LaRue’s Latest: Francoeur, Sabathia, Teixeira
Here’s the latest from Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune.
- The Braves are mentioning Jeff Francoeur "in trade talks with anyone who will listen." Royals GM Dayton Moore is known to be a fan. Looking at 2008’s bottom ten in OBP…Moore signed Jose Guillen (.300), acquired Mike Jacobs (.299), and has been linked in trade talks to Francoeur (.294) and Yuniesky Betancourt (.300). And don’t forget Willy Taveras (.308).
- LaRue says the Angels are hinting they can afford both Mark Teixeira and C.C. Sabathia. The Yankees could afford it, too.
- He says the A’s are eyeing Jason Giambi. Oakland recently hired Giambi’s strength coach. Billy Beane scoffed at the idea that he hired the strength coach to lure Giambi, but no one was really suggesting that. Susan Slusser believes Giambi seeks a three-year deal, which would put him out of the A’s range.
Brown’s Latest: Teixeira, Crede, Friedman
Yahoo’s Tim Brown filed a column late last night; let’s take a look.
- Scott Boras doesn’t know of any kind of contingency where the Dodgers would have to unload Andruw Jones‘ contract before signing Manny Ramirez.
- The Angels have not yet made an offer to Mark Teixeira, but they’ll deal with that situation before moving on to other needs. Boras is suggesting Teixeira pays for himself.
- Boras compared Joe Crede to Magglio Ordonez. I think he is implying that he may seek big money for Crede but allow a team to opt out after a year if he hits the DL for back problems.
- Ken Williams spoke up manufacturing runs, while Billy Beane still prefers walks and homers.
- Rays GM Andrew Friedman doesn’t have a contract, but he isn’t concerned.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Tex, Furcal, Johnson, Lofton
Here’s a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- If they are to sign Mark Teixeira, the Angels would like to do it quickly. However, it’s Scott Boras’ custom to let the market develop until late December or so. It’s possible the Angels change gears on November 14th. There are other big names to pursue, though none fit as perfectly as Tex.
- Rosenthal’s worst case scenario for the Yankees: C.C. Sabathia goes to a West Coast team while A.J. Burnett re-signs with Toronto. The Jays truly are in the mix for Burnett. ESPN’s Keith Law says Burnett expects to receive multiple five-year offers.
- The Orioles plan to make serious offers to Teixeira and Burnett. Still, both are considered long shots for Baltimore. Another note: the Orioles were one of the teams the Yankees outbid for Sergio Mitre.
- The Dodgers are considered "a good bet" to re-sign Rafael Furcal. The Giants have their eye on him if he hits the open market.
- About ten teams have inquired on Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson. We had a Cardinals rumor yesterday.
- The Rangers figure to trade one or two of their catchers, with Gerald Laird a strong candidate to be traded. The Red Sox and Marlins are looking for catching, though the Rangers are wary of Florida’s Scott Olsen.
- Rosenthal wonders if Brandon Webb could leave the D’Backs after the 2010 season.
- Kenny Lofton wants to play in 2009.
Heyman’s Latest: Holliday, Bradley, Hudson
SI.com’s Jon Heyman reports from the GM meetings…
- Matt Holliday showed up at the GM meetings to talk to Scott Boras, sparking trade speculation by reporters.
- The Rangers failed to reach an agreement with Milton Bradley, and he’ll seek a four-year deal worth more than $10MM per. Good luck with that.
- Heyman says the Nationals are interested in Mark Teixeira and Matt Holliday, which MLB.com’s Bill Ladson first reported yesterday. It does not seem that the Nats have the goods to acquire Holliday. Heyman adds A.J. Burnett as a possibility, though Ken Rosenthal said to scratch them from the running this morning. Adam Dunn is a more realistic name for the Nats.
- The Angels haven’t ruled out signing Teixeira and C.C. Sabathia, though it’d be tough to fit both in the payroll.
- The Yankees are eyeing Orlando Hudson, and could even ask him to play center field. Nick Piecoro figures this would require an absurd offer from the Yanks.
Battle For Teixeira
ESPN’s Buster Olney gives his take on the Mark Teixeira situation in his blog this morning. Olney believes the Yankees will "bid heavily" on Tex, perhaps $120MM over six years. Teixeira turned down $140MM from the Rangers last year, though that was for eight years. Ken Davidoff of Newsday believes that since the Yanks are prioritizing pitching, they’ll probably go with cheaper options like Casey Blake or Kevin Millar.
