According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates might not be able to trade shortstop Jack Wilson this offseason. Even if the Dodgers miss out on Rafael Furcal, their Plan B is Orlando Cabrera. The A’s, Royals, and Blue Jays have not expressed interest in Wilson. Kovacevic says the Blue Jays are definitely not interested. You may recall that J.P. Ricciardi went out of his way to deny interest in Wilson in July of last year.
Dodgers Rumors
Furcal Close To Deciding Between Braves, Dodgers
11:40pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says a Braves person said Furcal had a "gentleman’s agreement" with the team. Talks continued with the Dodgers nonetheless.
7:00pm: Matthew Leach is reporting that the Royals are no longer pursuing Furcal. Leach says the Royals were unable to fit Furcal’s demands into the payroll. Dayton Moore added that if the Royals are to add a player at this point, the team "would have to subtract [someone] because of where [the Royals] are financially." We previously heard that the Royals were one of four teams Furcal was considering offers from.
4:43pm: Tim Brown explains that while some Braves people believed they had a deal with Furcal, Kinzer and Arn Tellem are still talking to the Dodgers. The Braves probably aren’t terribly amused with the agents.
3:13pm: Ned Colletti says he’s still talking to Kinzer about Furcal, while Yahoo’s Tim Brown talks about the Dodgers and A’s shifting their focus to Orlando Cabrera.
1:00pm: Furcal’s agent Paul Kinzer says there’s no agreement yet. He says that if Furcal chose right now, it’d be Atlanta. Jerry Crasnick says it’d be a three-year, $30MM deal with a fourth-year vesting option. However, Kinzer will call the Dodgers today to give them a final chance to sign Furcal. Furcal will probably accept an offer today, and it’ll be the Braves or Dodgers.
10:51am: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says the Braves have no intention of trading Johnson or Escobar – they are moving Johnson back to left field. Bowman believes Furcal will play second base.
9:42am: Crasnick now says the Braves have a preliminary agreement with Furcal. Dave O’Brien thinks the signing points to an Escobar trade.
8:35am: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick has a source saying no agreement has been reached, but the Braves are confident and interest is mutual.
7:50am: According to Ken Rosenthal, shortstop Rafael Furcal has reached an agreement with the Braves. He came up with Atlanta, of course. Furcal just needs to pass a physical. Rosenthal believes the Braves offered three years with a fourth-year vesting option, and Furcal chose that over Oakland’s guaranteed four years.
Now we’re left to wonder what happens with Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson. Dave O’Brien notes that the Braves have inquired on young starters such as Zack Greinke and Paul Maholm. Danny Knobler says the Braves will likely put Furcal at second base and Johnson in left field.
Pirates Rumors: Wigginton, Hairston, Wilson
Jenifer Langosch tidies up a few rumors we have heard previously concerning the Pirates…
- While the Buccos are in need of an outfielder, and have expressed interest in both Ty Wigginton and Jerry Hairston Jr, Langosch says the Pirates will not spend a lot on a fourth outfielder and may be priced out of the market for those two.
- If Rafael Furcal does go back to the Braves, the Dodgers could once again turn their attention to acquiring Jack Wilson. Langosch says the Pirates may be willing to pay some of Wilson’s $7.25MM salary for 2009.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Odds and Ends: Wigginton, Andruw, Royals
Links and notes for Tuesday…
- The Rays held a "get-to-know you" chat with free agent reliever Joe Nelson. Also, exec Andrew Friedman doesn’t see their pursuit for a hitter lasting into late January.
- The Mets will not be affected by the money a few of their owners lost in the Bernard Madoff scheme.
- Argenis Reyes and Ambiorix Burgos are now free agents after being non-tendered.
- RotoAuthority has a running list of pitchers who are moving from the AL to the NL for 2009.
- I chatted about the Yankees with Coast To Coast Baseball.
- El Lefty Malo discusses the idea of the Giants signing Ty Wigginton.
- Kevin Baxter passes along quotes from Andruw Jones regarding the future.
- Rany Jazayerli weighs in on recent Royals moves.
- Bleeding Blue and Teal tells us about Taiwanese lefty Fu-Te Ni, who may sign with a Major League team.
Rafael Furcal Rumors: Monday
10:42pm: The fourth team is the Braves, according to Ken Rosenthal. Kinzer told Rosenthal the Braves are "in deep" and Furcal is seriously considering their offer. Rosenthal believes it’s a three-year offer with a vesting option. Rosenthal spoke to an exec who felt the same as Joel Sherman, that Furcal does not want to sign with the A’s.
Adding Furcal would give the Braves a middle infield surplus. Good shortstops are hard to find and the Braves would have two.
4:40pm: Yahoo’s Tim Brown talked to Furcal’s agent Paul Kinzer, who said his client will sign by Tuesday. He’s mulling offers from the Dodgers, Royals, A’s, and…a mystery team.
1:32pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Blue Jays have dropped out of the bidding for Furcal (now confirmed by Furcal’s agent). Sherman adds that Furcal prefers the A’s the least but they are offering the most money.
1:10pm: ESPN’s Buster Olney says the A’s offered four years and $40MM, up about $4MM from their previous offer.
