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Jake Peavy Rumors: Tuesday

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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.

Mark Teixeira Rumors: Tuesday

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10:09pm: Angels owner Arte Moreno to Jon Heyman: "Teixeira’s my guy.  There are obviously other people we like. But he’s our main target."  Currently, the Angels aren’t planning to set a deadline when they make an offer to Tex.

9:11pm: Brian Sabean ruled out Teixeira for the Giants.

4:27pm: Ken Rosenthal says the Angels are "beginning to recognize they will not be the high bidder" for Tex.  Some of Rosenthal’s sources believe the Nationals will come in the highest.

3:48pm: Yahoo’s Tim Brown says Angels owner Arte Moreno "has been deeply involved in negotiations with Scott Boras regarding Teixeira, as well as with agent Greg Genske on Sabathia."  Brown says the Angels may be willing to give Tex seven years if necessary.  The Halos are weighing the idea of going after Manny Ramirez if they miss out on Tex and C.C.

11:39am: Jon Heyman says the Red Sox have been one of Tex’s most aggressive pursuers.

1:47am: Yahoo’s Gordon Edes surveyed several club officials, and they believe the Red Sox will sign Mark Teixeira.  They have the money and a strong relationship with Scott Boras.  However, the Yankees are heavily interested even if they’ve yet to make an offer.  And the Angels are said to be "desperate" to retain Tex.  As far as we know, no one’s made an offer.  Edes sees the Orioles and Nationals on the periphery, though both clubs are serious about Teixeira.

Orioles Rumors: Garland, Izturis, Ohman

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8:07pm: Jerry Crasnick says Michael Barrett and Gregg Zaun could be options for the Orioles to help transition Matt Wieters to the bigs.

8:03pm: Andy MacPhail spoke of good progress toward signing a shortstop, presumably Izturis.

4:59pm: A small Garland update from Kubatko.

2:34pm: Roch Kubatko believes the Orioles are down to Izturis for shorstop, and two years $6.5MM would get it done.

8:50am: A few stray Orioles rumors from Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun:

  • The O’s had recent talks with Jon Garland’s agent.  They’ll meet with the agents for Koji Uehara and Kenshin Kawakami this week.
  • Negotiations for free agent shortstop Cesar Izturis have picked up.
  • The Orioles expressed interest in free agent lefty reliever Will Ohman.

Ramon Hernandez Traded For Ryan Freel

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7:52pm: Scott Miller says the Orioles are sending $3MM to the Reds, not $1MM as previously reported. Kubatko says it’s $2MM.

4:34pm: MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon adds that the Orioles will receive prospects Brandon Waring and Justin Turner and will send $1MM to the Reds.

2:39pm: Rosenthal says an agreement has been reached to send Hernandez to Cincy for Freel and two prospects.  The Orioles are sending over $1MM, so the deal requires approval of the commissioner’s office.  I can see how this might work out for both clubs; each player had worn out his welcome.

By the way, Tom Haudricourt rejects the idea that the Brewers were interested.

2:29pm: The Orioles would send cash to Cincy to offset Hernandez’s salary.  This deal might be announced soon.  Walt Jocketty said "we’ll have something" later when questioned.

1:56pm: John Perrotto believes a Hernandez for Freel deal will be announced today.

TUESDAY, 12:30pm: Seems that a deal for Hernandez is close, though Roch Kubatko says the Brewers jumped into the mix.  Kubatko still thinks Hernandez will be traded to the Reds.

MONDAY, 9:37pm: Walt Jocketty slyly lifted his eyebrows when asked about this rumor, according to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon.

7:11pm: Rosenthal says the Reds would also kick in a prospect in this deal, but want the O’s to pay a significant portion of Hernandez’s salary.

6:01pm: John Fay of the Cincy Enquirer says he’s heard the Hernandez for Freel rumor from both sides.

12:21pm: According to Roch Kubatko of MASN Online, one of the teams interested in catcher Ramon Hernandez would like to swap contracts.  The team would send the Orioles a utility guy who can play the infield and outfield.

