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Astros Decline To Offer Arb To Wolf, Brocail, Loretta

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MLB.com’s Alyson Footer makes it official – the Astros did not offer arbitration to Type B free agents Randy Wolf and Mark Loretta or Type A free agent Doug Brocail.  The Astros still hope to re-sign Brocail.

Just like the Cubs with Kerry Wood and the D’Backs with Adam Dunn, Wolf is a quality player who was not offered arbitration due to payroll concerns.

Richard Justice figures it may have come down to Wolf or Jose Valverde for the Astros, and they chose Valverde.  Another note in Justice’s post – the Astros had their eye on Jose Ceda before he was traded to the Marlins.

Jake Peavy Rumors: Monday

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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.

Perrotto’s Latest: Teixeira, Burnett, Wilson

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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.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Peavy, Wilson

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Lots to cover in the latest from Ken Rosenthal:

  • Jake Peavy to the Cubs is still being explored despite complications: The Cubs are being sold. Ryan Dempster was re-signed for 4 years, $52MM. The Padres are trying to include a third party to net the package GM Kevin Towers is seeking. If this happened then the Cubs would need to move Jason Marquis. Rosenthal suggests the Padres could take him if the Cubs ate around $3MM of his $9MM owed next season, or the Cubs could deal him and cash to another team (Rosenthal suggests the Rockies, Reds, or Giants). Rosenthal also backs the rumors of the Orioles involvement as the third team and having interest in Felix Pie.
  • As an update to this post, the Dodgers stopped pursuing Jack Wilson when the Pirates asked for a third player in the package of Chin-Lung Hu and Delwyn Young as compensation for the Dodgers request for cash to reduce Wilson’s contract. Wilson is set to make $7.25MM next season with an $8.4 club option or $600,000 buyout, and the Dodgers don’t believe Wilson offers enough offensive production to justify those figures. The Pirates agreed to include cash and would offer more cash for a better prospect; however, the Dodgers did not want any part of that.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Wood, Sheets

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Ken Rosenthal suggests that in this economy some teams may not offer arbitration to Type A free agents to avoid risking a payroll hit. Further, some players may opt to accept the certainty of arbitration over "a volatile free agent period."

The Dbacks were always expected to offer arbitration to Adam Dunn and he was expected to decline thus netting Arizona two draft picks to compensate for the three players they dealt in August. In arbitration, Dunn would command $15-16MM. Says Rosenthal,

"…if the D-backs made the offer, it’s doubtful that Dunn and his agents would determine by midnight Saturday that a multiyear contract was beyond their reach. What’s more, the D-backs always could trade Dunn if he accepted their offer. In that sense, he would be an asset on a one-year deal; the Nationals, among other teams, would jump."

In arbitration, Kerry Wood would get around $9-10MM per year but it’s obvious the Cubs are not interested in even one year at that price – that money is better spent improving the rotation. The Cubs see Carlos Marmol, not Wood, as their closer and have opted to replace their setup man by trading for Kevin Gregg rather than paying Wood to slot into the role. Rosenthal notes Wood said he would have returned on a one year deal, and if he were to accept arbitration then the Cubs would most likely look to deal him – perhaps to the Rangers?

Rosenthal also points out that arbitration contracts are not guaranteed, but releasing Wood in Spring Training would result in a grievance by the players union. It would be hard to justify releasing a player of Wood’s caliber.

Ben Sheets could command $13-14MM in arbitration and for an ace-quality pitcher that’s reasonable. Rosenthal makes this easy:

"If the Brewers fail to offer Sheets arbitration, it will be a clear indication that club officials are concerned about his ability to stay healthy in 2009. And remember, the Brewers know Sheets better than any other team."

Third Team In Peavy Deal: Orioles?

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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.

Latest On Raul Ibanez

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According to Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune, the Cubs, Mets, and Phillies talked to Raul Ibanez’s agent this week.  Those three clubs remain high on him.  LaRue says the Mariners fielded a call from Ibanez’s agent, but he’s unlikely to sign because he wants to win and does not want to be a designated hitter.

Another reason to let Ibanez leave is his Type A status.  He’s highly unlikely to accept an offer of arbitration, and the Mets, Phillies, and Cubs all have unprotected first-round picks.

Towers Finds Third Team For Cubs-Peavy Deal?

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Yahoo’s Tim Brown has new info on Jake Peavy:

Padres general manager Kevin Towers said Wednesday night he might have identified a third team that would facilitate sending the standout pitcher to the Cubs, who don’t possess the depth in prospects or big league-ready talent to meet the Padres’ asking price.

Feel free to pose your guesses in the comments.  Cubs top prospect Josh Vitters seems the most reasonable candidate to be in the middle of this trade.  The 19 year-old third baseman is a few years away from the bigs, while the Padres want MLB-ready talent.  Brown says Towers plans to speak with Jim Hendry after the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Rafael Furcal Rumors: Wednesday

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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? 

Cubs Rumors: Teahen, Edmonds, Marquis

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Earlier today I spoke with a source familiar with the Cubs’ thinking, and dug up enough info for a fresh post.

  • While Mark Teahen is a player of interest for the Cubs, they certainly won’t be trading Mike Fontenot and Sean Marshall for him.  The Cubs don’t consider Teahen the middle of the order bat they require.
  • Royals outfielder David DeJesus also interests the Cubs, but the source has the impression Dayton Moore would have to be overwhelmed to trade him.  There seems a good chance DeJesus stays put this winter.
  • The Cubs aren’t keen on bringing Jim Edmonds back for 2009.
  • There are no perfect fits for the right field vacancy, and the Cubs are willing to sacrifice some defense to add that middle of the order lefthanded hitter.
  • The Cubs are hoping a market forms for Jason Marquis, and are willing to eat salary "within reason."  They would be content with Marquis as their fifth starter if nothing surfaces.  I couldn’t get any specifics, but the Cubs do feel that they have reasonable options to clear payroll other than trading Marquis.
  • Teams around baseball are wary of certain Type A/B free agents accepting offers of arbitration.  Expect the Cubs to figure out where Kerry Wood stands before deciding whether to offer.
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