Olney says there’s debate about Boston’s level of interest in Teixeira – do they truly want him, or are they trying to drive up the price for the Yankees? He suggests a scenario where the Sox sign Teixeira and keep Mike Lowell – Kevin Youkilis goes to left field, Jason Bay to right, and J.D. Drew to center (pushing Jacoby Ellsbury to a utility role and leaving Coco Crisp out of a job).
Meanwhile, the Angels told Francisco Rodriguez‘s agent that their initial focus this winter is signing Teixeira. Dylan Hernandez and Mike DiGiovanna see the Halos in the six-year, $120MM range.
Rockies Rumors: Holliday, Atkins, Podsednik
Let’s check in on the Rockies next.
- Matt Holliday may be selling his Denver-area home, not that it means anything. Tracy Ringolsby has the Nationals, Rays, Cardinals, and Mets as teams interested in Holliday. Meanwhile, Troy E. Renck explores a Yankees scenario.
- Renck can’t see the Rox trading both Holliday and Garrett Atkins. Ringolsby says the Angels are more interested in Atkins than Holliday. Renck has the Indians and Twins as suitors for Atkins.
- Scott Podsednik is open to returning to the Rockies, and they could have a place for him if Willy Taveras is dealt.
- Renck expects the Rockies to be in on Carl Pavano if the Yankees don’t re-sign him.
Cafardo Rumors: Wigginton, Ibanez, Rodney
A few rumors we missed from Nick Cafardo’s Sunday column…
- The Indians would want a young closer type in return for catcher Kelly Shoppach.
- The Tribe has Houston’s Ty Wigginton on the radar as a third base possibility. But then who would play third for the Astros?
- The Yankees have been calling around aggressively, even inquiring on Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman. They’re not available.
- The Mets are said to be eyeing Raul Ibanez for left field.
- The Tigers are dangling setup man Fernando Rodney, hoping to acquire a better closer. Jon Paul Morosi believes the Tigers might aim for a reliever they control for a year or two, as their in-house options should be ready by 2010.
- A conflict might arise with the Angels hoping to sign Mark Teixeira quickly while Scott Boras plans to let the market develop.
More Peavy: Yankees, Angels, Cubs
10:37pm: Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune comments on the Cubs’ interest in Peavy. There’s not much new here – if the Cubs can’t re-sign Ryan Dempster, they could take a crack at Peavy. Van Dyck has an unconfirmed rumor of a Cubs offer of Felix Pie, Ronny Cedeno, and others. The others would be pretty important in such a scenario.
Van Dyck makes a good point in that the Cubs might have to dive into the pool of second tier free agent starters if they can’t get Dempster or Peavy.
8:42pm: Padres GM Kevin Towers recently spoke to the press, stating that Jake Peavy has approved two AL teams in addition to his known five NL clubs. The Yankees and Angels are now possibilities. If there were to be any acceptable AL teams, it figured to be these two based on earlier rumblings.
Rockies Shopping Holliday, Atkins, Taveras
9:11pm: According to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Braves are not interested in Taveras after all.
10:47am: According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post and Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News, the Rockies are shopping Matt Holliday, Garrett Atkins, and Willy Taveras.
Holliday, a Scott Boras client, is set to earn $13.5MM in 2009 before reaching free agency. Ringolsby says the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Angels, Mets, and Phillies have shown interest. Renck has the Cardinals as a lurker. The Nats may also be interested. The Rockies will target young pitching in return.
Atkins is under team control for 2009 and 2010. Ringolsby has the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Angels, Mets, Phillies, White Sox, and Twins as interested parties. Renck sees the Indians as another possibility.
Taveras is also under team control through 2010. Ringolsby says the Royals, Yankees, White Sox, and Braves are in on him, while Renck adds the Nationals.
Rockies Won’t Re-Sign Fuentes
According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Rockies will not be re-signing free agent closer Brian Fuentes. Fuentes’ likely price tag – three years, $36MM+ – is just too high. Renck believes Fuentes may even be able to snag four years given the poor market for closers after Francisco Rodriguez.
Fuentes’ agent listed the Mets, Cardinals, and Angels as interested teams. A meeting with the Mets should come soon. The best case for the Rockies would be the Cardinals, as the Rockies would receive their #19 pick in next year’s draft.