Furcal: the Giants, A’s, Braves, and a mystery team.  Stark talked to execs who guessed the Red Sox or Orioles could be the fourth team.  That team apparently has to make a trade to open up their shortstop position.  In a recent poll of over 6,000 MLBTR readers, the A’s won the vote as the team most likely to sign Furcal.

The Braves’ interest will pick up if they trade shortstop Yunel Escobar first.  We knew about the Padres; Stark says the Cardinals and Royals also expressed interest in Escobar.

Perrotto’s Latest: Teixeira, Burnett, Wilson

By | at

John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus has his Sunday article up. Let’s go through it:

  • The Angels may be willing to match the Yankees $140MM offer to CC Sabathia. They won’t offer 10 years to Mark Teixeira. If they can’t land Teixeira, they will consider Pat Burrell for first base.
  • A.J. Burnett is looking at the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Yankees, Braves, Orioles, and Phillies.
  • The Twins want a left-side infielder for Delmon Young, so they can open a spot for Denard Span in the starting lineup.
  • The Tigers are pursuing Jack Wilson from the Pirates and Matt Treanor from the Marlins. They are also putting high priority on signing Joe Beimel who’s getting interest from a number of teams.
  • The Dodgers will not re-sign Rafael Furcal for health reasons so the Giants, Athletics, and Reds are his most likely destinations.
  • The Cubs will need to offer more than Jason Marquis to the Royals for David DeJesus. If they can’t get it done, they’d sign Raul Ibanez over Bobby Abreu.
  • The Braves are interested in Javier Vazquez and Jermaine Dye…
  • The Reds need to offer more than Homer Bailey to get Dye.
  • The Mets are considering Jon Garland, Vazquez, Edwin Jackson, Andy Sonnanstine. The Rays want more than Aaron Heilman for either of their starters.
  • The Mets could soon become suitors for Manny Ramirez.
  • The Brewers could soon become suitors for Francisco Rodriguez.
  • The Astros are targeting Paul Bako and David Ross as backup catchers.
  • The Rockies are trying to find lefthanders, eyeing Alan Embree, Will Ohman, Brian Shouse, and Glendon Rusch.

Third Team In Peavy Deal: Orioles?

By | at

According to Jeff Zrebiec and Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles appear to be the third team in the Jake Peavy-Cubs trade talks.  Kevin Towers told Tim Brown earlier this week he may have found the third team.

According to the Sun, one scenario could have the Cubs sending Felix Pie to Baltimore for Garrett Olson, who would become part of the Cubs’ package for Peavy.  The Orioles once targeted Pie during the Brian Roberts talks, while the Padres wanted Olson for Khalil Greene.  No deal is imminent.  The authors add that acquiring Pie would not affect the Orioles’ pursuit of Mark Teixeira, even if some current team members lose playing time.

Japanese Links

By | at

A few links today related to NPB and Japanese players…

  • East Windup Chronicle looks at 2009 projections for Japanese players coming to MLB, in posts here and here.
  • The Orioles have had "initial discussions" with three Japanese pitchers.  There seems a good chance Koji Uehara and Kenshin Kawakami are two of them.
  • The Softbank Hawks signed Kameron Loe and Justin Germano for their rotation.  Loe gets about $2MM over two years, while Germano gets about $525K over one.

Odds and Ends: Maddux, Krivsky, Maroth

By | at

Links for Wednesday…

Looking Beyond Varitek

By | at

According to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, a slew of catchers are being shopped to the Red Sox.  Among them: Jeff Mathis, Mike Napoli, Brian Schneider, Miguel Montero, John Buck, Ramon Hernandez, Bengie Molina, Carlos Santana, Kelly Shoppach, Victor Martinez, Jesus Flores, Kenji Johjima, Jeff Clement, Yorvit Torrealba, and the Rangers’ guys.  Silverman says the Braves, Cardinals, and Rays also have catchers available.  It seems that teams are asking for players like Justin Masterson, Clay Buchholz, or Lars Anderson in some cases.

On the Jason Varitek front, Scott Boras told the AP yesterday that he’s had no financial discussions with the Red Sox.  He expects the matter to be discussed after Thanksgiving.  Curt Schilling commented last week about Varitek possibly playing fewer games in 2009, but Boras shot down the idea of a reduced role.

Orioles Rumors: Burnett, Markakis, Japan

By | at

3:08pm: Roch Kubatko of MASN Online gives thoughts on the Orioles and Mark Teixeira and Burnett.  Kubatko believes there’s no chance the O’s offer five years to Burnett, and even four would be a stretch.  He’d have to be willing to take a discount to come to Baltimore.  As for Tex, will he be willing to play for a team that may not be competitive in the first few years of his deal?

8:32am: Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun talked to A.J. Burnett’s agent Darek Braunecker, who said his client has narrowed his list from twelve to about six teams.  The Orioles remain in the mix after Andy MacPhail had a "nice conversation" with Braunecker on Friday.

It’s speculated that the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Phillies, and Braves are the other five clubs.  In his comments, Braunecker didn’t seem dead set on a five-year deal.

In other Orioles news, Nick Markakis’ agent had "active talks" with MacPhail about a contract extension.  Markakis is entering his three arbitration years.

Finally, Steve Melewski of MASN Online says the O’s have shown interest in four Japanese free agents: Koji Uehara, Kenshin Kawakami, Junichi Tazawa, and catcher Ryoji Aikawa.  Tazawa seems close to signing with the Red Sox.  Uehara might be a more affordable alternative to Burnett.

Mark Teixeira Rumors: Sunday

By | at

To recap: Teixeira told Erin Andrews on Thursday that he wants to have it finished before Christmas, according to Mike Scarr of mlb.com. It’s reasonable to anticipate the winter meetings, December 8-11, to be a suitable high profile venue  for Boras to break the news. The Angels are preparing an offer for Mark Teixeira, perhaps with a deadline. If he doesn’t accept it, they may make a move for Jake Peavy. The Yankees are "set to be aggressive" if they only land one of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, or Derek Lowe. The Red Sox are apparently "lusting" for him, but are otherwise hush-hush, a sign that they might offer Teixeira the biggest contract in club history, predicts Tony Masarotti of the Boston Herald.

Teixeira seems to be leaning towards East Coast teams, says Randy Youngman of the Orange County Register. Says Youngman,

"I don’t think it will be with the Angels. If he were going to re-sign in Anaheim, I think it already would have happened. Just a gut feeling. Even the people I talk to in the organization don’t seem optimistic. Teixeira would be ridiculed if he signed with perpetual losers such as the Baltimore Orioles or Washington Nationals, so my guess is he’ll sign with the Boston Red Sox."

The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo thinks Teixeira will wind up with the Angels because, while the Angels might struggle to afford him, they simply can’t afford to lose him.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top