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Heyman’s Latest: Sabathia, Manny, Lowe

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Be sure to check out Jon Heyman’s Winter Meetings preview.

  • A friend of C.C. Sabathia tells Heyman the pitcher received two offers from unknown teams prior to Thanksgiving, in addition to the ones from the Brewers and Yankees.  Sabathia is taking his time with this, as he should.
  • Manny Ramirez "admires the dollar."  Just letting you know.
  • A competing owner suggested to Heyman that the Cubs could cut budget.  At any rate, they probably won’t do anything major til their ownership situation is settled.
  • Derek Lowe is looking for $90MM over five years.  He wants at least five years; ten teams are after him. Brian Cashman apparently expressed "heavy interest" to Scott Boras yesterday. 

Rosenthal’s Latest: Byrd, Putz, Wilson

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Rumor machine Ken Rosenthal has a new column…

  • Free agent starters C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett are in no hurry to sign. Makes sense; they’re obviously special compared to the other starters on the market.
  • Nationals owner Ted Lerner "has spent extensive time" with Scott Boras, presumably in regard to Mark Teixeira.
  • The Cubs want to acquire their left-handed hitting outfielder before worrying about Jake Peavy.  Rosenthal says the trade market is bleak, suggesting free agents such as Raul Ibanez and Milton Bradley might make sense.  As we’ve said, there is no perfect fit for the Cubs’ right field vacancy (unless Brian Giles will waive his no-trade clause).
  • Paul Byrd is "virtually certain" to decline Boston’s offer of arbitration.  He aims to pitch near his Atlanta home – the Braves, Marlins, or Rays could work for him.
  • A Rosenthal source pegged Jon Garland’s chance of accepting arbitration at less than 50-50.  ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick recently indicated it was 75-25 he’d decline.  Buster Olney says "some executives are stunned" that Garland will seemingly not accept.
  • Rosenthal spoke to officials from two teams interested in Mariners closer J.J. Putz.  The Ms haven’t decided yet whether to make him available, contrary to a previous report.  Jack Zduriencik apparently doesn’t consider his club in rebuild mode.
  • The Giants’ signing of Edgar Renteria: "widely panned in industry circles."  Joel Sherman found the same consensus.  This differs from the web, where Keith Law and Dave Cameron liked it.
  • Rosenthal says the Dodgers are not pursuing Jack Wilson; those talks broke down earlier in the offseason.  Who to believe?  He says the Tigers are making a "more serious push."
  • Phillies shortstop prospect Jason Donald is a popular trade target, but the Phils might need him to fill in for Chase Utley at the start of the season.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Johnson, Cano, Peavy

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4:54pm: The Big Unit is open to the Giants or A’s, not a big surprise.  Johnson’s agent says about ten teams have expressed interest, Giants included.

11:49am: Ken Rosenthal is working overtime; here’s his latest.

  • The A’s remain the frontrunners for Rafael Furcal.  Also, they’re targeting starter Randy Johnson to add a veteran presence to their rotation.  Rosenthal adds that the A’s may prefer Nick Johnson over Jason Giambi.
  • The Phillies made an offer to Derek Lowe, who seems to be their backup plan if they can’t sign Jamie Moyer.  Rosenthal speculates that the Dodgers could consider Moyer.  If the Phils sign Lowe, they may have to go cheap in left field.
  • Oliver Perez and Randy Wolf are on the Yankees’ radar.
  • The Braves haven’t ruled out five guaranteed years for A.J. Burnett.  Rosenthal agrees with Mark Bowman that the Braves actually have little interest in Adam Dunn.  He adds that Raul Ibanez might be out of their price range.  Instead, the Braves could choose to trade Kelly Johnson for an outfielder.
  • Rosenthal believes the Dodgers will renew talks for Robinson Cano at the Winter Meetings, and the Yankees will again ask for Matt Kemp.
  • The Cubs are speaking daily to the Padres about Jake Peavy.  Rosenthal says the Orioles do not seem to be the third team at this time.
  • Rosenthal believes the Royals could make a run at Kyle Farnsworth.

Odds and Ends: Teixeira, Izturis, Gaudin

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Links for Thursday…

Olney’s Latest: Manny, Peavy, Fuentes

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ESPN’s Buster Olney has a bunch of new info in today’s blog.

  • Olney continues to wonder if Manny Ramirez and Scott Boras will "wave the white flag" and accept the Dodgers’ offer of arbitration.  It could result in a huge one-year salary, and the current market for Manny is not robust.  However, Peter Abraham said in July that a condition of Manny’s trade was that he would decline arbitration.  Did anyone else write this?  Hopefully a journalist will ask Boras about it soon.
  • Olney says the Cubs would love to have Adam Dunn in their lineup, but he’s a stretch as a full-time right fielder.  The Cubs are willing to sacrifice some defense in right, but how much?
  • Could Dunn or Pat Burrell wind up with the Rays on an affordable one-year deal?
  • The Cubs and Padres "have a basic framework in place" for a Jake Peavy deal built around third baseman Josh Vitters.  Things may pick up after the Cubs’ ownership situation is resolved.
  • The Astros don’t have a ton of flexibility to move their high-salaried stars, but Jose Valverde is one they can deal without restriction.  He’s due for a nice raise from this year’s $4.7MM.
  • Olney suggests the Rockies were wise to trade Matt Holliday when they did, or they might’ve gotten significantly less.
  • Olney speaks of "a belief within the Rockies’ organization" that Brian Fuentes could come back on a multiyear deal.  The Rockies could trade Huston Street in that case.
  • The Braves may push A.J. Burnett for an answer before C.C. Sabathia signs, in case the Yanks miss out on C.C. and come after Burnett.
  • Apparently there is "serious tension" between Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland.
  • Olney sees Rafael Furcal signing with the A’s.

