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Stark’s Latest: Burnett, Cantu, Lowe, Furcal

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Jayson Stark’s got a heaping helping of hot stove updates in his most recent blog post at ESPN.com.

  • The Braves’ most recent offer makes them the frontrunners for A.J. Burnett, says Stark.
  • We’re still waiting for another team to come close to the Yankees’ offer for C.C. Sabathia. Stark suggests Sabathia may make up his mind by next week.  He also says there’s "increasing buzz about the Yankees’ interest in Ben Sheets."
  • The White Sox appear to have expressed some interest in Jorge Cantu.
  • Stark doesn’t think the Phillies stand a very good chance of signing Derek Lowe.
  • Only the Dodgers and A’s, and perhaps the Orioles, remain interested in Rafael Furcal.
  • If the Dodgers end up missing on Furcal and Casey Blake, their focus might shift to names like Ty Wigginton and Adrian Beltre.

Odds and Ends: Teixeira, Izturis, Gaudin

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Links for Thursday…

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.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Burrell, Manny

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6:16pm: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says the Braves are not interested in Dunn because they seek a right-handed bat.  Does that rule out Raul Ibanez as well?

1:51pm: The latest from Ken Rosenthal:

  • The Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, and Phillies are pursuing free agent outfielder Rocco Baldelli.
  • Now that Adam Dunn wasn’t offered arbitration, the market is starting to take shape.  The Braves, Mariners, and Nationals are interested, and the Dodgers and Angels consider him a fallback option.  How about Dunn and Russell Branyan in the same lineup?  Rosenthal considers the Yankees another possibility.
  • Teams considering Pat Burrell, who was also not offered arb: the Mariners, Angels, and Giants.
  • Rosenthal considers the Giants a darkhorse for C.C. Sabathia.  Tim Brown says the Giants may be closing in on Edgar Renteria; Rosenthal has the Dodgers and Cardinals as other suitors.
  • The Brewers will need to increase their offer to Sabathia to six years to have a shot. 
  • Rosenthal believes Jason Varitek will accept his offer of arbitration.  He also wonders if Orlando Cabrera could accept.  He expects Ben Sheets to decline (I made an error on this eariler).
  • Rosenthal ponders the chances of Manny Ramirez accepting the Dodgers’ offer of arbitration.  Buster Olney says three GMs wondered the same.  I was under the impression Manny declining arbitration was a condition of his trade.
  • The Cardinals want to add a young starter with upside.  They also may go after a closer like Brian Fuentes or Kerry Wood if prices drop.
  • Rosenthal believes the Reds could discuss a two-year deal with David Weathers.

Javier Vazquez Trade Reactions

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The word yesterday evening was that the Braves acquired starter Javier Vazquez and lefty reliever Boone Logan for Tyler Flowers, Brent Lillibridge, Jon Gilmore, and Santos Rodriguez (MLB.com’s Mark Bowman confirms the prospects).  Look for the trade to become official tommorrow.  Reactions to the deal:

  • South Side Sox expects a couple of accompanying moves: the trade of Jermaine Dye for a young starter and the signing of an affordable free agent outfielder.  They don’t see the White Sox benefitting from the Vazquez trade in 2009, but at least Ozzie cleared out his doghouse.
  • Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune says the Sox will still have power if Dye is dealt.  Gonzales also provides info on the prospects received for Vazquez.
  • Yahoo’s Tim Brown says the White Sox are also willing to trade Paul Konerko and Jim Thome.
  • Sox Machine provides a more in-depth look at the prospects.
  • From the Braves’ point of view, J.C. Bradbury sees this as a solid win-now move that won’t affect the ’09 team.
  • Ken Davidoff says the Braves will now have less of a need for Jake Peavy or A.J. Burnett.  I think, though, that they’ll still aggressively try to acquire one of the two.  Most of the rumored packages for Peavy didn’t involve the prospects sent to Chicago, with the possible exception of Flowers.
  • Dave Cameron notes Vazquez’s career-long underachievement.  This always baffled me when trying to do fantasy baseball projections based on component stats.

Braves To Acquire Javier Vazquez

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7:42pm: O’Brien believes Chicago’s return to be Flowers, Lillibridge, third baseman Jon Gilmore, and pitcher Santos Rodriguez.

7:05pm: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says the White Sox will actually receive four players in the deal.  They’ll choose from a list of five, with Flowers and Lillibridge their top targets.

5:34pm: Rosenthal says an announcement could come Wednesday or Thursday.  He says Lillibridge is in the deal along with a young starter, but it’s not Reyes.  Additionally, highly regarded catcher Tyler Flowers might be the third prospect (which would improve the trade quite a bit for the Sox).  Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein says Flowers profiles as an offense-first catcher, but there are questions about his ability to stay behind the plate.  Dave O’Brien notes that Sox GM Ken Williams saw Flowers play in Arizona and "practically drooled over him."