Kubatko goes on to note that the Reds and Astros are looking for catching. Connecting the dots, Kubatko may have been talking about Ryan Freel above.  Hernandez has $9MM left on his contract, while Freel has $4MM.

Pirates Rumors: Eckstein, Wilson, Turnbow

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5:29pm: A handful of teams have expressed interest in Doug Mientkiewicz, reports Jenifer Langosch.  He expects to sign within a few weeks, and his agent will meet with the Pirates this week.

4:56pm: Kovacevic confirmed that the Pirates are in negotiations with Eckstein.  The Orioles and Padres are also said to be in on him.  As for Wilson: the Dodgers are said to be exasperated by the Pirates’ asking price.

12:10am: Let’s check in with Dejan Kovacevic and Rob Biertempfel for the latest on the Pirates.

  • Kovacevic on Jack Wilson: the Tigers are out, the Dodgers are quiet lately, and the Twins are in.  Biertempfel says the Orioles continue to watch from afar.  Wilson’s contract is a sticking point for all suitors.
  • Kovacevic believes the Pirates have at least not ruled out the idea of pursuing Pedro Martinez.
  • Derrick Turnbow will throw for scouts in mid-January, so he probably won’t sign until then.  The Pirates and Giants are among eight teams that have expressed interest.
  • The Pirates seem likely to make a Rule 5 pick this year.
  • With Pirates target Mark Loretta signing with the Dodgers, Biertempfel wonders if the Bucs may pursue David Eckstein or Craig Counsell.

Odds and Ends: Laird, Mitsui, Snyder

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Links for Tuesday…

Jake Peavy Rumors: Monday

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11:02pm: Jim Salisbury backs up the idea that the Phils could receive DeRosa and the Padres could get Happ.  It’s worth noting that the Cubs could trim $5.5MM off the payroll by sending out DeRosa and using Fontenot at second base.

10:31pm: MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer says the Angels have not taken themselves out of the Peavy sweepstakes. 

Also, Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune supplies more info.  A third team would definitely be involved in a Cubs trade.  DeRosa could wind up a Phillie, and Michael Wuertz is a new name of interest for the Padres.  Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod said again that Peavy will require a full no-trade clause upon a deal.  One more thing – Towers said trading Peavy could free up money for Trevor Hoffman.

9:00pm: MLB.com’s Corey Brock says the legwork on this trade "has essentially been completed."  No deal has been reached, but Towers says he’s facilitated a three or possibly four-team deal.  The third and possibly fourth teams (Orioles, Phillies) have agreed to players.  There could be some haggling remaining on players sent from the Cubs to Padres.

Brock says all Towers needs now is the go-ahead from Hendry.  Peavy, by the way, was spotted at the Meetings.

8:35pm: Jayson Stark gives his take on the Peavy-Cubs situation.  He says Hendry is dealing with restrictions due to the team’s ownership situation, despite his comments.

8:01pm: Scott Miller of CBSSports.com says Jason Marquis and Angel Guzman (among others) could end up with the Padres in the three-team deal.  The Padres could get J.A. Happ and/or Chris Coste from the Phils.  Miller adds that the Phils are known to have interest in Mark DeRosa.

6:53pm: Rosenthal says the Phillies are now in the mix as a possible third team in a Peavy trade.  Those talks are preliminary.  Rosenthal says the Cubs can’t complete a deal for Peavy until their new owner is decided.

5:33pm: Roch Kubatko says the O’s are still interested in Pie, but may only get him for Olson straight up if Olson is to be flipped to San Diego in a Peavy trade.

2:37pm: Joel Sherman learned from Towers that if he doesn’t reach an agreement on a Peavy deal with the Cubs at the Meetings, he will keep the pitcher to start the season.  The Dodgers are apparently the only other team to which Peavy has approved a trade.