Perrotto’s Latest: Dye, Jenks, Werth, Madson

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THURSDAY: David Lennon of Newsday talked to a source who said there’s "nothing there" in regard to the rumor of a Dye and Jenks to the Mets blockbuster. Joel Sherman talked to a few Mets officials who called the rumor nonsense.  Sherman says Martinez is "all but untouchable."

WEDNESDAY: Let’s dig into the latest column from John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus.

  • Perrotto speaks of whispers of a possible White Sox-Mets blockbuster.  The Mets would receive Jermaine Dye and Bobby Jenks and the White Sox would receive Fernando Martinez among others.
  • Regarding the Orioles’ possible involvement in a trade that would send Jake Peavy to the Cubs, Perrotto says Baltimore seeks Ronny Cedeno and Felix Pie from Chicago.
  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has spoken to outfielder Jayson Werth and setup man Ryan Madson about contract extensions.  Madson might be a tough one as he’s represented by Scott Boras (who recently compared him to Mariano Rivera).  Both players are under team control for one more season.
  • The Red Sox are considering free agents Willie Bloomquist, Jay Payton, and Mark Loretta as possible bench additions.  A return to Boston seems to be Payton’s preference.
  • Perrotto believes the only player seriously considering accepting arbitration is Darren Oliver.  Oliver’s already seen the Reds drop out of the mix due to the draft pick price.
  • Perrotto says the Tigers and Orioles are showing interest in Jack Wilson, while the Dodgers have backed off.

Giants Sign Renteria?

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11:24pm: Henry Schulman says Renteria took a physical for the Giants today and "a deal appears to be done."

9:26pm: Renteria’s (other?) agent Jeff Lane told MLB.com’s Chris Haft, "We’re very close to a deal."

7:51pm: Jon Paul Morosi also talked to Meister, who said the Giants are making "substantial progress" toward signing Renteria.  Henry Schulman gets the vibe the Giants might announce a deal with him tomorrow.

4:49pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Giants asked the Brewers about J.J. Hardy, but Milwaukee doesn’t want to move him. So Brian Sabean moved on to Cantu.

4:12pm: Brian Sabean told reporters he hopes to sign a free agent infielder later this week.

3:42pm: Jon Heyman chimes in; he also thinks a two-year deal could be completed soon.  Heyman says the Giants have yet to decide whether to target C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, or Manny Ramirez.  Are we seeing a shift back to the win-now plan in San Francisco?

1:53pm: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick talked to Renteria’s agent Barry Meister, who said they’re "much, much closer" to a deal with the Giants but "nothing is done."  Crasnick’s source says it could be in the two-year, $18MM range.

12:58pm: According to Yahoo’s Tim Brown, the Giants "believe they are closing in on signing shortstop Edgar Renteria."  Brown also says the Giants have discussed trading Jonathan Sanchez to the Marlins for Jorge Cantu.  That’d be a steal for the Marlins, who plucked Cantu off the scrap heap in January for a half-million bucks.

Brown adds that the Cubs remain in the mix for Jake Peavy, and they have two possible matches for a third team in the deal (the Orioles being one).

Stark’s Latest: Sabathia, Furcal, Peavy

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A few notes from Jayson Stark’s latest blog post…

  • Stark believes the possibility of C.C. Sabathia signing with the Giants is alive, and the Giants have talked to the pitcher’s agent.  Such a signing might compel Brian Sabean to remove Matt Cain’s "untouchable" tag, in Stark’s opinion.  Earlier today Ken Rosenthal suggested the Giants were a dark horse for C.C.  Also, Sabathia’s wife Amber prefers the Giants according to George King.
  • The Giants offered three years to Rafael Furcal.  He wants four, so they switched their attention to Edgar Renteria.  The Giants want a shorter-term deal so their own prospects can take over within a few years.
  • Stark notes that the recent Jake Peavy-Cubs rumors do not seem to be coming out of Chicago.  He suggests those talks may not be active, partially because the Cubs are in payroll limbo til their sale goes through.
  • The Twins and Dodgers have two year offers out to Casey Blake.  Whichever team blinks and adds a third year can get him.

Odds and Ends: Griffey, Springer, Hoffman

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Links for Wednesday…

Reds Unlikely To Sign Wood

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TUESDAY: Baker might make a call, but Reds GM Walt Jocketty admits that Wood is likely to find offers to close elsewhere.

MONDAY, 11:03pm: Dusty Baker plans to give Wood a call and see if he might be interested in setting up Francisco Cordero in Cincinnati.

7:55pm: According to MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat, the Cubs declined to offer arbitration to Type A free agents Kerry Wood and Bob Howry.  The Cubs decided they could not take on the financial risk of Wood accepting, as they’re tight on payroll.  Trading him might’ve been difficult, as he would’ve been a 10-and-5 player.  It seems that payroll forced the Cubs to make the questionable baseball decision to pass on a one-year deal for Wood. 

Wood now has an advantage on the market over Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes – he won’t cost a draft pick to sign.

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