Rafael Furcal Rumors: Monday
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.
Rafael Furcal Rumors: Wednesday
7:58pm: Kinzer told Joe Stiglich of the Contra Costa Times that the A’s are "right at the top of the list."
7:05pm: Kinzer revealed to Yahoo’s Tim Brown that the two unknown Furcal suitors "have to make some moves first." So think of teams with incumbent shortstops, like the Braves. Or perhaps a team that has to clear payroll like the Cubs.
4:25pm: Kinzer told Haft they’ll have it down to two teams before Monday or Tuesday. The A’s, Giants, and two other clubs are still in the mix for Furcal. This time, Kinzer told Haft he did talk to the Giants yesterday. It’s unknown whether he has an offer from San Francisco, but there’s nothing from the A’s yet.
12:55pm: Susan Slusser and Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle learned that Kinzer did have talks with the Giants about Furcal on Tuesday. MLB.com’s Chris Haft had Kinzer saying last night that he hadn’t spoken to Giants officials in two days.
10:11am: Rafael Furcal met with the A’s yesterday, and it’s not a stretch to suggest they’re the frontrunner for his services. SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the A’s, Giants, Cubs, Dodgers, Braves, and a mystery team remain involved. Interesting note from Heyman:
Furcal’s agent, Paul Kinzer, said by phone that he hasn’t fielded a correct guess from any media member on said mystery team. I gave it a shot on Tuesday night, throwing out the Reds — who appear to be in the mix on some surprising names — but he said that was incorrect.
Jon! No! You wasted your guess. I believe the mystery team boils down to the Indians or Twins. Thoughts?
Brown’s Latest: Fuentes, Hoffman, Wilson, Aurilia
Here’s a look at the latest from Yahoo’s Tim Brown.
- The Mets kicked around the idea internally of signing both Brian Fuentes and Trevor Hoffman. The eighth inning would be a tough sell for either pitcher though.
- Brown says that if the Angels fail to sign Mark Teixeira they will try to sign C.C. Sabathia as well as a closer like Fuentes.
- The Dodgers want the Pirates to eat "a huge chunk" of the $7.85MM Jack Wilson has coming.
- The Giants and Dodgers have shown interest in Rich Aurilia.
Looking Beyond Varitek
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.
Rafael Furcal Rumors: Tuesday
10:30pm: Ken Rosenthal reports that Furcal, his wife, and his agent Paul Kinzer met with the A’s in Oakland today. He received the full tour. They may discuss financial terms tomorrow. The Giants and a mystery team are also said to be in the mix. However, MLB.com’s Chris Haft learned that Kinzer hasn’t spoken with the Giants in two days.
2:56pm: I exchanged emails with Yancen Pujols, sports editor at the El Caribe newspaper. He reminded me that the author of their article, Rafael Fellito Ortiz, quoted Furcal himself regarding offers from the A’s and Mets. So the unanswered question here is why Furcal said these things.
9:23am: Let’s sort out the facts involving free agent shortstop Rafael Furcal.
- Reports about Furcal from yesterday from El Caribe and Impacto Deportivo have been dismissed. There has been no four-year, $48MM offer from the A’s, no four-year, $52MM offer from the Braves, and no interest from the Mets. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says the Braves wouldn’t be in a position to make an offer unless they dealt Yunel Escobar or Kelly Johnson first.
- Three teams have made offers for Furcal, at least one of them for four years according to Dylan Hernandez. The A’s and Giants seem to be in the lead, while the Dodgers are slipping out of the picture. Hernandez says they’re "reluctant to even match the three-year, $39 million contract he completed this year."
- Susan Slusser expects negotiations for Furcal to drag into December.
- The third team making an offer seems to be the "surprise team." That team is not the Mets, and probably not the Dodgers, Reds, or Braves. Brown wondered if it could be the Cubs, Orioles, or Cardinals.
Rafael Furcal Rumors: Monday
6:20pm: Impacto Deportivo says the surprise team is the Braves, possibly offering four years and $52MM. It’d be wise to treat the report with caution until it is confirmed by another source.