5:19pm: ESPN’s Peter Gammons says Vazquez is flying to Atlanta tomorrow for a physical; the deal will be finalized then.  The White Sox will send Vazquez and lefty Boone Logan to the Braves for Reyes, Lillibridge, and another prospect.  I’m wondering – with Reyes and another prospect gone, do the Braves still have the goods to pull off a Jake Peavy trade?  With Vazquez added, the Braves should be less desperate if talks for Peavy resume.

4:53pm: Rosenthal now says the Braves are on the verge of acquiring Vazquez. 

4:22pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Braves are in serious discussions with the White Sox for starter Javier Vazquez.  The White Sox could receive as many as three players, with Jo-Jo Reyes and Brent Lillibridge among the names discussed.  Vazquez is set to earn $11.5MM in each of the 2009 and 2010 seasons.  Acquiring him would definitely take some pressure off the Braves, who aim to add two quality starters to put in front of Jair Jurrjens.

Braves Rumors: Hampton, Lowe, Burnett

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Dave O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the latest on the Braves in a new blog post.

  • The Braves never intended Mike Hampton to be one of the two front-rotation starters they acquire this winter, so his rejection of their offer doesn’t affect their plans much.
  • O’Brien notes that he’s heard no indications that the Braves are actively pursuing Derek Lowe.  A.J. Burnett seems to be their top target, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Jake Peavy talks revived at the Winter Meetings.
  • The Braves made trade inquiries on Roy Oswalt and Matt Cain and "haven’t received favorable replies in those pursuits."
  • Free agents Ben Sheets and Randy Johnson don’t seem to be on the radar due to concerns over their reliability.
  • The Braves continue to seek a power bat, with Ryan Ludwick and Jermaine Dye the two targets mentioned in recent weeks.

Japanese Links: Kawakami, Tazawa

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A few links today involving Japanese players…

  • Michael Silverman and Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald wrote yesterday that the Red Sox have scouted Kenshin Kawakami multiple times and he has interest in pitching for them.  Kawakami figures to receive multiple bids, assuming he commits to MLB first.
  • ESPN’s Keith Law says signing Junichi Tazawa was a "no-brainer" for the Red Sox.  Law figures Tazawa will start in Double A and could reach the Majors in ’09.
  • Aaron Shinsano of East Windup Chronicle respectfully disagrees; he doesn’t believe Tazawa is ready for Double A.  Shinsano suggests marketing played a part in the signing, as Tazawa is not a first-round talent.
  • Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star says Tazawa’s contract "does not seem right" and the Blue Jays are wise to stay out of the Japanese market.
  • Patrick Newman at NPB Tracker translates a Yahoo Japan article that indicates the Padres, White Sox, Indians, and Brewers will stay out of the Japanese free agent market.

Arb Offered To Orlando Cabrera, David Weathers

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According to the AP, Orlando Cabrera (Type A) and David Weathers (Type B) were offered arbitration.

We await word on Type A/B free agents Mark Loretta, Randy Wolf, Doug Brocail, Juan Uribe, and Ken Griffey Jr., though the AP article implies none of the five received offers.  Wolf would’ve been solid on a one-year deal; the Astros’ payroll must be really tight.

Reds In Trade Talks For Dye?

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SUNDAY: A small update from Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune – any deal involving the Reds and Dye is "complicated by financial matters."  Not sure why; Dye is only on the hook for $11.5MM next year.

SATURDAY: John Fay got Walt Jocketty to admit he’s talked to the White Sox (nothing is close).  Jocketty’s non-denial about the Dye rumor seems to indicate it’s accurate.

TUESDAY, 5:42pm: MLB.com’s Scott Merkin notes that the Mets and Phillies are two of the six teams on Dye’s no-trade list.  Dye’s agent, Bob Bry, has not been contacted by Ken Williams in regard to a possible trade to either club.  The Reds don’t appear to be on the list, though, so Williams would not need clearance to make a deal with them.

12:13pm: Lance McAlister of 1530 WCKY in Cincinnati has a rumor up regarding trade talks between the White Sox and Reds.

McAlister’s source says the White Sox initiated talks to send Jermaine Dye to the Reds for Homer Bailey and another player.  Ken Rosenthal says Dye’s no-trade clause mostly covers teams in the northeast.  Perhaps the Sox can trade him to the Reds without his consent.  Ken Williams and Walt Jocketty matched up in July on the Ken Griffey Jr. trade.  It’s known that Jocketty prefers trades to free agency.

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