8:10am: According to Ken Rosenthal, the A’s appear to be the frontrunners for free agent shortstop Rafael Furcal. Joel Sherman said the same on Friday. Rosenthal says the A’s have upped their initial four-year offer to Furcal, and it appears to be the only four-year proposal on the table. Yahoo’s Jeff Passan suggested on Wednesday that the Royals believe it will take four years and $44MM to sign him. The A’s were reportedly in the $35-40MM range previously.
The Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Royals were identified as other finalists last week by Furcal’s agent. Those teams all have issues coming up with the money or years Furcal desires. Rosenthal suggests Orlando Cabrera, Angel Berroa, and Jack Wilson as possible alternatives for the Dodgers.
Mets Considering Randy Wolf, Oliver Perez
10:14pm: Wolf told MLB.com’s Marty Noble tonight that the Mets have shown "some interest." Noble says the Yankees, Orioles, Dodgers, Braves, and Giants are also "thought to have interest."
7:58am: According to Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News, the Mets have checked the bullpen off their list and will now look to upgrade the rotation. It seems that Oliver Perez and Randy Wolf are the top targets, with the pricey Derek Lowe a less likely possibility. McCarron notes that the Mets have a strong relationship with Wolf’s agent Arn Tellem, who brokered the Francisco Rodriguez contract.
With A.J. Burnett off the board, perhaps the market for Lowe will heat up this week. The free agent starting pitching options remain strong – look at what was available on this date a year ago.
Offensively, McCarron doesn’t see much more than an Alex Cora addition on the horizon for the Mets.
Odds and Ends: Astros, Saito, Yankees
Links for Monday night…
- Astros GM Ed Wade is "kicking the tires" on players to share time with Geoff Blum at third next year. It seems unlikely that they can afford Ty Wigginton.
- The Marlins haven’t yet inquired on Takashi Saito, a recent non-tender.
- It’s "very unlikely" though "not impossible" that Mark Teixeira or Manny Ramirez becomes a Yankee according to Tyler Kepner. He also thinks that the longer Andy Pettitte waits, the lower the chances are of a return to the Yankees.
- Adam Everett thinks the Tigers are a great fit for him. Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski said Everett’s in line to get most of the starts at shortstop.
- Felipe Lopez could be a positive for the D’Backs in spite of his questionable effort and unspectacular defense, writes Keith Law.
- Rob Neyer thinks that the Yankees "pretty obviously overpaid" for A.J. Burnett.
- Here’s a video clip of Bronx Banter authors and Anthony McCarron debating the pros and cons of the Burnett signing.
- Sarah D. Morris weighs in on the Dodgers’ offseason moves.
- Tony Massarotti ranks the five worst current pitching contracts.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Yankees, Teixeira, Bradley, Furcal
Ken Rosenthal has his latest article up. Let’s go through it.
- Milton Bradley is weighing his options with the Cubs and Rays. Joe Maddon and the Rays may be a better fit than Lou Piniella and the Cubs. And spending time at DH would allow him to "protect his oft-injured body." But will the Rays meet Bradley’s asking price when they can turn to Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi, Garret Anderson, or Pat Burrell instead? Rosenthal adds that the Reds, Angels, and Nationals are also interested in Bradley.
- Rosenthal says the Yankees are aiming to keep their payroll lower than last season. Despite gorging this holiday season, they’re shedding more than they’re putting on.
- With regards to Mark Teixeira, Rosenthal reports one general manager says there is a lot of bluffing going on right now to get the Red Sox to go higher.
- Ty Wigginton has received calls from four teams since being non-tendered by the Astros. His replacement in Houston has yet to be established. Chris Johnson, the team’s third base prospect, had a .539 OPS in Triple A last season.
- Jerry Hairston Jr. is receiving interest from the Reds and three AL clubs, the Mariners likely being one of them. Says Rosenthal, "Hairston, 32, plays six positions and was a favorite of new M’s manager Don Wakamatsu when both were with the Rangers." Not sure where the Phillies fit in, but Jay Bruce said Hairston was considering them. And John Perrotto has the Pirates in the mix for Hairston.
- The reason Rafael Furcal rejected the A’s offer was that he wants to stay with the Dodgers, so says "one agent." Meanwhile the Dodgers appear to be daring Furcal to leave for a lesser club before making an offer.
Braves Interested In Kawakami
Having lost out on A.J. Burnett, the Atlanta Braves are shifting their attention to a different candidate to fill out their starting rotation–33-year old Japanese veteran Kenshin Kawakami.
Dave O’Brien at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the Braves are serious contenders for Kawakami’s services. While teams like the Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels and Orioles are also in on Kawakami, "the Braves are particularly motivated to improve their rotation," O’Brien says.
Failing to sign Burnett is certainly one motivating factor, but O’Brien also mentions the increasing chance that John Smoltz does not return to the Braves in 2009.
Alex Walsh can be reached at alexander.walsh@gmail.com
Four Teams Express Interest In Abreu
According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman:
The Cubs, Rays, Dodgers and Angels are among teams that have expressed interest in star free-agent outfielder Bobby Abreu.
The Cubs are said to prefer Milton Bradley. The Rays met with Abreu’s agents on Wednesday at the Winter Meetings. The California teams are new, I believe.