Sherman adds that the Cubs "are willing to let [Peavy] keep his no-trade clause."  Not sure if Sherman is trying to say the Cubs would replace Peavy’s partial no-trade rights for 2011 and part of 2012 with full no-trade powers.

2:33pm: Kevin Towers told Ken Rosenthal he’s talking to only the Cubs about Peavy.  He expects to have a good idea on whether to drop it or move forward by the end of the Meetings.  Towers approached Ned Colletti but talks didn’t get far.

12:22pm: Jerry Crasnick says Kevin Towers and Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod drove together for the 4.5 hour ride from San Diego to Las Vegas, but Axelrod says they only talked about Peavy for about three minutes.  Also, Axelrod brought a sweet mix CD.

11:44am: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald says the Cubs and Padres did not talk about Peavy on Sunday but will today.  He’s heard the Padres might be concerned with Vitters’ hand/wrist.

1:14am: Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times says the Cubs first want to trade Jason Marquis and acquire their left-handed hitting outfielder before Peavy.  Wittenmyer’s sources do believe the Cubs will eventually acquire San Diego’s ace.  However, his sources say the Tom Krasovic report about a five-for-one framework being in place is exaggerated.

Wittenmyer hears that the Orioles would be willing to swap Garrett Olson for Felix Pie; the Cubs would then send Olson to the Padres in the Peavy deal.

12:54am: According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, Padres GM Kevin Towers "envisions a way to do a [Jake Peavy] deal now only with the Cubs."  We’ve heard rumors of the Padres and Cubs trying to rope in the Orioles or Rays as a third team. 

Heyman adds that Peavy would approve a trade to Chicago "without any significant reworking of his contract or other major concessions."  Does that imply that the Cubs would not have to guarantee Peavy’s 2013 option ($22MM) or grant him a full no-trade clause?

Keep in mind that despite all the virtual ink that will be spilled on Peavy over the next four days, Jayson Stark sees "just about a zero chance" he’s dealt at the Meetings.  Still, the Cubs and Padres seem to already have a framework in place involving Sean Marshall, Kevin Hart, Josh Vitters, and maybe Ronny Cedeno.

Twins, Indians Not Interested In Tejada

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8:31pm: MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince says Mark Shapiro shook his head when the Tejada rumor was brought up.  Maybe someone on the Astros’ side floated all this rumored interest in the shortstop.

8:15pm: Twins assistant GM Rob Antony suggested with facial expressions and body language that they’re not in on Tejada, according to Phil Miller.

7:00pm: Yahoo’s Jeff Passan says the Indians have also discussed a Tejada trade with the Astros.  The Indians’ interest depends on how much they spend on a closer.

As for the Twins…LEN3 says, "Miguel Tejada is NOT an option."

6:57pm: MLB.com’s Alyson Footer says the Twins expressed interest in Tejada.  The Astros would like to get one of the Twins’ young starters, and would be willing to eat salary.

Footer adds that interest in Ty Wigginton is "abundant," with the Twins again a possible match.  She nixes the idea of the ’Stros acquiring Ramon Hernandez from Baltimore.

4:10pm: According to Phil Miller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

Can’t vouch for its veracity – not sure I really believe it myself — but I just heard in the gossip scrum that is forming at the edge of the Bellagio lobby that there was at least a phone call between the Astros and Twins regarding Miguel Tejada, the long-ago MVP shortstop.

Coming from a "gossip scrum," it’s hard to know what to make of it.  But, Miller felt it was worthy of publishing.

Orioles Met With Teixeira In D.C.

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Roch Kubatko and Peter Schmuck report today that Andy MacPhail acknowledged a face-to-face meeting with Mark Teixeira and Scott Boras in Washington D.C. earlier this week. The O’s haven’t made an offer yet.

MacPhail did not deny trade talks with the Reds for Ramon Hernandez, nor did Walt Jocketty.  Schmuck says Gregg Zaun could be on Baltimore’s radar as a backup catcher.

Also, Kubatko finds it clear that the Orioles are fading out of contention for A.J. Burnett.

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