6:09pm: The Reds had a brief conversation with Kinzer about Furcal, but it probably isn’t going anywhere.
3:58pm: ESPN’s Enrique Rojas says Furcal traveled to the West Coast today, where he could sign with the Giants or A’s. However, a third team remains involved.
1:36pm: Yahoo’s Tim Brown talked to Furcal’s agent, Paul Kinzer. Kinzer called the El Caribe report "bogus." Apparently there has been no four-year, $48MM offer from Oakland nor are the Mets interested. And Furcal doesn’t want to move to second base anyway.
The A’s and Giants are leading the charge for Furcal, with a "surprise team" also in the mix.
12:26pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman does not believe the Mets made an offer to Furcal.
12:11pm: Susan Slusser’s A’s source calls the below report "untrue," but it’s unclear to what degree.
8:40am: Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times passes along a report from El Caribe, a newspaper in the Dominican Republic. In the report, Rafael-Fellito Ortiz talked to free agent shortstop Rafael Furcal. Furcal says he has a four-year, $48MM deal on the table from the A’s (with another $2MM in incentives). Surprisingly, he also has an offer from the Mets, who would use him as a second baseman. Ortiz believes Furcal might sign soon.
Giants-Renteria Rumor False
6:00pm: Additional denials have come in via Andrew Baggarly and Derrick Goold. Baggarly says Renteria is the Giants’ fallback for Furcal. He notes that the Tigers would’ve loved to see Renteria sign today, as they’re unlikely to offer him arbitration. Goold learned that Meister will double back with the Cardinals before Renteria signs elsewhere.
5:02pm: Via an email from ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, Renteria’s agent Barry Meister says the report of Renteria signing is not true. Renteria is at home in Colombia; nothing is close.
3:59pm: Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle talked to a Giants source who said the below report is not true. Schulman admits the Giants may be splitting hairs, as they might deny a deal if only formalities remain.
Rafael Furcal‘s agent Paul Kinzer says he’s still talking to the Giants, which would seem to indicate a Renteria deal isn’t close.
2:45pm: According to Sweeny Murti of WFAN, the Giants signed shortstop Edgar Renteria to a two-year, $18MM contract. We’ll update the post with more details and confirmation as it becomes available. If the report is accurate, the Tigers tentatively get the Giants’ second-round pick without worrying about whether to offer Renteria arbitration.
Renteria, 33, hit .270/.317/.382 in 547 plate appearances for the Tigers this year. Defensively, he made nine fewer plays than the average shortstop. Will a move back to the NL rejuvenate his career?
Dodgers Will Let Beimel Leave
Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times talked to Joe Beimel‘s agent Joe Sroba, who said he hasn’t been contacted by the Dodgers. Sroba and Ned Colletti agree – the Dodgers are going in a different direction.
Beimel has drawn interest from the Mets, Reds, Tigers, Cardinals, and Rockies. He’s probably fishing around for a three-year deal at this point.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Furcal, Burnett, Halladay
Ken Rosenthal has a new column up this evening.
- The A’s and Giants remain the top suitors for Rafael Furcal, and the team that’s willing to give him four guaranteed years may win the bidding. The Dodgers, Braves, and Cubs are also in the mix.
- Rosenthal talked to a source with knowledge of the Blue Jays’ thinking, and that person can’t imagine them giving A.J. Burnett five years. Rosenthal says to forget the idea of a Roy Halladay trade, unless they attempt and fail to sign him to an extension. And if Burnett is signed, a Halladay extension would be next on the docket.
- Luis Gonzalez wants to play next year.
Giants Negotiating With Renteria
MLB.com’s Chris Haft talked to Edgar Renteria‘s agent Jeff Lane, who said he’s actively negotiating with the Giants. At least six teams are interested in Renteria, but his future is tied to Rafael Furcal. Furcal is expected to sign first, and the shortstops share many of the same suitors.
The Giants also have serious interest in Orlando Hudson. It’d be surprising to see them sign two middle infielders though.